Abstract

Securing the long-term resilience of the world’s most speciose avifauna, that of the Neotropics, requires spatially and temporally explicit data to inform decisions. We examine gaps in our knowledge of the region’s avifauna through the lens of the biodiversity shortfall concept: the gaps between realized knowledge and complete knowledge. This framework serves as a useful tool to take stock of the last 25 yr of Neotropical ornithological work since the untimely death of Ted Parker. Here, we highlight 7 key shortfalls: taxonomy, distribution, abundance, evolutionary patterns, abiotic tolerances, species traits, and biotic interactions. We then propose an eighth—and new—“Parkerian” shortfall that reflects a lack of basic natural history knowledge key to understanding how species might respond to environmental challenges. Bridging this shortfall will help reverse declines by informing reintroduction, recovery network, and habitat restoration efforts. We discuss the challenges imposed by each shortfall and how strategies such as citizen-science initiatives and technological advances can either remedy or mitigate the uncertainty they generate.

中文翻译：

---

确定和填补新热带鸟类学缺陷的路线图

摘要

要确保世界上最特殊的鸟类（新热带）的长期复原力，就需要时空明确的数据来为决策提供依据。我们通过生物多样性短缺概念的视角来检验我们对该地区的航空动物知识的差距：已实现知识与完整知识之间的差距。自从特德·帕克（Ted Parker）不幸去世以来，该框架是评估新热带鸟类学工作的最后25年的有用工具。在这里，我们重点介绍了7个主要缺陷：分类学，分布，丰度，进化模式，非生物耐受性，物种特征和生物相互作用。然后，我们提出了第八个（也是新的）“帕克式”缺陷，这反映出缺乏基本的自然历史知识，这对于理解物种如何应对环境挑战至关重要。弥补这一不足将通过告知重新引进，恢复网络和栖息地恢复工作来帮助扭转下降趋势。我们讨论了每种缺口所带来的挑战，以及诸如公民科学计划和技术进步之类的策略如何补救或减轻它们所产生的不确定性。