Connecting two continents: species richness, functional traits and extinction risk in the Panamanian Isthmus-Choco continuum

Abstract

Macroecological analyses provide a powerful tool for evaluating the animal communities and the conservation status of an ecoregion. Using this approach in smaller scales allows reaching solid results in how the species richness, functional traits and extinction risk are changing throughout a specific region. The connectivity area between the Costa Rican Seasonal forest and the Chocó Darién Moist Forest represents the bridge between the Mesoamerican region and the Andean tropical region. This area has historical importance based on the role played in the great mammal exchange, currently containing over 327 species of mammals and possessing well preserved forest patches as well as highly deforested areas. Species composition follows a clear pattern within a geographic logic, but extinction risk and functional traits do not follow the same pattern. Here we provide exploratory and preliminary analyses of the ecological continuum between Costa Rica and Colombia, based on a macroecological perspective, in order to provide insights on current biogeographical and threat patterns as a basis for ecological understanding and conservation planning.