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[1] [2] Habitat destruction is in fact the leading cause of biodiversity loss and species extinction worldwide. [3] Humans contribute to habitat destruction through the use of natural resources, agriculture, industrial production and urbanization (urban sprawl). Other activities include mining, logging and trawling. Environmental factors can ...
The main drivers of marine species extinction are habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and overexploitation. [105] [106] Greater pressure is placed on marine ecosystems near coastal areas because of the human settlements in those areas. [107] Overexploitation has resulted in the extinction of over 25 marine species.
An example of how this may happen is through by-catch.These new species will outcompete the native species and take over, therefore causing the local or global extinction of a species. [32] Due to the fittest animals in the species being hunted or poached, the less fit organisms will mate, causing less fitness in the generations to come.
Humans are the cause of the current mass extinction, called the Holocene extinction, driving extinctions to 100 to 1000 times the normal background rate. [ 119 ] [ 120 ] Though most experts agree that human beings have accelerated the rate of species extinction, some scholars have postulated without humans, the biodiversity of the Earth would ...
When the giant flightless birds called moa were overexploited to the point of extinction, [5] the giant Haast's eagle that preyed on them also became extinct. [6]The concern about overexploitation, while relatively recent in the annals of modern environmental awareness, traces back to ancient practices embedded in human history.
This process is often referred to as Holocene extinction, or sixth mass extinction. For example, it was estimated in 2007 that up to 30% of all species will be extinct by 2050. [4] Destroying habitats for farming is a key reason why biodiversity is decreasing today. Climate change also plays a role.
Ecological extinction is "the reduction of a species to such low abundance that, although it is still present in the community, it no longer interacts significantly with other species". [ 1 ] Ecological extinction stands out because it is the interaction ecology of a species that is important for conservation work.
Humans have been the cause of many species’ extinction. Due to humans’ changing and modifying their environment, the habitat of other species often become altered or destroyed as a result of human actions. [25] The altering of habitats will cause habitat fragmentation, reducing the species' habitat and decreasing their dispersal range.