Title: On The Termination of Species
Source:W. Wayt Gibbs
A:
-Danish statistician Bjorn Lomlorg says the reports of death of biodiversity is exaggerated.
-Internal uncertainty and public apathy, scientists question the conservation movement's ever riding emphasis on preserving rate and threatened hot spots in which they are concentrated.
-May's claim will shock those who haven't followed the biodiversity issue, but prompt no gasp from conservation biologists. They heard variations of this since 1979.
-Recent projections factor in slower demise because doomed species hung on longer than anticipated. Some have returned from the grave.
-Lomborg argues that there is not evidence to prove this would happen.
-He alleges that environmentalists ignored recent evidence of tropical deforestation not taking toll it was feared.
-Best models project extinction rate of 0.15 percent of species per decade.
-First:Species of plants, mammals, insects, marine invertebrates and other groups all exist for about the same time. Survival time varies among groups by factor of 10 or more with mammals being least durable.
-Second: They assume that all organisms have equal chance of making it to the fossil record. Successful species they see are widespread. Weak species confined to hilltop or islands all went extinct before they could be fossilized.
-Third: May and Wilson used average life span when they should be using a median.
-The method was imperfect. Comparing the past 400 years with previous 65 million unavoidably assume that current extinction rate will be sustained over millions of years.
-May points out how they are uncertain to factor of 10 about how many species we share plane with. He guessed that seven million species live with us, but credible guesses range from 5 to 15 million.
-Vulnerable freshwater fish have more than a quarter species listed as threatened.
-From that estimate and rate of destruction, able to predict 1/4 of 1 percent of species either become extinct immediately or are doomed to earlier extinction.
-If species-area equation holds, official statistics suggest that deforestation had been slowing and is below 1 percent a year.
-When habitats shrink and population are wiped out, at a rate of 16 million a year, it could be a time bomb.
-Conservationists are fearful that arches of entire ecosystems fall once a few keystone species are removed.
-Rate of recent planet extinction was compared in four similar regions and found that the most disturbed area had the lowest rate.
-We have more time than we fear to prevent future catastrophes in areas where humans have been part of ecosystem for a while and less time to avoid them in what little wilderness remains pristine.
-Some of us advocate a shift from saving things, the products of evolution, to save the underlying process, evolution itself.
B:
Danish statistician Bjorn Lomlorg says the reports of death of biodiversity is exaggerated.Internal uncertainty and public apathy, scientists question the conservation movement's ever riding emphasis on preserving rate and threatened hot spots in which they are concentrated.May points out how they are uncertain to factor of 10 about how many species we share plane with. He guessed that seven million species live with us, but credible guesses range from 5 to 15 million.If species-area equation holds, official statistics suggest that deforestation had been slowing and is below 1 percent a year.When habitats shrink and population are wiped out, at a rate of 16 million a year, it could be a time bomb.We have more time than we fear to prevent future catastrophes in areas where humans have been part of ecosystem for a while and less time to avoid them in what little wilderness remains pristine.Some of us advocate a shift from saving things, the products of evolution, to save the underlying process, evolution itself.
C:
Vulnerable freshwater fish have more than a quarter species listed as threatened.From that estimate and rate of destruction, able to predict 1/4 of 1 percent of species either become extinct immediately or are doomed to earlier extinction.First:Species of plants, mammals, insects, marine invertebrates and other groups all exist for about the same time. Survival time varies among groups by factor of 10 or more with mammals being least durable.Second: They assume that all organisms have equal chance of making it to the fossil record. Successful species they see are widespread. Weak species confined to hilltop or islands all went extinct before they could be fossilized.Third: May and Wilson used average life span when they should be using a median.The method was imperfect.
So what?
Conservationists are fearful that arches of entire ecosystems fall once a few keystone species are removed. Rate of recent planet extinction was compared in four similar regions and found that the most disturbed area had the lowest rate.
Say Who?
W. Wayt Gibbs
What If...?
Recent projections factor in slower demise because doomed species hung on longer than anticipated. Some have returned from the grave.Lomborg argues that there is not evidence to prove this would happen.
What Does This Remind Me Of?
May's claim will shock those who haven't followed the biodiversity issue, but prompt no gasp from conservation biologists. They heard variations of this since 1979.R He alleges that environmentalists ignored recent evidence of tropical deforestation not taking toll it was feared. Best models project extinction rate of 0.15 percent of species per decade. Comparing the past 400 years with previous 65 million unavoidably assume that current extinction rate will be sustained over millions of years.
