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Rare species may indeed contribute disproportionately to the diversity of traits within a community or a region 7, 8, 9. While it has long been assumed that rare species should weakly contribute to ecosystem functioning and functional diversity, recent studies have challenged this belief. Rare species are of particular concern because they tend to have a high extinction risk 5 and may even face a “double jeopardy” 6 as low abundance species are also often narrowly distributed. Most species are geographically restricted, and rarity has become one of the cornerstones of many ecological studies and conservation strategies for decades 1, 2, 3, 4.
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Altogether, these results state that more conservation emphasis should be given to ecological rarity given future environmental conditions and the need to sustain multiple ecosystem processes in the long-term.
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While they are more abundant overall in countries with a low human development index, some countries with high human development index are also hotspots of ecological rarity, suggesting transboundary responsibility for their conservation. We find that ecologically rare species are disproportionately represented in IUCN threatened categories, insufficiently covered by protected areas, and for some of them sensitive to current and future threats. We use global species distributions and functional traits for birds and mammals to identify the ecologically rare species, understand their characteristics, and identify hotspots. supporting rare traits and functions, is of prime importance given their risk of extinction and their potential contribution to ecosystem functioning. Identifying species that are both geographically restricted and functionally distinct, i.e.