Name:__AphichatTonjai_______________________DueDate:_10/19/14___

ArticleTitle:___OntheTerminationofSpecies__________________
Author/Source:_W.WaytGrbbs________________________________

A.Notes
Ecologistswarningsofanongoingmassextinctionarebeingchallengedbyskepticsand
largelyignoredbypoliticians.Inpartthatisbecauseitissurprisinglyhardtoknowthe
dimensionsofthedieoff,whyitmattersandhowitcanbestbestopped
Ecologistsuggestthatmankindiscausingmassextinctionthatnotseensincetheageof
dinosaursdoubtedbypaleontologistsandstatisticians
RobertM.May,aUniversityofOxfordzoologistroughestimatethatextinctionrate
acceleratedinpast100year.
OtherscientistpredictionareextremelyhighLOTOFEXTINCTIONATNUMBERSIN
THEMILLION.NormanMyers
In1980s,ThomasLovejoysimilarlypredictedthat15to20percentwoulddieoffby2000.
SomeofthefigureturnouttobefalseImreasonablycertainthat[theeliminationofone
fifthofspecies]didnthappen,saysKirkO.Winemiller,afishbiologistatTexasA&M
University
Somespeciesarereturnforthebrinkofextinction
3thingsthenatural(orbackground)extinctionrate,thecurrentrateandwhetherthe
paceofextinctionissteadyorchanging.
paleontologistsestimatethatfewerthan4percentofallspeciesthateverlivedare
preservedasfossilsNotallspecieshaveequalchances
AccordingtopaleontologistDavidM.Raup(thenattheUniversityofChicago)Andthe
specieswedoseearethewidespread,verysuccessfulones,.Theweakspecies
confinedtosomehilltoporislandallwentextinctbeforetheycouldbefossilized,
Attempttofigureoutthecurrentextinctionratearefraughtwithevenmoreuncertainties
AspeciethatisknownbecomeextinctManyotherspeciesthatarepreviouslyunknown
maybecomeextinct.
Ex)passengerpigeonwaseliminatedin1914,ittooktwospeciesofparasiticlicewith
itLicesunknown
speciesareaequation=habitatdestructionresultinsomespecieextinction.
Biologistshavesomegoodtheoreticalreasonstofearthatevenifmassextinctionhasnt
begunyet,collapseisimminent.
ProvingMassextinctionisorgoingtohappenisnoteasy.
Humandocauseenvironmentalissuereasoningthatcertainspeciesespeciallyplants
cancoexistHumaneffectonenvironmentwoulddropPlantsthatcantwillgoextinct.
Triageisadirtywordtomanyenvironmentalist.
Determinewhatspecieliveandwhatdies
ItturnsouttobealoteasiertopersuadeacorporateCEOorabillionaireofthe
importanceoftheissuethanitistoconvincetheAmericanpublic.EDWARDO.
WILSON,HARVARDUNIVERSITY
Somewanttosaveevolutionitself

B.Summary
ThearticletalkabouthowspeciesarebecomingextinctandistheentireEarthecosystemis
headingtowarda6thmassextinction.Theprocessofestimatinghowmanyspeciesareextinct
isaverycomplexprocess,becausesomespeciesthatareextinctisunknown.Therealsoa
factorofweatheraspeciewasadaptedtochangeinconditionthatmayormaynotbeinfluenced
byhumans.Somefigurestoestimatetherateofextinctionturnouttobewrong,sinceitwastoo
high.Factoringfossilrecordcanbeachallengetoestimatetherateofextinctionbecausenotall
speciesbecomefossilize.Thearticlestatehowtheirmanydoubttothetheoryofmass
extinction,butitcertainthatcollapseisimminent.

C.PersonalOpinion
Inmypersonalopinionthepossibilitiesthatspeciesthatgoneextinctandispreviouslyunknown
isextremelyhigh.Plus,therealsoahighpossibilitythatthefossilrecordcouldonlyshowasmall
fractionofwhatwasinthepast.Ipersonallythinkthere'sspeciesdyingoutandmassextinction
ishappeningeventuallyandinthenearfuture.