The permanent disappearance of a species, occurring naturally and at accelerated rates today.
Over 99 percent of species that ever lived are extinct. Background extinction rates are around 0.1 to 1 species per million species per year, but current rates are estimated to be 100 to 1000 times higher. Causes: habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution and climate change.
Small, specialised or island populations are most vulnerable.
The permanent disappearance of a species, occurring naturally and at accelerated rates today.
Extinction is one of the 53 topics in Evolution. It is rated Beginner, so it suits learners who are starting out in biology. Related topics in this area include Mass Extinctions, Sympatric Speciation, Stabilising Selection.
The dodo, the passenger pigeon and the thylacine.
Extinction is a Beginner topic, so no earlier topic is required. Other Beginner topics in Evolution that pair well with it include Evolution, Natural Selection, Charles Darwin.
The closest topics to Extinction are Mass Extinctions, Sympatric Speciation, Stabilising Selection, Phylogenetic Trees. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Extinction. To practise the whole of Evolution, use the Evolution quiz.
Extinction: The permanent disappearance of a species, occurring naturally and at accelerated rates today. Mass Extinctions: Five major events, including the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous, that wiped out large fractions of species. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Mass Extinctions and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Evolution quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Five major events, including the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous, that wiped out large fractions of species.
🦎 EvolutionNew species arising within the same area, often through polyploidy or ecological specialisation.
🦎 EvolutionSelection favouring intermediate phenotypes, as seen in human birth weight.
🦎 EvolutionBranching diagrams that show inferred evolutionary relationships among species.
🦎 Evolution