The 6st Extintion

[ferescram]

Many Zoologist said that another big Extinction is happening, is that true? well i know that many species are disappearing by the impact of humans, but is this amount enough to said that a massive lose of species is really happening?.

[alextemplet]

I think if the problem continues unchecked, then we will have another mass extinction on our hands.

[damien james]

I think so too. I have read that in geological time and according to fossil record, more extinction has happened from industrial age and above than in any other time since last ice age. But because mass extinction is subjective, I am not sure of qualifications or fallout pertaining to environment.

[kiekyon]

i think we can say a big extinction is happening right now.
but if u say the sixth extinction’ i dont think so
compared to the first 5 mass extinction, today’s extinction is a more gradual process’ last i heard, it’s about 1 species per day.
the first 5 extinction are mostly triggered by disasters like massive earthquake or meteorite.
also. extinction is a part of the evolution process,
weak, less adapted species die out to be replaced by new better species

[kiekyon]

here’s an article about extinction
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19025453.700

[February Beetle]

I think it is more than 1 species a day. (But the higher number is probably an estimate, including species we know we don’t know of yet.)

[kabuto]

yes, definitely more than that. i read that in 50 years, 70% of all species we know today could be wiped out.

[Navin]

But will they be replaced?

[MrMistery]

Replaced with what? Speciation can’t create new organisms that fast..

[nadohawk]

The species we have right now will die out because they won’t be able to cope with the changing climate (which should really get warmer, just look how much warmer the Earth was in the past as compared to now)…..If we were around millions or even thousands of years ago in our current capacity (without any industry), we would still be complaining about the extinction of species…..it is a fact of life

[February Beetle]

quote Navin:

But will they be replaced?

We will probably have a similar number of individuals but they will mostly be all the same kind of species having the same niche, a huge lack of biodiversity. For instance when you are testing a pond to see the water conditions based on organisms if you find mostly the same species and they are kinds that are tolerant, you know the water is bad, even though they’re are many organisms. If you find a lot of different kinds of species (and you would kind of need to know they are sensitive species) they you can conclude the water condition is good. Most of the ecosystems will be like the later, at least at first. The lack of biodiversity could destroy ecosystems. It could go that way, anyway.

quote nadohawk:

The species we have right now will die out because they won’t be able to cope with the changing climate (which should really get warmer, just look how much warmer the Earth was in the past as compared to now)…..If we were around millions or even thousands of years ago in our current capacity (without any industry), we would still be complaining about the extinction of species…..it is a fact of life

Human’s mass destruction of habitat is the number one reason for species extinction and human’s mass movement (resulting in invasive species) is number two. Would those things be there if we didn’t have the current industry? If so, then yeah it wouldn’t matter but I don’t believe that.

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