Extinction: A Basic Working Vocabulary for Studying, Preventing, and Mitigating Extinction Risks

*These terms form a framework for studying, preventing, and mitigating extinction risks. They are foundational in the fields of conservation biology, ecology, environmental science, and policy.* ### A - **Adaptation**: The process by which organisms adjust to new environments or to changes in their current environment. - **Adaptive Radiation**: The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches. - **Anthropocene**: Proposed epoch dating from significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including climate change and biodiversity loss. - **Anthropogenic**: Resulting from human activity, often used in the context of climate change and environmental impact. - **Archaeopaleontology**: The study of ancient fossils and their environment, focusing on understanding past ecosystems and extinctions. ### B - **Background Extinction Rate**: The standard rate of extinction in Earth’s biological and geological history before humans became a primary contributor. - **Biodiversity Hotspot**: A region with a high level of endemic species that is experiencing a rapid loss of habitat. - **Bioindicator Species**: Species used to monitor the health of an environment or ecosystem. - **Biome Shift**: A significant change in the geographic location or structure of an ecosystem due to climate change. - **Biotic Crisis**: A sudden, widespread decrease in biodiversity due to environmental factors or mass extinction events. ### C - **Catastrophic Event**: A sudden, large-scale occurrence that drastically impacts ecosystems, such as volcanic eruptions or asteroid impacts. - **Climate Change**: Long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns, often linked to human activities. - **Coextinction**: The extinction of one species leading to the extinction of another, often because of their interdependent relationships. - **Colonization**: The process of species moving into new habitats, which can influence extinction dynamics. - **Conservation Biology**: The science of protecting and managing biodiversity. ### D - **De-extinction**: The process of reviving extinct species through genetic engineering or selective breeding. - **Defaunation**: The loss or decline of animals from ecological communities. - **Dispersal Mechanism**: The means by which species spread to new areas, potentially aiding survival or migration. - **Disturbance Event**: Any temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem. - **Doomsday Argument**: A philosophical argument that suggests there is a probability estimate of human extinction based on current patterns. ### E - **Ecological Collapse**: The breakdown of a local ecosystem due to environmental stressors, such as loss of key species. - **Ecological Footprint**: A measure of the demand on Earth’s ecosystems and natural resources. - **Ecological Niche**: The role and position a species has within its environment. - **Ecotoxicology**: The study of the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms and their environments. - **Endangered Species**: Species at serious risk of extinction due to declining populations or habitat loss. - **End-Permian Extinction**: The largest mass extinction in Earth's history, which occurred 252 million years ago. - **Endangered Species Act (ESA)**: A U.S. law aimed at protecting species at risk of extinction. ### F - **Fossil Record**: The history of life as documented by fossils, which provide information about past ecosystems and extinctions. - **Functional Extinction**: When a species no longer plays a significant ecological role or has too few individuals to sustain its population. - **Functional Diversity**: The range of different functions or roles species within an ecosystem perform. ### G - **Gene Flow**: The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another, which can help species adapt to changing conditions. - **Genetic Bottleneck**: A reduction in the genetic diversity of a population due to a major event. - **Geological Epoch**: A division of geological time associated with significant changes in Earth's history, like the Holocene. - **Greenhouse Gas**: Gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere, such as CO₂. ### H - **Habitat Fragmentation**: The process by which large, continuous habitats are broken up, often leading to reduced biodiversity. - **Habitat Loss**: The destruction or alteration of the natural environment, posing risks to species’ survival. - **Holocene Extinction**: The current period of mass extinction primarily due to human activity. - **Human-Wildlife Conflict**: Interaction between humans and wildlife that negatively impacts one or both. ### I - **Inbreeding Depression**: Reduced biological fitness due to mating between closely related individuals, increasing risk of extinction. - **Invasive Species**: Non-native species that spread and cause harm to native ecosystems. - **Island Biogeography**: The study of species composition on islands, often leading to extinction insights due to isolated populations. ### K - **Keystone Species**: A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend; its removal can lead to ecosystem collapse. - **K-T Boundary**: The geological marker between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, associated with the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs. ### L - **Land Use Change**: Alteration of land by humans for agriculture or urban development, a leading cause of habitat loss. - **Latent Extinction Risk**: The potential for a species to become extinct in the future, even if it currently appears stable. - **Local Extinction**: When a species disappears from a specific area but exists elsewhere. ### M - **Mass Extinction**: A rapid, widespread