Extinction of species: what is, causes and consequences

The species extinction It is the process by which All members of a species disappear or group of living beings. In general, it is a natural process of evolution, which appears new species and disappearing others, which in general, are not able to adapt to changes in their way of life or are displaced by new competitors. Thus, the Natural selection It has a relevant role in this process.

We recommend reading these other articles on the origin and evolution of animals, the origin and evolution of plants, what is natural selection and mass examples and extinctions: what are, causes and what they are.

The Causes by which species can disappear They are diverse, but in general, the most common is the disappearance of the habitat where they live. There have also been many extinct species by the human being; In fact, today, the human being is main responsible for these changes with various activities, for example, with the destruction of natural habitat (for example, climate change is affecting the ice plates where the polar bear lives), illegal hunting (to which the African rhinoceros is subjected by their ivory horns) or the introduction of invasive species with which other endemic species Ecosystem (such as, for example, the beaver in Argentina and Chile, who are one of the causes of the destruction of forests in Tierra del Fuego).

Doubts are not so much in the causes of species extinction, which most people know better, but in the consequences of their disappearance. The most palpable, is the loss of biodiversity In a habitat, that is, the lack of members of said species. This, in turn, entails consequences since, in an ecosystem, all its members interrelate to a greater or lesser extent. The disappearance of one of them causes changes, which end up affecting the rest and causing, in turn, that they are more vulnerable to invasive species. This can be seen with the following example:

The Kelp forest is a system formed by otizos, hedgehogs and kelp (a giant algae type). The otories feed on hedgehogs and other crustaceans, which in turn feed on Kelp. In turn, KELP provides shelter to otters and food to other species. In the event that the otters disappear, the populations of hedgehogs would increase without control, causing the disappearance of the KELP and the complete collapse of the entire system. Therefore, in this interrelation, all participants are necessary for the coexistence of the rest.

The biggest problem of the consequences of the disappearance of a species is the fact that we are not sure how this will affect the system where a Ecological imbalance in ecosystems That nature will have to readjust, which entails a lot of time. Here lies the need for biodiversity conservation.

Here are some examples of species that have extinct Throughout evolution:

• The dodo, a non -flying bird, extinct during the 18th century, one of the best known examples of a species caused by man.
• The Baiji, a Chinese endemic dolphin of the Yangtse river, declared extinct in 2008.
• The Western black rhinoceros, declared extinct in 2011, by poaching.
• Panther Nebula de Formosa, endemic to the island of Taiwan, was declared extinct in 2013, although in 2019 there was an sighting.
• Foca Monk of the Caribbean, declared extinct in 1952, due to hunt organized by man.
• Mexican grizzlie bear, extinct in 1964. Endemic of Mexico, was one of the greatest carnivores of its habitat.
• Java Tiger, endemic to Indonesia, was abundant until the end of the 19th century. It is considered extinct from 1979.
• Pinta giant turtle, endemic species of the Galapagos Islands. He finally extinguished in 2012, when his last copy, the lonely George, died with about 100 years.
• Bucardo, a kind of endemic monkey goat of the Pyrenees was extinguished in 2000.
• The migratory dove, the most abundant bird in North America, extinct in 1914.
• Franklin tree, originally from the United States in 1840.
• Chocolate flower, although it has been cloned, this Mexican plant cannot be introduced into nature.
• Juan Fernández Sandal, from Chile, his extinguction was data of 1978.
• Sophora Toromiroa clear example of extinction due to the human species.
• Aeonium Mascaenseoriginally from China, this plant suffered an extinction naturally.
• Cooksonia, recognized as one of the first plants present on Earth.
• Natans trapaaquatic plant known as water brown.
• The Toromiro bush, originally from Easter Island, in Chile.
• ARAUCARIA MIRABILISfrom Argentina.
• Franklinia, although extinct, remains alive for ornamental motifs.

Here you can discover more extinct animals for man and 20 extinct plants.

Have you ever wondered how many animals are there in danger of extinction? The answer is that today there are more than 5,000 endangered species and, even more, this fact does not stop growing. These are some of the Endangered species currently:

• The Leopard of Amur, endemic to the border between North Korea and Russia, which remains between 20 and 35 copies in freedom.
• The Chinese giant salamandra, the largest amphibio.
• The Blue Guacamayo, which inspired the film Rio, of which only captivity specimens remain.
• The Kiwi of Okarito, endemic from the south of New Zealand, of which 250 copies remain.
• The mountain gorilla, of which there are less than 500 copies.
• The common sturgeon, which formerly populated all of Europe, and of which only populations in France and the Iberian Peninsula remain.
• The Oryx Blanco, an antelope that inhabited the north of the Sahara, which has recently been reintroduced in Morocco.
• The tiger of southern China, of which 68 copies remain in captivity.
• The Californian condor, of which 400 copies remain.
• The lute turtle, the largest of sea turtles.
• Flower of passion or passionate, owes its name to the passion of Christ.
• Aciano, highlight its beautiful liliaceous blue flowers.
• Dionaea Muscipula o Venus catching, a plant that arouses great curiosity for humans as it is a deadly trap for flies.
• Populus canescensAlamo Cano, it is a typical rare species of mountain.
• Quecus ilexthe oak.
• Snowdoniense hierracendemic plant of northern Wales.
• Sorbus ARIAthe musty, with broad applications and ornamental characteristics.
• Preauxian attractionendemic bush of the Canary Islands.
• Heliconia Brenneritypically present in mountains that reach 2000 m high above sea level.
• Heliconia Brennericharacterized by its lack of chlorophyll.

As it is a natural process, it is difficult Avoid the extinction of species. However, there are many actions that we can do to mitigate our impact on this process and to stop its acceleration. These are some of the measures we can take:

• Prohibit animal sports hunting.
• Reduce our impact on nature and our ecological footprint and carbon footprint.
• Decrease the exploitation of natural resources.
• Avoid illegal activities in nature and report in case of detecting any.
• Better controls of invasive species.
• Creation of natural reserves.
• Collaboration between entities, administrators, and countries.

In addition, after learning all this about the extinction of species, we recommend you read this other article about why it is important to protect animals in danger of extinction.

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