Chilean degus vanish after extreme drought breaks ecosystem resilience
A study of common degus in central Chile shows the population disappeared locally following the extreme drought of 2019.
Twelve years of survival data
Researchers analyzed records spanning twelve years from a population of degus living in Rinconada de Maipú. The animals maintained positive growth despite declining rainfall and vegetation productivity for nearly a decade. This period included a prolonged megadrought that affected central Chile before the final collapse.
Critical failure in 2019
Rainfall became exceptionally scarce in 2019, causing vegetation production to fall to critical levels. The lack of food impacted both animal survival and the recruitment of new individuals. By 2020, trapping efforts failed to detect any degus at the study site.
No signs in 2021 surveys
Additional surveys conducted in 2021 confirmed that no individuals were detected during further searches. The findings document how climatic events exceeding resilience limits can overwhelm wildlife populations. These results highlight the vulnerability of endemic species to such extreme environmental shifts.
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