1. Madagascar’s native carnivorans are an endemic monophyletic group of eight extant species belonging to the family Eupleridae. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently classifies seven of the species as threatened (Vulnerable or Endangered), as their populations are in decline due to intensifying anthropogenic pressures. However, little is known about these species’ ecology and population trends, precluding forecasts of extinction risk. Life-history and functional traits govern species’ responses to environmental pressure and can be predictive of extinction risk. Incorporating relevant trait information can vastly improve risk assessments. Yet, information on the life-history and functional traits of the Eupleridae has never been compiled into a single framework.
2. Our aims were to: 1) synthesise the current state of knowledge of the life-history and functional traits of euplerid species, 2) review empirical evidence of the effects of anthropogenic pressures on species, and 3) identify knowledge gaps and future research needs.
3. We searched the published literature to compile life-history and functional trait information and known effects of anthropogenic pressures for Eupleridae.
4. Our review indicates that Madagascar’s carnivorans have high-risk life-history and functional traits that increase their vulnerability to anthropogenic pressures. Publications reported negative effects on euplerids from habitat degradation and fragmentation, logging, non-native carnivorans, disease, and hunting and retaliatory killings. However, our synthesis revealed significant knowledge gaps, especially in species’ life-history traits and in the spatial variability in most traits. For most species, we currently do not have the robust data needed to assess trait-based risk dynamics.
5. The culmination of reported traits, negative influence of ongoing anthropogenic pressures, and lack of robust metrics (e.g. population trends and trait variability) indicate that euplerids are at high risk, yet may reach the cusp of extinction without notice due to significant gaps in knowledge. Future research should prioritise filling gaps in knowledge of influential traits, evaluating anthropogenic pressures, and integrating trait information to improve risk assessments and extinction forecasts.

中文翻译：

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综合生活史特征、功能特征以及人为压力对马达加斯加濒危食肉动物 Eupleridae 的影响

1. 马达加斯加的本地食肉动物是一个地方性单系群，由属于 Eupleridae 科的八个现存物种组成。国际自然保护联盟 (IUCN) 目前将七种物种归类为受威胁（易危或濒危），因为它们的数量由于人为压力加剧而下降。然而，对这些物种的生态和种群趋势知之甚少，排除了灭绝风险的预测。生活史和功能特征控制物种对环境压力的反应，并可预测灭绝风险。结合相关的特征信息可以极大地改善风险评估。然而，关于幼虫科的生活史和功能特征的信息从未被编入一个单一的框架中。
2. 我们的目标是：1) 综合关于 euplerid 物种生活史和功能特征的当前知识状态，2) 审查人为压力对物种影响的经验证据，以及 3) 确定知识差距和未来的研究需求。
3. 我们搜索了已发表的文献，以汇编生活史和功能特征信息以及人为压力对 Eupleridae 的已知影响。
4. 我们的评论表明，马达加斯加的食肉动物具有高风险的生活史和功能特征，这增加了它们对人为压力的脆弱性。出版物报告了栖息地退化和破碎化、伐木、非本地食肉动物、疾病以及狩猎和报复性杀戮对euplerids 的负面影响。然而，我们的综合揭示了重大的知识差距，特别是在物种的生活史特征和大多数特征的空间变异性方面。对于大多数物种，我们目前没有评估基于性状的风险动态所需的可靠数据。
5. 报告特征的高潮、持续的人为压力的负面影响以及缺乏可靠的指标（例如种群趋势和特征变异）表明，euplerids 处于高风险中，但由于知识上的重大差距，可能会在没有通知的情况下达到灭绝的边缘。未来的研究应优先填补影响性状知识的空白，评估人为压力，并整合性状信息以改进风险评估和灭绝预测。