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Ishani Paul

Professor Angela Pedrotti

English 1201

3 July 2019

How Animal Extinction Affects Diversity and Functioning in Ecosystems

In the past few years, it seems like the world has changed greatly. There has been news of

many animals being added to the endangered species list, and many others going extinct. The

movie Rio, which came out in 2011, featured a species called the Spix macaw, which was in

danger of going extinct in the wild. Blu, a captive member of the species, set out to save the rest

of his species with the help of the last wild Spix macaw, Jewel. However, recent information has

shown that it is likely that the Spix macaw had already gone extinct in the wild around 2000—

the movie came 11 years too late. This species recently had its extinction in the wild confirmed

in 2018, according to CNN’s Jennifer Hauser. The Spix macaw is just one example of a beautiful

species that was lost. Without major changes, this extinction crisis will continue, and it will have

major effects not only on the species that are endangered, but also on the planet’s ecosystem and

eventually on the human population. Individuals must learn about the extinction crisis and how

the loss of certain species further increases this crisis, because this information will help

motivate them to take steps towards preserving the species on the planet as well as the health of

the various ecosystems by decreasing factors such as habitat loss and climate change which

contribute to these high rates of extinction.

Currently, the planet is in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, also known as the

Holocene extinction. Typically, when an extinction crisis is not occurring, species extinctions

still occur, as a way to allow those species that are better suited to the environment to continue
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reproducing and eventually evolve into species that have higher fitness and, therefore, leave

behind more offspring. However, according to David McKenzie, who works at CNN, extinction

is occurring at about a hundred times the background (natural) rate of extinction, which is

normally a loss of one to five species a year. That means that the planet is currently losing

between 100-500 species a year. If the extinctions continue at this rate, it is possible that thirty to

fifty percent of all currently existing species may become extinct or endangered by 2050.

This current mass extinction differs from the previous five extinctions due to the fact that

they were caused by natural events such as volcanic eruptions, asteroids, and natural climate

changes. The Holocene extinction is unique, as this current extinction crisis is caused primarily

by the actions of humanity. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, around 99% of all

the currently endangered species are at risk due to the actions of humanity.

Habitat loss and climate change are major causes of this extinction crisis, and both of

these factors are driven by human actions. Habitat loss destroys the ecosystems where species

thrive, and as a result, these animals and plants are unable to find the resources they need to

survive, causing them to die out. According to Helen Orme, rainforest habitats are being

harvested for timber, which is then used to

produce furniture. Forests are also being torn

down to use the land to farm and build roads.

When the forests are torn down, it results in

many other problems in the ecosystem,

including soil erosion (Williams, fig. 1).

Around “100 rain forest animal species are

Figure 1: The graphs above show the correlation between
deforestation and soil erosion as the Maya population grew,
which results in soil that is less fertile and less able to grow becoming extinct every day because they’re
healthy plants. This, in turn, results in fewer species being
able to survive in the area due to a lack of food sources.
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losing their habitat” (Orme). Climate change works in a similar method, where the changes in the

climate prevent the resources that a species needs to survive from appearing in the environment.

The melting glaciers are an example of how climate change affects species and decrease their

chances of survival. As the glaciers melt, they change the ecosystem around them, affecting the

species living close by. According to Henry Fountain of the New York Times, “As glaciers shrink

and meltwater eventually declines, changes in water temperature, nutrient content and other

characteristics will disrupt those natural communities” resulting in the eventual extinction of

these species. Both climate change and habitat loss are caused by human actions. Development

of new living areas or factories for humans results in the loss of the habitats that previously

occupied the space. Excessive use of resources from these ecosystems also results in a loss of

habitats, as excessive logging has destroyed rainforest habitats, resulting in the loss of many

species. Climate change has many more contributing factors, as it is caused by air pollution,

destruction of the ozone layer, and burning of fossil fuels all contribute to this issue.

Humans are capable of decreasing the effects of this extinction crisis, however, due to a

variety of reasons— major ones being the lack of knowledge on this topic and/or the belief that

this issue does not affect the human population and is therefore not relevant— these changes are

not being made. Individuals may believe that it is unnecessary to make these changes, which

only increases the ongoing extinction crisis. However, if this extinction crisis continues, the

effects will be drastic.

