How often do rainforest species go extinct?

How often do rainforest species go extinct?

A: An average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction every day in the world’s tropical rainforests. The forces of destruction such as logging, cattle ranching have all contributed to the loss of millions of acres of tropical rainforest.

How many species go extinct in the rainforest every year?

This works out to a crude average of almost 1,500 species per year—a figure consistent with the independent assessment of Wilson (1987), who postulates an extinction rate in all tropical forests of perhaps 10,000 species per year.

How fast are species going extinct?

Regardless, scientists agree that today’s extinction rate is hundreds, or even thousands, of times higher than the natural baseline rate. Judging from the fossil record, the baseline extinction rate is about one species per every one million species per year.

What is the leading cause of species extinction?

Animal agriculture

What do humans do to cause extinction?

Human activities that influence the extinction and endangerment of wild species fall into a number of categories: (1) unsustainable hunting and harvesting that cause mortality at rates that exceed recruitment of new individuals, (2) land use practices like deforestation, urban and suburban development, agricultural …

What are the impacts of extinction?

The loss of a predator can result in what is called a trophic cascade, which is an ecological phenomenon triggered by a predator’s extinction that can also impact populations of prey, which can cause dramatic ecosystem and food web changes.

Can pollution cause extinction?

Climate change and pollution continue to rise as threats, with severe weather, changing ecosystems and rising temperatures responsible for 33 animal extinctions, while pollution is responsible for 37 extinctions to date, new data shows.

What animals are extinct due to pollution?

Due to pollution and commercial fishing, though, many undersea creatures are endangered and decreasing in population.

• Krill. Krill is the main source of energy for whales, salmon and other sea animals.
• Loggerhead Sea Turtle.
• Cape Penguin.
• Coral.
• Gray Whale.
• Hector’s Dolphins.
• Manatees.
• Hammerhead Sharks.