Abstract
Biodiversity is not just the number of species but one of its majoraspects is the observable (or phenotypic) diversity of forms, present withinand between species. This relates to biological evolution, natural selection,ecosystem functions and services, and conservation.However important it may be, phenotypic diversity is stillunderlooked in conservation policies, or in models of biodiversity responseto anthropogenic changes. Simply put, we still have no comprehensiveidea of how phenotypic diversity interacts with human impacts. In thebiodiversity hotspot of Southeast Asia, where drastic changes are ongoing,as in other tropical and economically growing areas, this gap is particularlyvisible and damageable. Indeed, booming cities and crops can be expectedto cause major disruptions in diversity, both taxonomic (number of species)and phenotypic. The latter relates directly to the collapse of ecosystemicfunctions and services in anthropized areas, and should therefore be apriority at all levels: political, educational and scientific. On the other hand,it also relates to the rapid capacity of some organisms to adapt to humandriven change, and these adaptions themselves can become a problemfor the well-being of human societies, as well adapted organisms in thatcommensal context might generate new risks (e.g., pathogens) to humanhealth and economy.Here, we synthetize the standing knowledge of the influence ofanthropogenic changes on phenotypic (morphological) diversity invertebrates. With that in mind, we present a case study of five rodent speciesof different ecologies in Southeast Asia, with populations living in areas more or less affected by anthropization. We show some examples in whichthe morphology of these animals is correlated with human land use. Wealso show that, within populations, species adapted to living with humanshave less morphological diversity than other species, probably because theytend to disperse less.These examples show that anthropo-ecosystems can modify themorphological traits and ecology of wildlife, and that middle or long-termmonitoring of population traits is necessary to identify evolutionaryresponses to anthropic changes. The examples show that one can also takeadvantage of spatial herterogeneity in terms of environmental degradationto produce forecast models. We believe this should be generalized, as itis a great opportunity not only to solve fundamental questions relatedto evolution, but also to learn how the biosphere will change and adaptewith the rapid environmental modifications of the Anthropocene. Thisis especially urgent in Southeast Asia due to its high biodiversity and fastanthropic changes.