Out of all the species that have ever existed since the beginning of time, 98% of them are extinct (Facts). There are an estimated 5-10 million species that exist currently and only 1.5 million have been identified (Sherry, 2). Scientists classify species into six different groups: plants, animals, insects, algae, fungi, and microorganisms (Today’s Situation). In the tropical rainforest alone, most species are disappearing at the rate of 1% a year (Sherry, 6). If the current trend continues, at least 50% of all currently existing species will be either extinct or endangered by the year 2050 (Today’s Situation). For this reason endangered species deserve more protection than the current regulations provide. Throughout history there have been many different reasons for the extinction of species. The earliest known reason was 64-66 million years ago when scientists believe a meteorite struck earth causing the extinction of the dinosaur and of 85% of the species existing at the time (Sherry, 2). Another major problem is the introduction of species into a new environment. Most introduced species become pests because they have no natural enemies and can easily out compete native species that have natural enemies, thus overpopulating a certain environment (Sherry, 5). The main causes of extinction are habitat destruction, commercial exploitation, damage by non-native species introduced into the environment, and pollution (Definition of endangered species). Out of all of these, habitat destruction is the major source of extinction. It is thought that at least 4,000-6,000 species become extinct each year in the rain forest alone due to burning acreage to make room for farm fields (Today’s situation). Most of the human caused extinctions occurred during the Industrial Revolution, which was 250 years ago (Sherry, 2). Another significant reason for the decline, if not extinction of species is hunting and poaching animals. A good example of this is the near extinction of the American Bison due to over hunting. Between 1870 and 1875, 2.5 million Bison were killed annually. In 1883 the last significant herd with around 10,000 members was done away with. By 1990 there were only an estimated 500 plain Bison remaining in the United State (Direct Causes). These are all key reasons for the extinction of species and if we can avoid them then we may prevent the future extinctio... ... middle of paper ... ...eature and is being born to a dairy cow (Bergley, 56). This is the first time that a specie has been cloned using the eggs and surrogate mother of an entirely different specie (Bergley, 56). If we preserve DNA from endangered species it creates the potential for an animal to be cloned, which could increase the genetic diversity of endangered species and prevent inbreeding (Bergley,56). If the cloning of endangered species continues it will increase the number of a certain specie and maybe one day will take them off the endangered species list. Unless we take the precautions to protect and preserve endangered species, they will disappear forever. Without them, the earth’s ecosystem may very well crumble. When we endanger wildlife, we are also endangering ourselves. We as humans must learn from our mistakes and prevent the further destruction of wildlife habitat and help to preserve endangered species and conserve their natural environments. Something that will help us remember this is that “Living species today, are the end products of twenty million centuries of evolution; absolutely nothing can be done when the species has finally gone, when the last pair has died out” (Quotes).
Natural habitats used by man or tampered with tend to become unsatisfactory or unsuitable for the native wild species. As I learned in class, habitat loss is the number one threat to modern primates. Not only do primates suffer, but habitat loss is the greatest threat to various parts of life on this planet that humans have caused. Simply speaking, along with habitat destruction, ties in the extinction of diverse species. “Biodiversity as a whole forms a shield protecting each of the species that together compose it, ourselves included. What will happen if, addition to the species already extinguished by human activity, say, 10 percent of those remaining are taken away? Or 50 percent? Or 90 percent? As more and more species vanish or drop to
Extinction is no longer just a natural process. It is an enemy, slowly changing our world into a barren wasteland where life is as rare as a flower in the Arctic Circle's winter. The wolf, the tiger, the caribou, the elephant, the bison, the cheetah, the sequoia cactus, the redwood tree – all of these and so many more things are on the verge of disappearing from our planet forever. Extinction is the most pressing environmental issue of our time, because if it continues the way it is going without anything being done to counteract its causes and consequences, there will soon be no environment left for there to be debates about.
Long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Murphy, 1994). Genetic diversity within a species, which has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve, makes adaptations to these changing environments possible. Unfortunately, the rate of extinction of genetically diverse organisms is rapidly increasing, thus reducing this needed biodiversity, largely due to the human impacts of development and expansion. What was an average of one extinction per year before is now one extinction per hour and extinct species numbers are expected to reach approximately one million by the year 2000 (WWW site, Bio 65). As a result governmental and societal action must be taken immediately!
