Extinction and Extinction Rate

Extinction is a natural process that serves as the driver towards an evolution, which is the mode by which natural selection eliminates the poorly adapted species and only allows the hardest species to survive. Species occasionally become extinct to create room for another generation of species with better attributes based on the availability of resources (Parker, 2013). Human beings play a significant role in altering the rate of extinction, particularly among species that regularly share the same habitat with human beings. According to Faurby & Svenning (2015), human beings have accelerated natural extinction through their role in climate change, loss of habitat, disease, invasive species, hunting, and too much fishing. Research conducted by the National Museum of Natural History (2007) indicates that the current rate of extinction is hundreds and thousands of times higher compared to the natural regular rate. Based on the fossil record, the standard rate of extinction is around one species per every one million species annually. The current rate of extinction for mammals is also possibly the largest extinction event since the extinction of dinosaurs. Scientists also predict that the extinction rate will continue increasing to up to 30,000 above the average level by 2100 if current trends in the loss of biodiversity and human behavior continue.

The difference between the current extinction rates and the past rates has mainly been caused by industrialization. Faurby & Svenning (2015) argue that industrialization has increased the rate of extinction by creating unfavorable living conditions for species. For instance, industrialization in China has created water pollution, hence endangering species, such as dolphins and other types of fish, that rely on water for survival. The growth in the human population is also a major factor contributing to the difference in extinction rates because current trends in population growth indicate that the number of endangered species will increase by 14% by 2050 (Center for Biological Diversity, 2010). The rate of extinction also further increases with the increase in global warming.

References

Center for Biological Diversity. (2010). Human population growth and extinction. Center for Biological Diversity. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/extinction/

Faurby, S., & Svenning, J. (2015). Historic and prehistoric human-driven extinctions have reshaped global mammal diversity patterns. https://doi.org/10.1101/017368

National Museum of Natural History. (2007). Extinction Over Time. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/paleontology/extinction-over-time

Parker, S. (2013). Extinction: Not the end of the world?

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