At the current rate of extinction, the biodiversity in the environment also decreases at a

very rapid rate. This decrease leads to functional problems in the various ecosystems. Biological

diversity in an ecosystem helps increase its resilience, which prevents it from properly

functioning. When one ecosystem in the environment does not function properly, it can affect
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others in the same area, resulting in them falling apart as well. Species play various roles in

ecosystems, and they can assist the ecosystem in processes such as food production— where

they may act in any capacity from directly producing/providing food for higher trophic levels to

decomposing old materials to provide resources in the soil for new food to grow— and

regulation of the climate in the ecosystem. According to Tom H. Oliver, with a biodiverse

community present in an ecosystem, the ecosystem is able to last for a longer period of time and

be more resistant to change, therefore, when the biodiversity decreases, the resilience of the

ecosystem does as well.

Eventually, the effects of the loss of biodiversity come back to hurt the human

population. Humanity relies on the functions of various ecosystems in order to maintain their

quality of living. When these ecosystems lose valuable species, their functionality is threatened

(Oliver). As a result, humanity suffers with the loss of vital species. According to the World

Health Organization, the health of the human population depends on many products of

ecosystems, such as, fresh water and food. If these ecosystems are damaged and are no longer

able to meet the demands of humanity, the health of the human population will suffer as there are

more food and water shortages. In addition, the loss of biodiversity results in a loss of many

chemicals and genes “that have already provided humankind with enormous health benefits”

(World Health Organization). A variety of species being present in the environment helps

“ensures the sustainable productivity of soils” (World Health Organization) and it provides

genetic information to be used by farmed plants and livestock. Reduced biodiversity also has an

impact on medicines used by humans. According to the World Health Organization, medicinal

plants are used by around sixty percent of the world’s population. If these plant species begin to
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go extinct due to a lack of habitable conditions, much of the population that rely on these plants

as medicine will be hurt as well.

The rate of extinction can also be impacted when a certain species that was vital to an

ecosystem goes extinct, as a result, amplifying the rate of extinction in the ecosystem. These

species are known as keystone species. Keystone species are species that play defining roles in

their respective ecosystems, and without which the ecosystem may fail to even exist. According

to the National Geographic article, Keystone Species, keystone species tend to “have low

functional redundancy,” which means that there are few/no other species present in the

ecosystem that are capable of performing the same functional role as these species. With the

extinction of a keystone species, an ecosystem would undergo drastic changes, as it would no

longer be able to maintain its previous style of living. This could occur for a variety of reasons,

as keystone species can play a different role depending on the ecosystem they are in.

Keystone species could be any possible species, including plants and fungi, however,

these species are typically predators. These predatory keystone species help the ecosystem by

controlling the “distribution and population of large numbers of prey species” (“Keystone

Species”). There are many examples of predators acting as a keystone species, such as the gray

wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The wolves control the presence of the prey

populations of elk, rabbit, and bison species, preventing over consumption of plant material. As a

result, the ecosystem is able to perform well and under control. The wolves also contribute to the

activity of these species, as the prey species base their feeding behaviors and habitat locations on

the wolf activity. The wolves were proven to be keystone species when they were removed from

the Yellowstone Ecosystem, and the balance that was present before disappeared. Without the

wolves, the populations of prey species— particularly the elk— greatly increased. As the elk
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competed for food resources, they began to overgraze the land, which decreased populations of

other species that were also present in the ecosystem, such as fish and beavers. When the wolves

were removed and the ecosystem fell apart, their vital role as a keystone species was almost

certain.

However, while predators are the most common keystone species, herbivores can also

play a role as a keystone species. In the situation where the keystone species in an ecosystem is a

herbivore, these species control the spread of plant growth by consuming the excess. According

to the National Geographic article, Keystone Species, an example of a herbivore keystone

species are the elephants found in African savannas. These elephants eat bushes and small trees

that they find in the savanna, which maintain the physical appearance of a savanna, by

preventing the growth of too many trees or shrubs and keeping it primarily a grassland. As a

result, other species are able to thrive in this ecosystem as well, including zebras, lions, and

mice.

Keystone species are still a fairly new concept, and there is much to still be learned about

them. One of the first studies performed to learn about these species was a study that removed

three species of kangaroo rats from their ecosystem to monitor how this resulted in a change.

According to Warren E. Leary, a writer for the New York Times who reported this study, the

removal of these species resulted in the ecosystem changing from “a desert plain into an arid

grassland area” in only ten years. This study revealed how animals that may seem insignificant

can have major roles in supporting an environment.