Source:W. Wayt Gibbs
A:
-Danish statistician Bjorn Lomlorg says the reports of death of biodiversity is exaggerated.
-Internal uncertainty and public apathy, scientists question the conservation movement's ever riding emphasis on preserving rate and threatened hot spots in which they are concentrated.
-May's claim will shock those who haven't followed the biodiversity issue, but prompt no gasp from conservation biologists. They heard variations of this since 1979.
-Recent projections factor in slower demise because doomed species hung on longer than anticipated. Some have returned from the grave.
-Lomborg argues that there is not evidence to prove this would happen.
-He alleges that environmentalists ignored recent evidence of tropical deforestation not taking toll it was feared.
-Best models project extinction rate of 0.15 percent of species per decade.
-First:Species of plants, mammals, insects, marine invertebrates and other groups all exist for about the same time. Survival time varies among groups by factor of 10 or more with mammals being least durable.
-Second: They assume that all organisms have equal chance of making it to the fossil record. Successful species they see are widespread. Weak species confined to hilltop or islands all went extinct before they could be fossilized.
-Third: May and Wilson used average life span when they should be using a median.
-The method was imperfect. Comparing the past 400 years with previous 65 million unavoidably assume that current extinction rate will be sustained over millions of years.
-May points out how they are uncertain to factor of 10 about how many species we share plane with. He guessed that seven million species live with us, but credible guesses range from 5 to 15 million.
-Vulnerable freshwater fish have more than a quarter species listed as threatened.
-From that estimate and rate of destruction, able to predict 1/4 of 1 percent of species either become extinct immediately or are doomed to earlier extinction.
-If species-area equation holds, official statistics suggest that deforestation had been slowing and is below 1 percent a year.
-When habitats shrink and population are wiped out, at a rate of 16 million a year, it could be a time bomb.
-Conservationists are fearful that arches of entire ecosystems fall once a few keystone species are removed.
-Rate of recent planet extinction was compared in four similar regions and found that the most disturbed area had the lowest rate.
-We have more time than we fear to prevent future catastrophes in areas where humans have been part of ecosystem for a while and less time to avoid them in what little wilderness remains pristine.
-Some of us advocate a shift from saving things, the products of evolution, to save the underlying process, evolution itself.
B:
Danish statistician Bjorn Lomlorg says the reports of death of biodiversity is exaggerated.Internal uncertainty and public apathy, scientists question the conservation movement's ever riding emphasis on preserving rate and threatened hot spots in which they are concentrated.May points out how they are uncertain to factor of 10 about how many species we share plane with. He guessed that seven million species live with us, but credible guesses range from 5 to 15 million.If species-area equation holds, official statistics suggest that deforestation had been slowing and is below 1 percent a year.When habitats shrink and population are wiped out, at a rate of 16 million a year, it could be a time bomb.We have more time than we fear to prevent future catastrophes in areas where humans have been part of ecosystem for a while and less time to avoid them in what little wilderness remains pristine.Some of us advocate a shift from saving things, the products of evolution, to save the underlying process, evolution itself.
C:
Vulnerable freshwater fish have more than a quarter species listed as threatened.From that estimate and rate of destruction, able to predict 1/4 of 1 percent of species either become extinct immediately or are doomed to earlier extinction.First:Species of plants, mammals, insects, marine invertebrates and other groups all exist for about the same time. Survival time varies among groups by factor of 10 or more with mammals being least durable.Second: They assume that all organisms have equal chance of making it to the fossil record. Successful species they see are widespread. Weak species confined to hilltop or islands all went extinct before they could be fossilized.Third: May and Wilson used average life span when they should be using a median.The method was imperfect.
So what?
Conservationists are fearful that arches of entire ecosystems fall once a few keystone species are removed. Rate of recent planet extinction was compared in four similar regions and found that the most disturbed area had the lowest rate.
Say Who?
W. Wayt Gibbs
What If...?
Recent projections factor in slower demise because doomed species hung on longer than anticipated. Some have returned from the grave.Lomborg argues that there is not evidence to prove this would happen.
What Does This Remind Me Of?
May's claim will shock those who haven't followed the biodiversity issue, but prompt no gasp from conservation biologists. They heard variations of this since 1979.R He alleges that environmentalists ignored recent evidence of tropical deforestation not taking toll it was feared. Best models project extinction rate of 0.15 percent of species per decade. Comparing the past 400 years with previous 65 million unavoidably assume that current extinction rate will be sustained over millions of years.