reduction in biodiversity, typically marked by the extinction of a large percentage of species. - **Megafauna Extinction**: The extinction of large animals, often during the Pleistocene, influenced by both human activity and climate change. - **Minimum Viable Population**: The smallest population size needed to prevent a species from going extinct. - **Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)**: Genetic material in mitochondria that can help trace evolutionary history and population declines. - **Morphological Adaptation**: Physical changes that enable an organism to survive in its environment. ### N - **Natural Selection**: The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce. - **Near Threatened**: A conservation status for species that may be at risk of extinction in the near future. - **Niche Partitioning**: The process by which competing species use the environment differently to coexist. ### O - **Overexploitation**: Excessive use of species or resources, leading to population declines or ecosystem damage. - **Overpopulation**: A situation in which a species' population exceeds the capacity of its environment. ### P - **Paleoclimate**: The climate conditions in the geological past, reconstructed through the study of ice cores, tree rings, etc. - **Paleoecology**: The study of ecosystems from the past to understand how they functioned and why they changed. - **Permian-Triassic Extinction**: A mass extinction event 252 million years ago, known as the "Great Dying." - **Phenological Mismatch**: Timing discrepancies between species that interact, often caused by climate change. - **Phytoplankton Decline**: Reduction in marine phytoplankton, impacting ocean ecosystems and food chains. - **Population Decline**: A reduction in a species' population size, often signaling increased risk of extinction. - **Predator-Prey Imbalance**: Disruption in the natural balance between predator and prey, often due to human interference. - **Protected Area Network**: Areas designated for conservation to protect ecosystems and prevent extinction. - **Punctuated Equilibrium**: The theory that species evolve rapidly during short periods of ecological change. ### R - **Radiative Forcing**: The effect of greenhouse gases on Earth’s climate, contributing to global warming and biodiversity stress. - **Recolonization**: The process of a species returning to an area from which it was previously extirpated. - **Red List**: The IUCN’s list that categorizes species by their extinction risk. - **Resilience**: The ability of an ecosystem to withstand or recover from disturbances. - **Rising Sea Levels**: The increase in global sea levels due to melting ice caps, impacting coastal habitats and species. ### S - **Sixth Mass Extinction**: The ongoing mass extinction event caused by human activities. - **Species Richness**: The number of different species in an ecosystem, used as a measure of biodiversity. - **Speciation**: The formation of new species as a result of evolution. - **Stratigraphy**: The study of rock layers to understand Earth’s history, including extinction events. - **Survivorship Bias**: Focusing on species that survive crises, while underestimating those that didn’t. ### T - **Threshold Effect**: A point at which a relatively small change or disturbance in external conditions causes a rapid change in an ecosystem. - **Top-Down Regulation**: Control of ecosystem structure by top predators; their removal can disrupt ecosystem balance. - **Trophic Cascade**: Ecological phenomena triggered by the addition or removal of top predators. ### U - **Umbrella Species**: Species whose protection indirectly protects many other species within its habitat. - **Unsustainable Development**: Economic development that depletes resources, harming ecosystems and increasing extinction risk. ### V - **Vulnerable Species**: A species classified by the IUCN as facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. ### W - **Wildlife Corridor**: A natural passage that connects fragmented habitats, allowing species to migrate safely. ### Z - **Zoogeography**: The study of the distribution of animals, important for understanding patterns of biodiversity and extinction. --- ### Climate? Ecology is Science Climate: "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." **– Bob Dylan** 1. [Climate Change Decoded: The Ecological Crisis and the Dawn of a New Resilient Humanity](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-ecological-crisis-and-dawn-of-new.html) 2. [Climate Justice as a Form of Reparative Equity](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/11/climate-justice-as-form-of-reparative.html) 3. [Global Reparative Justice: Addressing colonialism, and systemic inequities on a planetary scale](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/11/global-reparative-justice-system.html) 4. [2020 Vision: Climate Justice and Reparative Equity for Historical and Ecological Injustice](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2020/11/radical-hope-2020-vision-for-climate.html) 5. [References, Reading, and Research Notes for McGill's Climate Justice as a Form of Reparative Equity](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/11/references-reading-and-research-notes.html) 6. [Evolving Governance: Planetary Leadership Beyond Elections and Toward Human Resilience](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/11/evolving-governance-planetary.html) 7. [Extinction: A Basic Working Vocabulary for Studying, Preventing, and Mitigating Extinction Risks](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2024/11/extinction-basic-working-vocabulary-for.html) 8. [Cheers to resilience...](https://bryantmcgill.blogspot.com/2020/12/cheers-to-resilience.html)

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