This blog contains information about the Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction. It also contains the explanation of Extinction and Factors influencing Extinction. It also discusses the Five Major Mass Extinction.
I. What do you know about Extinction?
Extinction is the condition in which there is a complete disappearance of a specie from the Earth. It occurs when the last individual of a certain species dies and is no more on the planet.
This process is continue from start of the Earth’s era. It is the situation in which any specie that existed on earth in large number, vanishes from the Earth due to different reasons. The extinction may occur as a result of drought, waste shortage, Habitat loss and many other such phenomena. Millions of species still exists on Earth and many of them are already extinct. Extinction is also harmful for the Environment and Biodiversity. It is harmful because every specie has its role in maintaining the Environment and keep the working of an Ecosystem. When a specie become extinct, their respective roles in the Environment are also effected in this way and the whole Ecosystem is disturbed. Following are some of the species that are extinct on Earth.
Examples of Extinct Species:
Following are some examples of Extinct Species:
- Passenger Pigeons
- Dodo
- Great Auk
- Dinosaurs
- Woolly Mammoth
- Golden Toad
- Quagga
These are few extinct animal species. These are disappeared completely from the earth and are not seen for a long-time. This blog is all about Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
II. What are the Factors that influence Specie Extinction?
Extinction can be influenced by a number of factors. These factors play significant roles in the Specie Extinction. Following is the detail of the Factors influencing Extinction process:
Environmental Changes:
Every specie lives its respective Environment and is highly influenced by the Environmental conditions such as Pollution, Climate Change, Extreme Temperatures, Habitat loss and many other such phenomena that influences by the Environmental Changes. This can be extreme Weather events that can make lives of the organisms very difficult that they are unable to survive in their Habitat and Environment. This can be a significant cause of Extinction of a Specie.
Evolutionary Changes:
Evolution means changing in species and their traits with passing time in context of the stronger traits and weaker traits. These changes may be in positive ways or in negative ways. When it occur in negative way it results in weaker development, poor reproduction, population decline and many other such consequences that influence the destruction of the species. These changes may result in the specie endangerment and at the end, it may cause Specie Extinction.
Natural Disasters:
Natural Disasters are the result of Extreme Impacts of Climate Change that becomes the cause of destruction on Earth. These disasters includes Floods, Earthquakes, Tsunami and many other such Disasters that can kill thousands of individuals of a specie within minutes or hours. The Natural Disasters may destroy the Habitat of the species and can be the cause of Habitat Fragmentation. These can be a great cause of Specie Extinction.
Anthropogenic Activities:
Anthropogenic activities means the roles and activities initiated by humans for their welfare and development. These activities play as significant role in damaging the foundation and the roots of the species. There are a lot of human activities that harm the species. These include Hunting, Deforestation, and many other such activities that cause the destruction of species. In severe cases it can lead to Specie Extinction at great levels. The only way to control it is to ban hunting and Biodiversity Conservation.
These are the few Factors that Influence the Specie Extinction. These factors can cause Minor or Major damage to the species and can be very dangerous. This blog is all about Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
III. What is meant by Mass Extinction?
Mass Extinction is the phenomena in which there is a significant increase in the number of species that go extinct over a relatively short Geologic Time. These are critical intervals of Earth’s History.
Mass Extinction is a period of Biodiversity loss in which most prominently there is the loss of a large number of individuals of a single population. This phenomena is dangerous as it harms the Environment by quickly vanishing a population from the Earth. With the vanish of population, the Ecosystem services by the population also gets disturbed and are eliminated. The Mass extinction is great event in which the Nature loses individuals of a single population in bulk that is devastating for the Environment and the Ecosystem. Mass Extinction is a serious Environmental issue and also acts as the destruction of a specific specie over a short period of time.
This process of vanishment of the species can take thousands of years in normal conditions. But in case of Mass Extinction, it can be with in hundred years or even decades. This blog is the complete explanation of Extinction, Factors influencing Extinction, Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
IV. What are the Major Causes of Mass Extinction?
Mass Extinction is not as the concept of extinction. It needs great destruction to cause Mass Extinction because it is not the loss of few individuals of a population, but it is great loss of a significant amount of Biodiversity on Earth. So, the cause must be extreme or destructive events that results in Mass Extinction. Following are the Major Causes of Mass Extinction:
1. Volcanic Activity:
Volcanic activity includes the Volcanic eruption, Earthquakes and the destruction caused by lava when exposed to the surface of the Earth. This lava can destroy all the Biodiversity in its nearby areas or the areas by which it passes. Volcanic Activity also adds severe Air Pollution to the Environment that can spread infections and Respiratory disorders to the animals. Any of these scenarios can be a cause of Mass extinction on Earth.
2. Asteroids and Comets:
The Asteroid and Comets are Space Objects that are present outside of Earth’s Atmosphere. These space objects when hit to the surface of the Earth, they cause severe Environmental Conditions. The Asteroid impacts includes Climate Change, Property damage, Dust and Smoke and eventually also a great cause of Mass extinction. This can alter the normal Environmental Conditions of a place and also may cause extreme Weather conditions that can cause massive death of Biodiversity.