The National Wildlife Federation lists an endangered animals as a genus that may be eradicated by leaving an insufficient quantity to reproduce or obliterating the species in it entirety ("Endangered animals act," para 1). In the United States alone there are 70 mammals that are recorded as endangered; however the foreign number exceeds 250 (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2014). The extinction process could be correlated to a natural route; however extinction may also transpire due to environmental differences. Climate variations producing even slight changes in characteristics may have an extreme consequence on an endangered species. Loss of habitation also impacts species causing them to becoming imperiled. On occasion ailments are distributed from domestic animal; due to the loss of habitation wild animals to come in contact with infected animals. For example Siberian tigers have development distemper from domestic dogs; and this has triggered the tigers to lose their fear of humans. This proves to be hazardous when the tigers approach villages and roads and are killed; furthermore the disease may cost the tigers their lives. (Dell’Amore, 2013). Many of the vanishing animals are poached for varies elements that may be utilized in traditional treatment. The African rhino is on species that is being significantly exploited for their horns; in Vietnam and China the horn is thought to treat everything from hangovers to cancer (O’Neill, 2013). In addition, the introduction of an exotic species afflicts endangered animals, and the overexploitation of animals initiates noteworthy reductions in populations. If an animal is not able to adapt to changing variations it could be disastrous to a species.
are at a very high risk of extinction. There are over 3000 endangered species around the world due to many factors including over-fishing, hunting, destruction of habitat, climate change and a decrease in food supply. As the number of endangered species are increasing quickly it is very important that action is taken to preserve them for a number of reasons. If endangered species are not preserved it could easily lead to the species becoming extinct which could upset the food chain and lead to further extinction of other species. This could have not only negative effects on there predators but would eventually lead to having negative effects on species further up the food chain including the human species. Over the years researches have come to discover and find that all species play an important part in looking after our ecosystem and extinction could cause a big hole in the system.
Thousands of years ago, hunting may have been the cause of the extinction of the North American large land mammals. “Moving up into the 1940’s and 50’s some of today’s most prominent game animals were almost non-existent.”(Kerry G) Over-hunting will directly cause the decline in the particular animal’s species. This will effect everything around it, for example ...
Now you might ask yourself, "why are so many animals vanishing off the face of this earth?" Well, there are several different causes for the extinction of hundreds of endangered species. As I already stated, the majority of this lies on the shoulders of the disgraceful, careless measures taken by the human race. Hunting is one of the main reasons for animals in the wild becoming extinct. The animals are sought after for food, for their skin, and in some cases, even their bones. Water pollution and air poll...
There were 5 mass extinctions in the past, with the latest one more known to man, the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction that caused the wiped out of the dinosaurs. Though the latest one happened 65 million years ago, something representing this phenomenon of mass extinction is underway in our era. While past mass extinctions were caused by natural forces, and asteroid, climate change and sea level’s changes were thought to be the culprit, this time the actor behind is not natural, and it is us Human Beings. It might occur to many that the current trend of animal extinction has no consequences on us, but in fact it is not true. Many of the endangered species does matter to us significantly. In this paper, using examples of some neglected critical endangered species as main headings, I will look into different forms of human activities that had led to their losses, and also more importantly how these losses could have impacted on us.
There are several main reasons why endangered species proceed towards extinction. Greta Nilsson wrote an article for the encyclopedia about endangered species. In the first part of her essay, she focused on the four main reasons that put plants and animals on the endangered species list: destruction of habitat, exotic animal exchange, overhunting, and competition between nat...
Humans are destructive. Not a lot of us think about how what we do affects the world around us. We almost act like we are the only ones on this planet. We go around polluting and destroying our world with no regard for our actions. The things that live out in the wild are paying the price for it. Every day that passes there is another animal or plant that is placed on an endangered list. This is happening at an alarming rate. Because of man’s desire to expand and conquer their surroundings, there are animals and plants that are on the brink of extinction that will not be around for our kids and future generations to enjoy if something is not done about it now. This problem has been going on for hundreds of years. There are animals and plants that can only been seen in paintings or early photography. It is because of our early ancestors that we have this problem today and we have to do more to prevent more animals and plants from disappearing forever.
Today's endangered species are also dwindling away due to their homes being altered and destroyed for human activities. Forests are being cleared by loggers to sell timber, and to create road networks. Homes are being destroyed because of humans wanting to expand and take up even more space for their own benefit ("Tigers"
Over the whole history of the earth, millions of plants and animals have disappeared. The major reason might be the natural causes such as climate changes and some catastrophic events. However, something is different recently. Today, with the development of human civilization, human activity exerts a strong influence on the cause of the endangered species. We are looking into how the reason why plants and animals are endangered relates to human activity. There are four reasons in the following passage.
The extinction of indigenous animals has been an ongoing problem that has not received the attention it deserves. Biologists have studied the pattern of mass extinction with growing concern. The world’s species are declining at a rate 10,000 times faster than normal according to a census of the world’s species (Dugan). What is causing such a rapid increase in extinction is unknown however there is one thing that is indisputable: human interference is playing a direct role.
In our world today we have approximately 26,021 endangered species. Endangered species are organisms that may possible become extinct. The term 'endangered species' refers to all species that fits this description. However some conservation biologists and scientists normally use the term ‘endangered species’ to refer to species that are put on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)Red List. Many factors can be looked at when considering the conservation status of a species. Factors such as human threats or environmental threats can cause a species to become endangered.
Shah, Anup. Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions. Global Issues, 19 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.