Article Title: On the Termination of Species- SA Article
Author: W. Wayt Gibbs
Key Points:
Summary:
The termination of many species have increased a lot since humans have showed up in new lands the past few centuries. Apparently, extinction rates have raised by 1000x than what it was in the past 100 years. Losses in just the mammals have raised by 120x in the past 200 years. It is very hard to witness or know when an extinction of a species will happen. As we live with an estimated 5-15 million other species on earth, it's hard to find out which ones are being threatened, endangered, or are even on the brink of extinction. The extinction rates are also changing as time moves on. Some things like a loss of keystone species and the growth of human population have affected these rates by a lot. As our actions have started many of the specie's extinction, it is our responsibility to help slow or save them from extinction. Scientists are constantly finding ways to slowly repair this situation.
My thoughts:
Though preserving evolution is a great way to deal with the loss of species, I still think that they should take the keystone species approach. This approach affects many other species that require the keystone specie's survival. If they survive then many others will too, thus being able to save many the natives of the areas that the keystone species live in.
- Extinction rates have raised up to 1000x what it was before humans showed up in the past 100 years.
- Scientist are debating whether rare species should be focused for conservation
- Some doomed species have held longer than predicted
- 1-10% of species are extinguished every decade but it is largely varied
- Loss among mammals have raised 120 times higher than natural in the past 200 years
- paleontologists say that 4 percent of all species have been preserved as fossils
- The current extinction rates will sustain over millions of years
- We live with about 5-15 million other species on earth
- We have named only 1.8 million species
- A quarter of freshwater fish are listed as threatened
- It is very difficult to witness an extinction
- 1/4 - 1% pf species are either doomed or are close to extinction
- Loss of the forest is around half a % in the tropics
- extinction rates will rise 12-55 fold in the next 300 years
- 100000 - 500000 insect extinctions by 2300
- Arches of entire ecosystems will fall if some keystone species will get removed
- If natural selection won't do so, artificial selection might
- Losses are inevitable is the human population won't stop growing
- There are still some areas where natural selection will pick which species succeed or fail
Summary:
The termination of many species have increased a lot since humans have showed up in new lands the past few centuries. Apparently, extinction rates have raised by 1000x than what it was in the past 100 years. Losses in just the mammals have raised by 120x in the past 200 years. It is very hard to witness or know when an extinction of a species will happen. As we live with an estimated 5-15 million other species on earth, it's hard to find out which ones are being threatened, endangered, or are even on the brink of extinction. The extinction rates are also changing as time moves on. Some things like a loss of keystone species and the growth of human population have affected these rates by a lot. As our actions have started many of the specie's extinction, it is our responsibility to help slow or save them from extinction. Scientists are constantly finding ways to slowly repair this situation.
My thoughts:
Though preserving evolution is a great way to deal with the loss of species, I still think that they should take the keystone species approach. This approach affects many other species that require the keystone specie's survival. If they survive then many others will too, thus being able to save many the natives of the areas that the keystone species live in.
So what?Many species are on the brink of extinction and find the time before their extinction can help to see which should be on the a priority for conservation.
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Says who?W. Wayt Gibbs
and many zoologists and people that study animals. |
What if?What if we weren't constantly growing in population? How would it affect the rates of extinction?
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This reminds me of...This reminds me of wall-e as they were ready when the earth suddenly become a polluted disaster.
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