TYPES OF EXTINCTION

What is extinction?
• Extinctions occur when the last individual of a
species dies out.
• Functional Extinctions occur when individuals
remain but the odds of sustainable reproduction
are low
• i.e. the species is effectively extinct even
though individuals remain.
 When do extinctions occur?
• Extinctions occur when the environment of a species changes
faster than the species can adapt.
• In other words, a species’ adaptations are no longer sufficient in
allowing that species to acquire and compete for resources.
• Extinctions can be local, widespread, or global.
• For example, the timber wolf was until recently extinct in
Wisconsin but not in Minnesota
• Wild elk and woodland caribou are now extinct in Wisconsin but
may be found on game farms.
 Types of Extinction
• There are two main types of extinction that can occur on Earth. The
first is mass extinction, which is a unnatural event. These are not
very common and occur in a short period of time. Background
extinction, conversely, is a considered a natural process and
sometimes is referred to as the normal extinction rate. Background
extinctions occur over a long period of time and are less impactful to
the Earth overall.
What is mass extinction?
• Mass extinction is an extremely rare phenomenon that only occurs when a
major catastrophe happens. These events can be described as sudden and
sweeping. It should be noted that even though these are unnatural processes,
humans have not been involved in a past mass extinction, as some of the
previous modern causes may suggest. Some sources state that mass
extinctions can be defined as such when over 50% of plant and animal life on
Earth are killed. To date, only five mass extinctions have occurred on Earth:
 Mass Extinctions

1. Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction (65 mya).

2. End Triassic Extinction (200).
3. Permian Triassic Extinction (250).
4. Late Devonian Extinction (364).
5. Ordovician-Silurian Extinction (440).
 Background Extinction Definition
The background extinction rate, also called the normal extinction rate, is
the natural evolution and elimination of species from the Earth over a long
period of time. Background extinctions occur when species experience
natural population decline, fail to be able to reproduce successfully, or
become unable to support themselves in the food chain. Background
extinctions can be studied in the fossil record and by using survival rates
over time, but are less commonly studied because they happen over a
longer period of time.
FACTORS THAT THREATEN OUR
BIODIVERSITY
• The human population requires resources to survive
and grow, and many of those resources are being
removed unsustainably from the environment. The
five main threats to biodiversity are habitat loss,
pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and
climate change. Increased mobility and trade has
resulted in the introduction of invasive species while
the other threats are direct results of human
population growth and resource use.
 Habitat Fragmentation
• Ecosystem conversion and ecosystem degradation contribute to
habitat fragmentation. Habitat loss from exploitation of resources,
agricultural conversion, and urbanization is the largest factor
contributing to the loss of biodiversity. The consequent fragmentation
of habitat results in small isolated patches of land that cannot maintain
populations of species into the future. Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, at
974,046 hectares, is British Columbia’s largest provincial park and is
big enough to maintain much of the composition, structure and
function of biodiversity within the protected area. However, smaller
provincial parks, such as Buccaneer Bay at less than one hectare in
size, will not be able to maintain all of its original biodiversity in
isolation.
 Exotic Species Introductions
• Infestation by alien species, such as the Codling Moth, is also a
major threat to BC ecosystems. The intentional and inadvertent
introductions of a wide variety of species to ecosystems in which
they do not belong have resulted in ecosystems that differ
radically in structure and function from those originally present.
Exotic species are typically introduced into ecosystems without
their co-evolved predators and parasites, which enables an alien
invader to out-compete native species with similar ecological
requirements. The interactions between native species are
altered or destroyed by these exotic species, and can result in the
loss of native biodiversity.
 Pollution
• Atmospheric and hydrologic pollution have far-reaching negative
effects on biodiversity. Pollution from burning fossil fuels such as oil,
coal and gas can remain in the air as particle pollutants or fall to the
ground as acid rain. Acid rain, which is primarily composed of sulfuric
and nitric acid, causes acidification of lakes, streams and sensitive
forest soils, and contributes to slower forest growth and tree damage
at high elevations. In addition, chemical pollutants such as pesticides
and herbicides leach into soils and watersheds. Some fish species,
such as salmonids, require small freshwater streams to spawn.
 OVEREXPLOITATION
• Overexploitation, also called overharvesting,
refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the
point of diminishing returns. Continued
overexploitation can lead to the destruction of
the resource, as it will be unable to replenish.
The term applies to natural resources such as
water aquifers, grazing pastures and forests, wild
medicinal plants, fish stocks and other wildlife.