AI Article Synopsis
- Many believe we're facing a massive extinction crisis, but only a tiny fraction (0.04%) of known species have been officially recorded as extinct since the 1980s, leading to skepticism about the crisis' severity.
- The low extinction figure largely arises because most invertebrates, which make up a significant part of biodiversity, haven't been properly evaluated.
- New research suggests that around 7% of species on Earth, equivalent to about 130,000 extinctions, may have already occurred, emphasizing the need to include invertebrates in extinction assessments for a clearer understanding of biodiversity loss.
Article Abstract
Since the 1980s, many have suggested we are in the midst of a massive extinction crisis, yet only 799 (0.04%) of the 1.9 million known recent species are recorded as extinct, questioning the reality of the crisis. This low figure is due to the fact that the status of very few invertebrates, which represent the bulk of biodiversity, have been evaluated. Here we show, based on extrapolation from a random sample of land snail species via two independent approaches, that we may already have lost 7% (130,000 extinctions) of the species on Earth. However, this loss is masked by the emphasis on terrestrial vertebrates, the target of most conservation actions. Projections of species extinction rates are controversial because invertebrates are essentially excluded from these scenarios. Invertebrates can and must be assessed if we are to obtain a more realistic picture of the sixth extinction crisis.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4485135 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1502350112 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Insights into the ecological and climate crisis: emerging infections threatening human health.
Acta Trop
January 2025
Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
The Anthropocene era is marked by unprecedented human-induced alterations to the environment, resulting in a climate emergency and widespread ecological deterioration. A staggering number of up to one million species of plants and animals are in danger of becoming extinct, which includes over 10% of insect species and 40% of plant species. Unrestrained release of greenhouse gases, widespread deforestation, intense agricultural practices, excessive fishing, and alterations in land use have exceeded the ecological boundaries that were once responsible for humanity's wellbeing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtinction of experience among ecologists.
Trends Ecol Evol
January 2025
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
Fieldwork-based research and education in ecology are under multiple threats and are progressively declining. We call for greater attention to this ongoing loss of direct field experience within the ecology community, as it could have widespread consequences for science and education, ultimately hindering efforts to address the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLIFE: A metric for mapping the impact of land-cover change on global extinctions.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
January 2025
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Human-driven habitat loss is recognized as the greatest cause of the biodiversity crisis, yet to date we lack robust, spatially explicit metrics quantifying the impacts of anthropogenic changes in habitat extent on species' extinctions. Existing metrics either fail to consider species identity or focus solely on recent habitat losses. The persistence score approach developed by Durán .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe term 'sixth mass extinction' has become synonymous with the current biodiversity crisis. However, despite a general agreement that current biodiversity declines are severe, no consensus has been reached on whether this constitutes a 'mass extinction event', and thus, whether our current situation is comparable to the catastrophic extinction events of deep time. Here, we suggest that our inability to gauge whether the current biodiversity crisis is a mass extinction event may lie less in quantifiable evidence and more in the language used to define such events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLessons from a Rubik's Cube to solve the biodiversity crisis.
Conserv Biol
November 2024
UWA Law School and UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Article Synopsis
- Global biodiversity is under serious threat, raising doubts about current conservation governance systems and their ability to prevent species extinction.
- Recent conferences, like COP15 and COP19, have brought renewed optimism for addressing these challenges, but significant barriers still hinder conservation efforts.
- To tackle these issues effectively, the text emphasizes the need for alignment among legal, ecological, and sociocultural aspects of conservation, using the Rubik's cube as a metaphor to illustrate the complexity and necessity for integrated solutions.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!