Re: Avian extinction ref.

[MICHAEL HABIB <habib@jhmi.edu>]

> The present study finds that area is not as important a predictor as
> predator diversity!

Is area actually in the analysis?  I'll have to go back and look, but since 
this the study looks only at an island chain (ie. all of the ranges are bounded 
in the same way), area should not be a factor (keep in mind that I'm speaking 
of area as the total geographic ranges of species; not location or home range 
size).  Global studies on primates, bats, carnivores, and and a large sampling 
of birds have all found geographic range to be important.  Of course, such 
studies have typically not included proxies for predator diversity aside from 
human density, focusing more on factors intrinsic to the biology of threatened 
species.

--Mike Habib