Community | March 08, 2010 | 54 comments

Humans driving extinction faster than species can evolve

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/07/extinction-species-evolve

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KakuTheMan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/07/extinction-species-...

For the first time since the dinosaurs disappeared, humans are driving animals and plants to extinction faster than new species can evolve.

A fifth of the world's known mammals, a third of its amphibians, more than a quarter of its reptiles and up to 70% of its plants are under threat of extinction.

Nearly half of all primates are in danger of becoming extinct.

Much more at link...
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54 comments // Humans driving extinction faster than species can evolve

  • royulery
  • dynomitesight
    • 0
      dynomitesight  

    • Some hope after all...They just found a wolverine in Cali (orginally situated in Idaho) 90 years after thought 2 to have been extinct...let's just pray that animals 'n the resources are just trying 2 find places 2 evolve and exist in peace out of the grubby hands of humans! A lovely thought but hah a long shot!

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • 0
      Davidod  
    • dynomitesight:

      Individual members of a species don't personally "evolve"; they display a mutation which MAY or MAY NOT be advantageous to the species over time. So realize the species, not the individual members, evolve over multiple generations.

      Also look into what happens when the total number of surviving members of a species drops low enough to decrease their genetic diversity, reducing heterozygosity thru inbreeding... I assure you, the effects of the loss of diverse DNA within a species (AKA population bottle-necking) often makes the survival of the species even more challenging.

    • 3 years ago
  • lizziehoffman
  • JoshShrouder
    • +1
      JoshShrouder  

    • this has been going on for literally like 300 years now, back in the 1900's i believe americans killed an entire birds species out in about two weeks with massive hunting parties, the last day there were around 20'000 birds and they were killed in one afternoon, for the 'fun' of it. its a disgrace, but one that we are all part of.

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • 0
      Davidod  
    • Image
    • JoshShrouder:

      Yeah, kind of true. Josh is referring to the North American Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), a species that was driven into extinction due to humans via over-hunting, loss of habitat, and more likely, being gregarious enough to need to be a member of a large group to reproduce (although Newcastles Disease may have played a role, not to mention alternative methods of transmitting messages developed in the 20th century, including the telephone and telegraph, LOL!).

      Good summary of the passenger pigeon on Wikipedia:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Pigeon

      Last time I was at McDonalds though, I noticed the garden-variety urban pigeon is thriving quite nicely, bravely begging for french fries. Pigeons have been referred to as 'rats with wings', which is really an insult to HUMANITY: we created them in our image!

      Which kind of serves as a example of evolution in action: notice how the bird better adapted to survive (albeit by begging) and who's willing to reproduce in small confined areas is the one that thrives!

      Interesting interview with Courtney Humphries, who talks about her book, "Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan...And the World":

      http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=B96FC2BE-DF90-9438-9226...

    • 3 years ago
  • raylinmarie
    • 0
      raylinmarie  

    • I'm curious if this article is purposely not stating which countries in particular are driving extinction in an effort to be politically correct - I've heard more than once it's China's appetite for exotic animals for their Traditional Medicine that is leading to extinction.

    • 3 years ago
  • Debrinconcita
  • kirby_101
  • aid616
    • +1
      aid616  
    • kirby_101:

      It's actually common sense. Before the pilgrims came to North America something like 75% of the continent was covered in old growth forest. Now there is less than 2%.

      Did our arrival mysteriously coincide with some old growth tree disease? Maybe we not only killed the natives with our diseases, maybe we have been killing the plants too!

    • 3 years ago
  • Armageddon_Now
  • Davidod
  • Almibry
    • 0
      Almibry  
    • Armageddon_Now:

      We haven't moved beyond evolution. Our species has been steadily growing taller, and the next step in human evolution is the loss of wisdom teeth in younger generations because, through diet and hygiene, we don't loose as many teeth as our ancestors, so we don't need them as back up.

    • 3 years ago
  • aid616
    • 0
      aid616  
    • Armageddon_Now:

      We are DE-evolving! By keeping so many sick people alive with medication we are allowing the weaker people to breed and perpetuate their disadvantages.

      People don't want to think about this because it puts us on the same level as all other animals on the planet (which we are).

    • 3 years ago
  • mindcruzer
    • 0
      mindcruzer  
    • Almibry:

      "The next step in human evolution is the loss of wisdom teeth in younger generations because, through diet and hygiene, we don't loose as many teeth as our ancestors, so we don't need them as back up."

      I cannot think of one selective pressure that would allow this to happen to humans. Where did you hear this?

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • 0
      Davidod  
    • Almibry:

      Pretty clear to me that you don't know much about the principles of evolution or natural selection: it has NOTHING to do with "what an organism THINKS it needs for back-up".

      You also confuse "loose" with "lose", too.

