Analyze The Impact That The Extinction Of A Species Will Have On An Environment
Analyze the impact that the extinction of a species will have on an environment. Determine what you believe to be the most significant impact, and explain why.
When we hear of extinction, most of us think of the dilemma of the rhino, tiger, panda or blue whale; however these are only small pieces of the extinction puzzle. The overall numbers are terrifying. Of the 40,168 species that the 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have assessed, one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of extinction. The peril faced by other classes of organisms is less thoroughly analyzed, but fully 40 per cent of the examined species of planet earth are in danger, including perhaps 51 per cent of reptiles, 52 per cent of insects, and 73 per cent of flowering plants.
Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson predicts that our present course will lead to the extinction of half of all plant and animal species by 2100. Seven in ten biologists believe that mass extinction poses a colossal threat to human existence, a more serious environmental problem than even its contributor, global warming; and that the dangers of mass extinction are traumatically underestimated by almost everyone outside science.
Though there are several, the causes of extinction have been dominated by the activities of humans. These include population and overexploitation, with habitat destruction being the greatest contributor to the extinction of many species; moreover, impacts to biota from habitat fragmentation, is a critical mechanism of driving species to extinction. This destruction is ongoing in both terrestrial and aquatic biomes, with approximately 80% of all extinctions being attributed to human caused habitat destruction. The effects of habitat destruction are especially prevalent in areas of the world with a formerly rich biodiversity that are being converted into land to be utilized commercially or agriculturally. For
When we hear of extinction, most of us think of the dilemma of the rhino, tiger, panda or blue whale; however these are only small pieces of the extinction puzzle. The overall numbers are terrifying. Of the 40,168 species that the 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have assessed, one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of extinction. The peril faced by other classes of organisms is less thoroughly analyzed, but fully 40 per cent of the examined species of planet earth are in danger, including perhaps 51 per cent of reptiles, 52 per cent of insects, and 73 per cent of flowering plants.
Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson predicts that our present course will lead to the extinction of half of all plant and animal species by 2100. Seven in ten biologists believe that mass extinction poses a colossal threat to human existence, a more serious environmental problem than even its contributor, global warming; and that the dangers of mass extinction are traumatically underestimated by almost everyone outside science.
Though there are several, the causes of extinction have been dominated by the activities of humans. These include population and overexploitation, with habitat destruction being the greatest contributor to the extinction of many species; moreover, impacts to biota from habitat fragmentation, is a critical mechanism of driving species to extinction. This destruction is ongoing in both terrestrial and aquatic biomes, with approximately 80% of all extinctions being attributed to human caused habitat destruction. The effects of habitat destruction are especially prevalent in areas of the world with a formerly rich biodiversity that are being converted into land to be utilized commercially or agriculturally. For