Biomes and Diversity . Extinction is a natural selection process. Should humans strive to preserve a representative sample of all biomes or aquatic zones? Why should humans be concerned with the extinction rate? Your initial post should be at least 150 words in length. Support your claims with at least two references in addition to your text in support of your position. Cite your sources in APA format. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.…
Elizabeth Kolbert wrote The Sixth Extinction as an attempt to explain and give examples of what seems to be a 6th extinction event currently happening in the modern world. We have discussed and learned about five other extinction events throughout this semester, and Kolbert pushes this 6th extinction event as a new rapid extinction predominantly caused by humans. One of the underlying causes of this 6th extinction event discussed in the book is the mass killing of both animals and humans. Another underlying cause of this extinction event discussed in the book, which is probably more prevalent now than ever before, is climate change caused by humans. This book goes chapter by chapter giving examples of various species that are on the verge of going…
Ritchie, E. (2013). 'Extinction: just how bad is it and why should we care?', 2 May 2013, The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/extinction-just-how-bad-is-it- and-why-should-we-care-13751?…
-Mass extinction: a crisis that affects life right across the planet from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains…
Should humans be concerned with the extinction rate? Yes, we should think about how our actions affect every living organism within our ecosystem, as we all share and is dependent on its resources. Over population, over-consumption, and consumerism are some of the reasons that our environment is in its current condition. As the earth’s population increases, the use of natural resources increases. More and more the impact of humans on the environment is becoming a greater issue for our society. As humans we are dependent upon the environment for its raw materials we use for food and shelter. “The demands of industrialization require that we use our natural resources in order to run our technology. However, the demands of future generations mean that we must use these resources wisely and in a sustainable manner so that society does not stop because of our lack of concern” (Weinclaw, 2009). It would be in the best interest of our future generations that we strive to preserve samples of biomes by limiting our footprint on those that we can.…
It is believed Earth may be in the midst of another mass extinction, also known as 'The Sixth Mass Extinction '. This mass extinction is the first for 65 million years since the Cretaceous-Tertiary period. "It 's the next annihilation of vast numbers of species. It is happening now, and we, the human race, are its cause ' (Leakey, 1995). Every year, between 17,000 and 100,000 species vanish from our planet, which will result in fifty per cent of the Earth 's species vanishing inside the next 100 years.…
So who cares if a bird or two goes extinct? Or an elephant? Or a bug? To most people it doesn’t really matter. But species extinction is a great moral wrong. Every species has a role in its ecosystem and by intruding on the natural balance of things and thus causing the early extinction of species we are throwing the natural balance out of whack and reducing biodiversity. Biodiversity is key in surviving ecological hardship. When difficult situations arise, it is up to species to adapt and evolve to overcome. By intervening and accelerating the hardship of not just one species, but entire ecosystems, we are creating so much stress of the species present that they simply cannot adapt or evolve quick enough in such a short span of time. Thus, human actions are directly responsible for the extinction of many species, which directly correlates to a decrease in genetic and biodiversity. It is hard to deny that we rely on, and take for granted, all of the species and their roles in their ecosystem and how they keep things afloat. And by irreparably damaging these systems, we are directly relating to our ability to gather supplies such as food sources and lumber and agriculture in the future. Thus it falls upon humanity to act accordingly to try and prevent the damage we will cause if we continue “business as usual” in the…
‘Compare the nature and rate of change that affect the functioning of TWO different ecosystems at risk.’…
There are many species which have already extinct from this planet and there are many more which are on the verge of extinction. In past 200 years almost half…
Throughout the biological history of the earth various mass extinction events have occurred (2) in which worldwide biodiversity greatly declined. Currently, we are in the process of the sixth mass extinction (3) which unlike those before it, is characterised be the loss of large bodied species and more specifically the loss of apex consumers (4.5). Furthermore; current extinctions are mainly as result of direct and indirect anthropogenic forces. And; like those before it this mass extinction event will induce evolutionary changes in the surviving species which in turn will cause variations in the structure and function of their…
Lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, birds, snakes, turtles, fish, frogs, spiders and countless other species are on the verge of extinction, the vast majority of the…
This method describes how scientist estimates extinction rate: first, the extinction of a species typically takes such a long time that it is not easy to document. Second, we have identified only about 1.8 million of the world’s estimated 4 million to 100 million species. Third, scientists know little about the nature and ecological roles of most of the species that have been identified.…
Every living organism on our planet, both plants (Flora) and animals (Fauna), are included when determining biodiversity. On our planet, there are 13.6 million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms, and Australia has about 7% (one million) of these (Australian Museum, 2017). Australia has a vast biodiversity because it is classed as a ‘megadiverse country’. Megadiversity is when a country has high levels of biodiversity. One way to measure Australia’s biodiversity is by looking at taxonomic groups. By looking at taxonomic groups, scientists can monitor the breeding rates of animals and compare them to recent years to see if their population has flourished or declined. Conserving biodiversity isn’t just about conserving endangered species, it’s about conserving entire habitats and ecosystems (Environment.gov.au, 2017). Some ways Australia is preserving their biodiversity is by introducing national policies for the management of Australia’s biological resources, whole farming linked to regional or catchment plans and catchment management such as for the Murray-Darling Basin (Environment.gov.au, 2017).…
Our environment is parted into millions of ecological niches, each that represents a probable home for life. Taking advantage of new opportunities are what animals and plants will always try to do, so they will always try to make a home in an empty niche. To specify, only one animal or plant can have a certain niche. When two different organisms try to take the same niche they will compete for the same resources, and one will always try to out-compete the other. When the species is extinct and there is an empty niche, there will be a race to fill it. Mass extinctions open up a swarm of niches, and there is evolutionary explosion as animals and plants adapt to fill the vacant homes.…
Why Every Animal is so Important for Keeping Earth’s Ecosystem Healthy, viewed 17 June 2013, <http://earth.com/why-every-animal-is-so-important-for-keeping-earth%E2%80%99s-ecosystem-healthy-by-admin-on-june-12,2010>.…