    • 3 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
  • fun_size
    • +1
      fun_size  
    • Ihatethemall:

      Actually no its mostly caused by destruction of natural habitat(deforestation), over-hunting by humans, human encroachment of natural habitat, and natural diseases that have been killing these animals.

      Or was that not political enough for you. Damn science!

    • 3 years ago
  • royulery
  • healthcare12345
    • 0
      healthcare12345  

    • I think the title of this article even seems to signal how we are injecting our judgement on nature, which we are trying to protect...apparently.

      I guess we are assuming that evolution is just defined exogenously. When we notice that spots appear in fur or a fifth leg grows, I guess we are ready for a new classification.

      Same thing goes with biodiversity. I am not an environmental scientist so I don't know the exact usage, but to me "biodiversity" implies the range of genetic makeups. So, if we had one of every species (defined by us), this would be the same biodiversity as 1000 of every species?

      When are we not disturbing nature? When everything is acting as we think it should, based on an extremely limited understanding of our planet?

      These are just my honest questions.

      Is it more ethical for the pride to starve to death or the antelope to be killed?

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • 0
      Davidod  
    • healthcare12345:

      Once Man realizes they are PART of nature, and not a detached bystander, then that would be a good start.

      I suggest you take a course in environmental ethics, which is the discipline which looks at these issues with a scientific approach. No doubt you need to have pre-requisites to show you have a basic understanding of the principles of Biology, etc.

    • 3 years ago
  • ultravphunter
    • +3
      ultravphunter  

    • I feel like it's easier for something like this to happen in an age where many of the top polluters are so cut off from nature (living in highly developed areas) or feel that they are entitled to control nature (the only plants you see in developed areas are planned to be there). We've got to get a better connection to the planet, not just to the trees that need stakes to stand up. I know it might sound kind of "hippy" but I think that this might really be at the heart of the problem: a lack of a connection with the natural world that makes us indifferent to its destruction.

    • 3 years ago
  • advertisehere
  • Almibry
    • +4
      Almibry  
    • ultravphunter:

      I don't care how "hippy" I sound, I literally talk to trees, (and I get more out of them then I get out of current) and it amuses and saddens me to see how the rest of the general population views nature. You think nature is your backyard, as easily dominated as starting your lawn mower? You think it counts as camping when you bring along your air mattress and 3 coolers of food? Yeah, people are detached from nature because you can't plug a coffee pot into a bush, and even if there were a real desire to "commune with nature", the wild world is steadily shrinking . Finding a way to live with nature is nearly impossible for the average citizen, you can't even go without mowing your lawn because the neighborhood watch will send you angry letters. Hanging your wash outside to dry, instead of using your energy hog of a dryer lowers property value. A "real" forest is 3 hours away, if you speed and it's usually federal property, so good luck trying to live there. And don't even get me started on water...
      I have to say I agree with you ultravphunter (weird name) but as a nature lover who's been trying for years to get people to treat our world with less contempt, never mind respect, I have to say most of us pathetic little humans do not deserve to exist. My only consolation is that we are not capable of completely destroying our planet. She will outlive us.

    • 3 years ago
  • ultravphunter
    • 0
      ultravphunter  
    • Almibry:

      I agree that life will go on, but I guess I'm selfish and I'd like to be there when it continues. I guess I also feel like there's a difference between living and surviving. Finally, human beings really need to shake off some of their hubris, or it's going to become an even stronger tragic flaw.

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • -2
      Davidod  
    • Almibry:

      OMG! You're not one of these people, are you?

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThQr8fDiLA

      I don't understand why these people don't realize there IS a middle-ground here, and that we all don't need to SCREAM over loss of trees in the forest (as if that does anything except make the person appear incredibly emotionally labile and unstable).

      The Earth First! old-hippies are just as extreme in their quasi-religious fervor as any Al Qaeda member, and feel just as morally superior to those they accuse of not being as "in tune" with Nature like THEY are.

    • 3 years ago
  • Davidod
    • -3
      Davidod  
    • Almibry:

      Oh, quit with the "She" crap. Quit with the anthropomorphization of "Mother Earth": it's a Planet, a complex ecosystem, and comparing it to a planetoid, even if female, is downright insulting (as if the Planet HAD a consciousness, which it doesn't; as if the Planet has an identity which coincidentally, is made in YOUR image, according to YOU).

    • 3 years ago
  • Still_Falling
    • -2
      Still_Falling  

    • This is all Liberal propaganda.
      It is clear from the Bible, that animals did not evolve - but were created by "GOD" on one of the six days in which he created the world.

      So all this talk about evolution is blasphemous.
      Instead we should all embrace the fact that animals going extinct is the will of "GOD" in action, and we should not meddle in the affairs of the lord.

      You Liberals need to be anointed in the blood of Jesus Christ - our Lord and savior.
      Hallelujah, praises be in his name.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      I were channeling Pat Robertson, because I saw these assholes from the 700 club on the tele this weekend.
      I am always fascinated by crazy things that spew fourth from that crazy man's mouth.

