Extinction
• Endangered: Species that have a high risk of extinction in the wild in the
medium-term future.
• Conservation-dependent: The species is not currently threatened, but is
dependent on a conservation program, without which the species would be
threatened with extinction.
• Near threatened: The species is close to qualifying as vulnerable but is not
currently considered threatened.
• Least concern: The species is not considered near threatened or threatened
• Data Deficient: inadequate information exists to determine the risk of
extinction for the species. In many cases, species have not been seen for
years, or decades, because no biologists have made the effort to look for
them. More information is required before the species can be assigned to a
threat category.
• Not evaluated: the species has not yet been assessed for its threat category.
Threatened species
• Threatened species are any species which are vulnerable to
endangerment in the near future.
Endangered species
• Any species that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid
decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat.
• Examples
• Markhor
• Asian Black Bear.
• Indus River Dolphin etc.
Extinction
• Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species from Earth.
• The ‘‘natural’’ or ‘‘background’’ extinction rate that normally occurs
because of
Gradual environmental change
Newly established competitive interactions (by evolution or
invasion),
& occasional chance calamities such as fire, storms, or disease
• Local extinction; gone from a particular area
• Extirpation; local extinction
• Extinct in the wild; individuals remain, but only in
captivity/under cultivation
• Ecologically extinct ; still persists, but is so rare that its
ecological role is negligible
• Endemic; restricted to a certain (usually fairly small) area
• Ecological extinction; The reduction of a species to such low
abundance that, although it is still present in the community, it
no longer interacts significantly with other species.
Extinction rates
• Current extinction rates are high. Here are a few examples for
different groups of organisms:
• 85 (2.1%) mammals, 113 (1.3%) birds have gone extinct since 1600;
most in the last 150 years.
• 20% of all bird species extinct in past 2000 yrs.
• 50% of fungus species in Europe may have become extinct in past 60
yrs.
• 20% of the world’s freshwater fishes extinct or in serious decline.
When do extinctions occur?
• Extinctions occur when the environment of a species
changes faster than the species can adapt.
• In other words, a species’ adaptations are no longer
sufficient in allowing that species to acquire and compete
for resources.
• Extinctions can be local, widespread, or global.
• For example, the timber wolf was until recently extinct in
Wisconsin but not in Minnesota (US states)
• Wild elk and woodland caribou are now extinct in
Wisconsin but may be found on game farms.
Causes of extinction
• Climatic Heating and Cooling
• The species are not used to severe weather conditions and long
seasons, or a changing chemical make-up of their surroundings
• More species die,
• Difficult for the survivors to find food.
• The warmer climates we are used to present-day are perfect for
diseases and epidemics to thrive.
HABITAT LOSS
• When people cut down forests, build cities, or make roads, they
destroy habitats, the places where plants, animals, and other
organisms live.
• Human population growth
• What you can do
• Before you buy wood, make sure it comes from a “sustainable forest,”
a forest where trees are replanted
INTRODUCED SPECIES
• Seeds catch in people’s clothes.
• Snakes stow away on airplanes.
• Settlers bring animals to control pests.
• When species land in a new places, they often either prey upon the
species already there or compete with them for food or space.
• What you can do:
• Don’t let your pets hunt wild animals.
• Don’t travel with wild plants and animals.
POLLUTION
• Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, are building up
in Earth’s atmosphere.
• They trap heat and contribute to a worldwide rise in temperature–a
global warming that endangers the planet’s species and habitats.
• What you can do:
• Help reduce traffic and exhaust
• Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Turn off power when
it’s not in use
OVEREXPLOITATION
• Capturing or killing individuals for our own use.
• Animals are killed for food, fur, feathers, oil, medicines, crafts, and a
host of other uses.
Consequences of losing biodiversity
• Economic Cost of Lost
Biodiversity
• Reduced Food Security
• Increased Contact With Disease
• More Unpredictable Weather
• Loss of Livelihoods
• Losing Sight of "Nature"