Ghosts of Our Making: Extinct Aquatic Species of the North American Desert Region

Authors: Jack Williams, Don Sada

Year: 2018

Abstract

One of the primary priorities of conservation is to prevent extinctions. Thirty-three fishes and 23 aquatic invertebrates are recorded as recently extinct within the desert and adjacent regions of the United States and Mexico. Additionally, five fishes are listed as extinct in the wild. The process of extinction often begins with habitat degradation or other disturbance that diminishes local populations or causes local extirpations that lead to the entire species or subspecies being more susceptible to loss. Extinction itself is often linked to some catastrophic change in water supply, such as water diversion or spring failure due to over withdrawal of groundwater. Introductions of nonnative species that may prey on, compete with, or hybridize with native species, are more common in extinction of desert fishes than for aquatic invertebrates. Increasing numbers of endangered and extinct species are a cautionary account about our own future. The question for humans is whether the warning signs will be obeyed or whether society proceeds headlong into a future where our own species may be at risk.