3. Change in Atmospheric Chemistry:
Atmosphere is the envelop around the Earth that is made up of different gases in order to protect Earth from harmful radiations of the sun and other Electromagnetic Activity in the space. Atmospheric chemistry should be balanced and also maintained by the sufficient concentrations of different gases that helps it to stay rigid against all dangers from space to the Earth. The changes in Atmospheric chemistry may lead to Extreme Weather Patterns, Global Warming, Air Pollution and so many other conditions that can be a serious cause of Mass Extinction.
4. Changes in Oceanic Chemistry:
Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface. This is the reason that any slight change in the Oceans cause a lot of harmful effects on the Biodiversity on Earth. Ocean is the biggest Natural Carbon sink and it absorbs the excessive Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere in order to reduce Global Warming. But it cause Ocean Acidification at great levels. This can cause Mass Extinction by disturbing Ocean Currents and damage of Coral Reefs that facilitates 75% of the Marine Species.
5. Decreased Oxygen level:
Oxygen is the most important gas in our Environment. It helps the living organisms in Respiration and help them survive on Earth. Oxygen levels are extremely important in maintaining the Environmental Conditions fit and suitable for Biodiversity. The decreased oxygen level is a severe Environmental Condition for the Biodiversity. It can cause infections, diseases, respiratory conditions and so many other health effects that can be the Cause of Mass Extinction on Earth.
These are few main Causes of Mass Extinction. These can cause Severe conditions of Mass Extinction and also can cause great Biodiversity Loss on the Earth in a very short geological period. This blog contains Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
IV. What are the Major Impacts of Mass Extinction?
Mass Extinction has very bad impacts on the Environment and Biodiversity. These impacts can cause great damage to the nature by destroying it. Following are the Major Impacts of Mass Extinction:
Ecological Changes:
Ecological Changes means the alteration or variation in normal Ecological Cycles and Services. These changes occur as an impact of Mass Extinction. Because every specie plays its own roles in maintaining the Environmental Conditions and Ecosystem by providing various Ecosystem services. When these species dies and disappears from the Earth, the Ecosystem services related to them disturbs and this disturbs the Ecosystems completely. This is one of the main impacts of Mass Extinction.
Reduce Diversity:
Mass Extinction impacts the diversity in species. It disappears the species from the Earth. So, they cannot breed with other species and produce new and unique species in order to promote and enhance Biodiversity. The events of Mass extinction decrease the chances of rear breeding and unusual reproduction so that new species can be produced. All of these facts cause the reduction in Biodiversity and creates more chances of the extinction of more species.
Opportunities for Surviving Species:
Although Mass extinction is not good for the Environment and the Ecosystem but it has a positive impact of reducing the pressure on the Environmental Resources that were utilized by the species being extinct. This is directly providing opportunities, food and resources to the species that exists on the Earth. This can provide surviving species a secured future by reducing their hunting, sufficient supply of food, and availability of other essential resources for the species that still exist on the planet.
Loss of Species Forever:
We observe and witness beautiful and aesthetic species of plants and animals around us. It is very heart touching to see beautiful species of different colors, shapes and sizes. Mass extinction disappears and vanishes the species in a very short time and we cannot see them after that. This takes existence and a piece of nature away from us forever and we realize its value when they are gone. Loss of species is very devastating for the humans and other Biodiversity to face in nature.
These are some of the Major Impacts of Mass Extinction. By mass extinction the Ecosystem and Biodiversity is disturbed and also cause many disadvantages on the Natural Systems. But a plus point is that Mass extinction helps us in providing many facilities and surviving opportunities for the other existing species. This blog contains Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
V. What are the Five Major Mass Extinctions on Earth?
Following are the Major Five Mass Extinctions ever happen on Earth:
1. Ordovician-Silurian Extinctions:
This Mass Extinction was occurred 443.8 million years ago. It was the first Major Mass Extinction event on Earth. This mass extinction ended the Ordovician Period. It was a period of dramatic increase in Marine species. This extinction suppressed many changes eliminating 71% of the species that existed right before the event.
2. Late Devonian Extinctions:
This Mass Extinction began at the Late Devonian extinction. This event occurred about 372 million years ago. Late Devonian Mass Extinction was one of the least severe Mass extinction. The progressions in termination and speciation rates were possible brought about by covering ecological stressors, which might have gone from the Global Warming to the effects of extraterrestrial items.
3. Permian-Triassic Extinction:
This Mass Extinction event occurred almost 252 million years ago. It was also called as Great Dying because it was the greatest mass extinction event in the fossil record. This extinction wiped out 80% of the Marine invertebrate species and approximately 70% of terrestrial species living just before the event. More than half families of animals was gone extinct.
4. Late-Triassic Extinction:
The Late-Triassic Extinction involved the elimination of many amphibians and reptile species on land and many invertebrates in the sea. This extinction took place about 208 million years. This extinction cause environmental changes that accompanied them and cleared the way for dinosaurs to achieve dominance. It was because of significant changes in the Environment.
5. Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction:
This was the last mass extinction that was about 66 million years ago. Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction end about 67% species of all the species living just before the event. These species also include Dinosaurs that made mammals and birds dominant on the Earth. The airborne soot blocked sunlight, forcing ecosystems to collapse. This was a great Extinction event.
These are the five Major Mass Extinctions ever occurred on the Earth. These were the events when we lost integral and also important parts of Nature in a very short period of time. This blog is all about Causes and Impacts of Mass Extinction.
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