According to Dr. James H. Brown, a professor at the University of New Mexico, "When

we lose keystone species, we can expect fairly rapid and unexpected changes. This shows we

need to know more about what kinds of species have disproportionately large effects when
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present or removed, something surprisingly little research has been done on." (Leary) While this

statement was made in 1990— when the New York Times article was written— it still hold true

today. The loss of keystone species is bringing major changes that are not desirable to

ecosystems, and in turn bringing many other species to extinction at a rapid rate. Efforts must be

made to protect even these seemingly insignificant species from extinction. Through the

identification of which species can be classified as keystone species, conservation efforts can be

prioritized to saving these species first, in order to slow the extinction crisis as much as possible.

One way to help ecosystems that have lost keystone species is through a process known

as species restoration. According to Sarah L. Hale and John L. Koprowski, “Anthropogenically

driven population declines have resulted in a need to restore keystone species population.” There

are various methods used in this species restoration process and the most common method is

called translocation. Using the translocation method, a species is moved from one area that it is

populous in to another area where it is found either in low numbers or where it has gone extinct.

The area where the species is transplanted into must be properly prepared prior to the

introduction/reintroduction of the species, or it will be unable to survive without the proper

resources or living environment. Species translocation is an important tool in conservation, and it

offers benefits such as “restoration of important processes to ecosystems” (Hale and Koprowski).

With the proper planning and research, these restoration efforts can greatly improve the

functioning of an ecosystem and reduce the rates of extinction.

The restoration of the grey wolf population at Yellowstone National park is an example

of a successful restoration effort which has shown promising results with a recovering

ecosystem. The wolves were initially killed off by park rangers, as their killing of prey species in

the park was seen as threatening to these other species. According to the National Park Service,
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by the mid 1900s, the grey wolf was almost fully extinct. However, once these wolves were

eliminated, the Yellowstone ecosystem’s functionality decreased, and the need for the species to

be restored in the ecosystem was realized. The grey wolves that were reintroduced to the park

were captured in Canada and then released in the Yellowstone area in pens to help them

acclimate to their new environment (National Parks Service). The wolves were fed animals that

had died “in or around the park” (National Parks Service) to help them grow accustomed to their

new food source. Upon the introduction of the wolves to the park following the acclimatization

period, the National Parks Service claims that the “wolf recovery will likely lead to greater

biodiversity throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”

However, restoration is not a perfect solution to the extinction crisis, there are various

drawbacks relating to this method that prevent it from solving this issue. The primary setback of

this method is that restoration is only possible when there are still existing members of the

species alive in either other populations or in captivity. Therefore, it will not save any species

that have already gone completely extinct. This method is also expensive, and may require a lot

of time to show results of an ecosystem recovering.

In addition, “Early reintroduction efforts often resulted in failure” (Hale and Koprowski)

due to a lack of proper planning and research into how to properly implement the restoration. An

example of a failed early restoration project was that of a species of black-tailed prairie dogs.

According to Sarah L. Hale and John L. Koprowski, an initial effort to reintroduce these prairie

dogs resulted in failure after researchers were unable to agree on methods and locations to

release the new prairie dog populations. As a result, the species was released in an unprepared

landscape, where they were given no resources to survive and the restoration failed. However,

when a second restoration effort was performed with the proper research and preparation, it was
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successful, and the species was able to be reintroduced into the ecosystem. These results reveal

that when a restoration effort is well planned and well researched, it can have worthwhile results

that help an ecosystem recover from the loss of a keystone species and also bring back other

endangered species in the same area.

While restoration is helpful in assisting with the recovery of a damaged ecosystem, it still

does not combat the main contributors to the extinction crisis, such as habitat loss and climate

change. Without changes made to counter these major contributing factors, the extinction crisis

will continue at this high rate, and many valuable species will continue to be lost.

By learning about the factors that are causing the extinction crisis and the resulting

effects of the crisis, individuals are able to educate others on these dangers, and take steps to

decrease humanity’s effect on the environment, in turn, decreasing the high rate of extinctions.

There are a variety of steps that individuals can take to reduce their negative impact on the

planet, and help save the species that are in danger. Recycling is something that is currently done

by many individuals who recycle paper, cans, and plastic bottles. However, this can be taken

further by recycling cell phones and clothes so that resources are not taken from the environment

to make more, which would result in taking resources from species that may need them to

survive or destroying a habitat in order to obtain the resource. In addition to recycling, using

sustainable products, which help the environment while they are made. Another way to help

these species is by no longer using herbicides or pesticides in gardens. These chemicals can run

off into water systems when it rains and when animals eat the plants which have been sprayed,

they consume chemicals that are very harmful. As a result, not only do the animals that fed on

the plants die off, but so will the predators that feed on these poisoned animals. Therefore, the

chemicals work their way up the food chain, killing off species at every level.
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However, a major contributor in these extinctions is not the general population, but major

