By:%20Mary%20A.%20Rodrigues

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By Mary A. Rodrigues

• The Accelerating Loss of Species
• The Sixth Extinction

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Mass Extinctions

• A Mass Extinction is
• When at least half of all species (including
  animals and plants) die within a relatively short
  time.
• We know these extinctions occurred
• Through the fossil record
• Fossils of plants and animals in early layers are
  suddenly not present in later rock layers
• Scientists believe that 99 of all plant and
  animal species that have ever lived are now
  extinct

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The First Five Extinctions

• 1st (Ordivician-Silurian) Extinction 440 mya
• Caused by sudden global cooliing
• Extinction of marine organisms
• 2nd (Denovian) Extinction 370 mya
• Caused by possible climate change
• Extinction of tropical marine species
• 3rd (Permian-Triassic) Extinction 245 mya
• Caused by climate change, plate tectonic
  movements,
• possible comet or meteor impact.
• largest mass extinction (so far)
• Killed a range of species, including vertebrates
• Only 10 of species survived

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• 4th (Triassic-Jurrasic) Extinction 210 mya
• Unknown cause
• Extinction of land vertebrates
• 5th (Cretaceous-Tertiary) Extinction 65 mya
• Caused by collision of comet or meteor and/or
  volcanic eruption
• Extinction of dinosaurs, marine life, and many
  other plant and animal species
• 50-75 of animals extinct
• Global temperature decreased
• Rise of the primates

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How is the Sixth Extinction Different?

• The sixth extinction is happening today
• All other mass extinctions were caused by natural
  disasters, the sixth extinction is being caused
  by modern humans

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When did the Sixth Extinction begin?

• When modern homo sapiens began to radiate to
  different parts of the world.
• Only in places where early hominids lived,
  (Africa, Europe and Asia) did native plant and
  animal species survive in the beginning.
• Some paleoanthropologists believe that the
  Neanderthals became extinct due to warfare or
  competition from modern humans.

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• Quickly after the arrival of modern humans,
  native species began to disappear.
• North America 12,500 years ago
• Butchering killed off mammoths, mastodons,
  ancient buffalos
• Caribbean 8,000 years ago
• Lost all larger native species
• Madagascar 2,000 years ago
• Lost larger lemurs, elephant birds, a species of
  hippo, etc.

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How are modern humans causing the Sixth
Extinction?

• Pollution
• Warfare
• Exploitation of
• Species
• 4. Overpopulation
• 5. Unnatural Rates of Consumption

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6-AgricultureSingle most profound ecological
change in the entire 3.5 billion history of
life(Eldredge,N.)

• - Pre-agricultural humans lived in niches in
  ecosystem and worked with nature.
• -Agriculture was invented 10,000-12,000 years
  ago in the Middle East
• - Agricultural humans live outside the natural
  ecosystem.
• -Accelerated rates of extinction
• Humans do not have to rely on other species for
  survival
• Humans do not have to rely on ecosystems
  carrying capacity (how many species a local
  habitat can sustain)

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Agriculture (continued)

• Results in
• Modern Humans living outside the natural
• eco-system
• Treating native plants as weeds
• Treating native animals/insects as pests

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The Sixth Extinction Specifics

• 30,000 species are lost annually
• (3 species an hour)
• Up to 1/5 of all living species could become
  extinct within 30 years
• Nearly all loss is due to human activity
• Mostly through the destruction of plant and
  animal habitats

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What can we do to help?-get informed-get
involved

• http//www.well.com/davidu/extinction.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_extinction
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_extinction
• http//images.google.com
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs/extincti
  on/mass.php
• Park, M. (2002). Biological anthropology. 3rd
  edition. BostonMcGraw-Hill.

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The Great Apes

• Their Battle Against Extinction

By Angela Rodrigues
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What is the Status of the Great Apes?

• Chimpanzees
• 150, 000
• Bonobos 50,000-100,000
• Gorillas 130,000 (wild), 350 (captive)
• Orangutans12,000-15,000 remaining in Borneo

Chimps, Bonobos, and Gorilla Distribution Africa
Orangutan Distribution Asia
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Chimpanzees/Bonobos Status Endangered

• 1. Habitat Loss
• Human population increase Africa has highest
  growth rate in world!
• 2. Biomedical Research
• Used as models for human diseases 99 similar
  DNA
• 3. Disease
• HIV
• Ebola
• 4. Hunting
• Bushmeat Trade

Fact The only true threat to Great Apes are
humans
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Gorillas Gorilla gorillaStatus Critically
Endangered
Threats

• 1. Habitat Loss
• Deforestation-Competition for natural resources
• 2. Disease
• Ebola
• 3. Poaching
• Not for food
• Traps for other animals

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Orangutan Pongo pygmaeusStatus Critically
Endangered

• 1. Habitat Loss
• Palm Oil Plantations Slash and Burn-a process
  of clearing areas for agriculture by setting it
  on fire.
• Logging 80 is done illegally
• 2. Pet Trade
• Infants mother killed to obtain baby.
• 4-5 orangutans die for every baby reaching the
  market
• 3. Poaching
• Bushmeat

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Bushmeat Trade 1 Threat

• Over 1 million metric tons of bushmeat are
  distributed per year in Africanot all are Great
  Apes, however.
• No longer is this done just by poor locals
  needing food/income it is becoming a commercial
  business
• 40-60 of Africans rely on bushmeat for source of
  protein
• Not just a Great Ape problem many endangered
  animals, such as leopards and elephants, are also
  killed yearly.

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What Does Their Future Hold?

• Some Statistics
• For every 20,000 humans, there is one chimpanzee
• It is estimated that apes may become extinct
  within the next generation
• Some estimates even say that some species may be
  extinct as soon as 5-10 years!
• The bottom line People need to be educated about
  the seriousness of the Great Ape Extinction

We started this extinction it is up to us to end
it. If we dont help, who will?
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References

• 1. Great Apes in Peril (2001). BBC World News.
  Retrieved May 1, 2006, from http//news.bbc.co.uk/
  1/hi/sci/tech/1341609.stm
• 2. The BushMeat Trade (2005). Retrieved May 1,
  2006, from http//www.rainforestlive.org.uk
• 3. Chimpanzee Conservation (2006). The Jane
  Goodall Institute. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from
  http//www.janegoodall.org/default.asp
• 4. Primate Info Net (2005). Retrieved April 26,
  2006, from University of Wisconsin-Madison
  http//pin.primate.wisc.edu/about.html
• 5. Orangutan Conservancy (2006). Retrieved April
  26, 2006, from http//www.orangutan.com/orangutans
  _threats.html
• 6. Great Ape Project (2006). Retrieved May 1,
  2006, from http//en.wikipedia.org from
  Wikipedia.
• 7. Threats to Gorillas (n.d.). Retrieved May 26,
  2006, from http//www.mountaingorillas.org/gorilla
  s/gorillas_threats.htm
• 8. Park, M. (2005). Biological Anthropology (4th
  ed.). New York McGraw-Hill Companies.