How Much Are Humans Changing Biodiversity?

May 1, 2025

Andrew Gonzalez, a biology professor at McGill University, dives into the complexities of biodiversity change, highlighting how human activities accelerate compositional turnover in ecosystems. He critiques time-series data for bias and emphasizes the need for nuanced interpretations of local trends. Gonzalez introduces a 'detection and attribution' approach akin to climate science, urging a focus on solutions rather than despair. He also stresses better communication of biodiversity issues, advocating for a balanced view of both challenges and opportunities in conservation.

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ANECDOTE

Early Nature Observations Shaped Career

Andrew Gonzalez grew up observing nature, drawing and collecting specimens which sparked his lifelong curiosity about species and their environments.
Those childhood explorations led him to pursue zoology and later biodiversity science as a career.

INSIGHT

Communities Are Constantly Restructuring

Ecological communities undergo continual compositional turnover in species identity and relative abundances.
Gonzalez asserts humans are accelerating that turnover, though rates vary by place and taxon.

INSIGHT

Mixed Local Trends Reflect Data Biases

Studies showing mixed local trends in species richness surprised many but may reflect sampling and taxonomic biases.
Gonzalez warns those results are not globally representative without addressing geographic and taxonomic gaps.

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Guest: Andrew Gonzalez

In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, we talk to Andrew Gonzalez about how biodiversity is changing – and how humans are driving this process. Gonzalez discusses shifts in species composition, critiques conclusions drawn from time-series analyses we covered in episode one, and calls for better data to link changes to human impacts. Drawing on climate science, he proposes a “detection and attribution” approach and urges scientists to focus on solutions. A thought-provoking look at the science and communication of biodiversity change.

Links:

Professor Andrew Gonzalez’s profile at McGill University: https://www.thegonzalezlab.org/about-andrew-gonzalez

Paper critiquing analyses of time-series data, which have suggested biodiversity is not declining at local scales: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632071732089X?via%3Dihub

Paper on “detection and attribution” in biodiversity research, discussed in this episode: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0182

Episode summary:

Andy Gonzalez, a biodiversity scientist at McGill University, explores the complexity of biodiversity change and urges caution against oversimplified narratives of biodiversity decline. He acknowledges that while extinction is real and alarming, biodiversity is not uniformly decreasing — many local communities are experiencing reorganization rather than outright loss, with changing species compositions and shifting abundances.

Gonzalez critiques time-series data analyses we discussed in episode one for their geographic and taxonomic biases and argues that we lack a truly global, representative understanding of biodiversity trends.

Drawing inspiration from climate science, he promotes a “detection and attribution” framework to better link observed biodiversity changes to human drivers.

Gonzalez stresses the need for standardized, long-term data collection and a focus on causal understanding. Gonzalez also highlights the importance of shifting communication from loss to actionable solutions, suggesting that focusing solely on negative trends risks alienating the public. Instead, he calls for a balanced, evidence-based narrative that recognizes both the challenges and potential of biodiversity conservation.

Host: Volker Hahn Postproduction: Leven Wortmann