Ecosystem roles and conservation status of bioturbator mammals

The action of biological reworking of soils is referred to as
bioturbation, and many species of mammals globally have an important role
in soil disturbance, modifying ecosystem characteristics. We examined
global patterns in the distribution, conservation status, and threats to
the world’s bioturbator mammals and illustrated the relevant roles these
species play in ecosystem engineering related to soil processes and
services. We searched the data available on 3932 non‐flying land‐dwelling
mammals included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s
(IUCN) Red List. Using existing literature and online databases, we
determined that 869 (22%) of the non‐flying land‐dwelling mammals accessed
can be considered as bioturbators in three distinct groups: foragers
(n = 123), semi‐fossorial species
(n = 652), and strictly fossorial species
(n = 94). Of the world’s bioturbator mammal species, 16%
are threatened, 2% are already Extinct, and 8% are classified as Data
Deficient. Foragers have the highest percentage of threatened (35%) and
Extinct (5%) species, while strictly fossorial species have the highest
percentage of Data Deficient species (12%). Although the majority of
bioturbator mammal species are found in Asia (32%), Oceania is the
continent with the highest percentage of threatened (27%) and Extinct
(11%) bioturbator species, while Central and South America have the
highest percentage of species classified as Data Deficient (24%). The
threats experienced by the greatest number of bioturbator mammal species
are activities related to agriculture and aquaculture (29%), and
biological resource use (22%). Soil bioturbation can improve ecosystem
health by reducing soil compaction, increasing nutrient cycling, soil
moisture, microbe diversity, plant recruitment, and carbon storage. The
loss of bioturbator mammals could trigger cascading effects throughout the
ecosystems they inhabit. A better understanding of their conservation
status is important so that effective conservation measures can be
developed.