corporation and the animal poaching business. Corporations play a large role in the recent

climate change. According to Joshua Axelrod of the National Resources Defense Council, “the

top 15 U.S. food and beverage companies generate nearly 630 million metric tons of greenhouse

gases every year”, and they produce more greenhouse gas than the continent of Australia who is

the 15th largest annual source of greenhouse gas. These statistics show that corporations play a

major role in releasing greenhouse gases that drive climate change. In addition, corporations are

also responsible for habitat destruction in order to collect resources for their products. While an

individual alone does not have the power to stop this, vocalizing their opposition to the actions of

corporations may help decrease these negative effects. Poachers also sell many products that are

made using parts of endangered animals, such as ivory. Again, while individuals are unable to

stop these poachers alone, they can discourage poaching by not buying products that are made

using parts of endangered species.

Learning more about the extinction crisis is also vital to preventing it from getting out of

hand. By paying attention to this issue when it comes up into the news, individuals can learn

about new issues regarding species that may be in danger. By learning about issues when they

are new, individuals will be able to work towards saving species as soon as they receive news of

them being in danger. Individuals could also take the initiative to look up various research papers

to learn more details about the current species that are in danger and efforts that are currently

being made or that individuals can make to help save these species. By learning about these

issues, individuals may be inspired to educate others on the extinction crisis and what they can

do to help stop it.

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The extinction crisis is a major world issue today that individuals must learn about and

take steps to prevent. The loss of vital species in the environment results in many other negative

effects, beyond simply losing the species. With the loss of valuable ecosystem functions,

eventually, it would no longer be possible to maintain the current quality of life that humans live

on Earth. However, all hope is not lost. There are various steps that humanity could take to

reduce the effects of this crisis. From reducing usage of pesticide to protesting actions of

poachers and large corporations, individuals can help make a change. Using the method of

species restoration, perhaps the Spix macaw could even be saved in the wild, using members of

the species kept in captivity (Dale). Even though these efforts to help species recover may take a

long time to show results, they are necessary to preserve the health of the environment and even

that of the human population. With the knowledge spread, and more people aware of what is

going on changes can be made to help stop this extinction.

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Works Cited
Axelrod, Joshua. “Corporate Honesty and Climate Change: Time to Own Up and Act.” Natural

Resource Defense Council, 26 Feb 2019, www.nrdc.org/experts/josh-axelrod/corporate-

honesty-and-climate-change-time-own-and-act

Center for Biological Diversity. “The Extinction Crisis.” Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.,

www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_

crisis/

Dale, Alex. “Spix’s Macaw Heads List of First Bird Extinctions Confirmed This Decade.”

Birdlife, 5 Sep. 2018, www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/spixs-macaw-heads-list-first-

bird-extinctions-set-be-confirmed-decade

Fountain, Henry. “When the Glaciers Disappear, Those Species Will Go Extinct.” The New York

Times, 17 Apr 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/16/climate/glaciers-melting-

alaska-washington.html

Hale, Sarah L., Koprowski, John L. “Ecosystem-Level Effects of Keystone Species

Reintroduction: A Literature Review.” Restoration Ecology, pp. 1-7.

cals.arizona.edu/research/redsquirrel/res_pdf/HaleKoprowski2018RestEcolKeystoneSpp

Reintroductions.pdf

Hauser, Jennifer. “Blue Bird From 'Rio' Movie Now Extinct in the Wild.” CNN, 9 Sep. 2018,

www.cnn.com/2018/09/09/americas/rio-spix-blue-macaw-extinct-brazil/index.html
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“Keystone Species.” Edited by Jeannie Evers, National Geographic, 9 Oct. 2012,

www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/keystone-species/.

Leary, Warren E. “Removing Rats Alters Environment.” The New York Times, 25 Dec. 1990,

www.nytimes.com/1990/12/25/science/removing-rats-alters-

environment.html?searchResultPosition=3

Oliver, Tom H., et al. “Declining Resilience of Ecosystem Functions under Biodiversity Loss.”

Nature Communications, vol. 6, no. 1, 8 Dec. 2015, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1038/ncomms10122.

Orme, Helen. Habitat Destruction. Bearport Pub., 2009.

National Park Service. “Wolf Restoration.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the

Interior, 6 Apr. 2019, www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm.

Williams, Michael. Deforesting the Earth: from Prehistory to Global Crisis: An Abridgment.

University of Chicago Press, 2006.

World Health Organization. “Biodiversity.” World Health Organization, n.d.,

www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/