The Future of Biodiversity | RDL Research Database

Abstract

Recent extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times their pre-human levels in well-known, but taxonomically diverse groups from widely different environments. If all species currently deemed "threatened" become extinct in the next century, then future extinction rates will be 10 times recent rates. Some threatened species will survive the century, but many species not now threatened will succumb. Regions rich in species found only within them (endemics) dominate the global patterns of extinction. Although new technology provides details of habitat losses, estimates of future extinctions are hampered by our limited knowledge of which areas are rich in endemics.

Keywords

Threatened speciesExtinction (optical mineralogy)EndemismBiodiversityEcologyConservation-dependent speciesHabitat destructionHabitatGeographyExtinction debtEndangered speciesBiologyNear-threatened speciesPaleontology

Affiliated Institutions

University of Tennessee at Knoxville US

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Publication Info

Year: 1995
Type: article
Volume: 269
Issue: 5222
Pages: 347-350
Citations: 2117
Access: Closed

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APA Style

                            
                                
                                    Stuart L. Pimm, 
                                
                                    G.J. Russell, 
                                
                                    John L. Gittleman
                                
                                et al.
                            
                            (1995). 
                            The Future of Biodiversity. 
                            Science
                            , 269
                            (5222)
                            , 347-350.
                            https://doi.org/10.1126/science.269.5222.347
                        

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1126/science.269.5222.347