Are We Due for Another Mass Extinction?
Photo Credit: Yos C. Wiranata - Am I lovely now? via Photopin (license)
If I were to tell you that our planet is on the brink of another mass extinction, would you believe me? How about a handful of biology and ecology specialists from the United States and Mexico?
In a recent study published in Science Advances, six researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Stanford University, University of California- Berkeley, Princeton University, and the University of Florida describe how the rapid loss of the Earth’s plant and animal species as well as the destruction of the ecosystem signals an impending mass extinction crisis on the horizon.
In short, when biodiversity--which includes animal and plant habitats and ecosystems--is threatened, the health and well-being of humans and our ecosystems (e.g. crop pollination, water purification) are, also, in danger.
But why are living organisms increasingly being wiped out?
According to the professionals within the study, the rise of colonization and industry greatly heightened normal species extinction rates, otherwise known as background extinction rates. However, since the increase of humanity’s productivity around 1500 AD, the dying out of plants and animals was not well documented at first; thus, leading to underestimates or inconsistencies of recorded species extinction rates.
Instead of using these fragmented, land-based estimates, fossils of marine invertebrates have been used to determine the average timespan of background extinctions. Considering that aquatic species are said to exist longer than vertebrates, modern rates of animal extinctions are continually higher than background extinction rates.
In the case of this study, the background extinction rate for mammals has been calculated to be 1.8 extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years (1.8 E/MSY)-- doubling earlier estimations. However, modern extinction rates are presumed to be 8 to 100 times greater than normal.
In the last 114 years, records reveal that a whopping 468 species-- 69 mammal species, 80 bird species, 24 reptiles, 146 amphibians, and 158 fish-- have become extinct. Comparatively, if one rounds the background rate to 2 E/MSY, only 9 species would have been typically expected to die out between 1900 and 2014.
As one can understand from this data, current extinction rates far exceed background rates. Before concluding their study, the biology and ecology specialists state that their calculations may gravely underestimate the extinction crisis at hand and, in closing, they communicate how the increase of extinction rates indicate that a sixth mass extinction is already in motion.
The sad truth is that unitedly our entire, international society has rapidly devastated many types of living organisms in a short period of time~ roughly 515 years. Furthermore, if plants and animals continue to die off at this accelerated pace, humanity’s biodiversity prosperity may be depleted in as little as three lifetimes.
So, what’s the bottom line about the impending contemporary mass extinction?
To possibly evade another worldwide mass extinction, humankind needs to readapt and reevaluate current societal norms such as population and economic growth; by restricting pressures on endangered species’ populations (e.g. habitat loss, climate change), we may be able to somewhat revitalize the delicate balance of our ecosystem. However, as the data suggests, we are quickly running out of time.
Bonus Material
Check out this interesting video detailing our planet's extinctions from the It's Okay To Be Smart YouTube channel! (I suggest jumping to the 3 minute mark!)
Video Credit: It’s Okay To Be Smart via YouTube
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Source: Ceballos, Gerardo, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anthony D. Barnosky, Andrés Garcia, Robert M. Pringle, Todd M. Palmer. “Accelerated modern human-induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction.” Science Advances, Vol. 1, no. 5. 19 June 2015. Retrieved from: DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400253. [http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253.full-text.pdf+html]