      Now go to your phones, call in and make a donation of seventy five dollars or more so I can pray for you - and you will receive the blessings of the Lord.

    • 3 years ago
  • Almibry
  • Libielou
  • manny0409
    • +2
      manny0409  

    • Nature without balance of species and organisms is a really bad thing. It will start to create abnormalities and it will be like a domino effect...its really sad.

    • 3 years ago
  • dynomitesight
    • 0
      dynomitesight  

    • I agree it's becoming increasingly apparently as I stand here at the dmv listening 2 shallow fool girls bitchydiss & dish about the looks & attire of everyone waiting in line...the people working there with their quote "just it let me write my suicide note jobs ...and sing songy repeating the automated number calling in unison.
      Hearing about how some lady didn't get there hair done right and how they would fix it with poor soul sitting a couple chairs away...it wasn't even like a sweet pawn shop mullet...well there's the degrade in society or part of it. Dissing the people lucky enough 2 have a job before they even spoke 2 a one of them.
      I mean nevermind the ethics of community, world news,unemployment rate, the "depressed" recession...
      It's this narrowminded selfish rationalization of "I'll do what ever I feel like regardless of the affects on the environment...the species I wanted for stuffed decorum...the person next 2 me that might pay it forward 2 u or has already done so."
      And then I see this posting...
      Look I've been spoiled by bad ass behavior and laugh your instances...we all have 2 go the frickin dmv...just like we all gotta live 7 by 7 miles smushed together in sf or just like we all gotta make substainable new traditions so everything can coexist Those 2 squaking fools (that i just happen 2 be lucky enough 2 have them come stand next 2 me) asking if they like each others nails and picking their noses ...and I feel like telling them 2 stuff it. Screw the users, the takers, and the abusers especially the abuse of power. The numbers are totally off...it's no wonder resources & species face extinction. Honestly I love people & I usually can't get annoyed easliy but "oh the humanity." there's the rub.

    • 3 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image

    • Species on the brink of being declared extinct

      The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 208 species as "possibly extinct", more than half of which are amphibians. They are defined as species which are "on the balance of evidence likely to be extinct, but for which there is a small chance that they may still be extant".

      Kouprey (or Grey ox; Bos sauveli)

      What: Wild cattle with horns that live in small herds

      Domain: Mostly Cambodia; also Laos, Vietnam, Thailand

      Population: No first-hand sightings since 1969

      Main threats: hunting for meat and trade, livestock diseases and habitat destruction

      Webbed-footed coqui (or stream coqui; Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti)

      What: Large black frog living in mountain streams

      Domain: East and west Puerto Rico

      Population: Not seen since 1976

      Main threats: Disease (chytridiomycosis), climate change and invasive predators

      Golden coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus jasperi)

      What: Small orange frog living in forest or open rocky areas

      Domain: Sierra de Cayey, Puerto Rico

      Population: No sightings since 1981

      Main threats: Unknown but suspected habitat destruction, climate change, disease (chytridiomycosis) and invasive predators

      Spix's macaw (or little blue macaw; Cyanopsitta spixii)

      What: Bright blue birds with long tails and grey/white heads

      Domain: Brazil

      Population: The last known wild bird disappeared in 2000; there are 78 in captivity

      Main threats: Destruction of the birds' favoured Tabebuia caraiba trees for nesting, and trapping

      Café marron (Ramosmania rodriguesii)

      What: White flowering shrub related to the coffee plant family

      Domain: Island of Rodrigues, Republic of Mauritius

      Population: A single wild plant is known

      Main threats: Habitat loss, introduced grazing animals and alien plants

      Source: IUCN and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. To mark the International Year of Biodiversity, the IUCN is running a daily profile of a threatened species throughout 2010. See iucn.org.

    • 3 years ago
  • tenletterz
  • Davidod
    • 0
      Davidod  
    • tenletterz:

      Wow, that's a heavy double-dose of anthropomorphism going on there. You think of "nature" as some being supernatural being, capable of judging some behaviors as "wise". Interesting little world of supernatural forces you live in, huh?

    • 3 years ago
  • obamaisajoke
  • NothingIsAbsoluteTruth
  • manny0409
    • +2
      manny0409  
    • obamaisajoke:

      ...the Earth is not something that can easily regain its balance...every living organisms on Earth has a role to play and without it, the balance will shift one way or the other and that is when problems arise. Some predators hunt and keep the population of other animals level for example. An Environmental Science class would be really helpful.

    • 3 years ago
  • flyingkick
  • PigFarmington
  • amandamanda
  • Joshua_Nyholm
  • WakeUpPeople
  • PigFarmington
  • Almibry
  • bailey78
  • bailey78
  • emarston
  • bailey78

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