Extinction vs accuracy

Michael Gochfeld gochfeld at eohsi.rutgers.edu
Tue Jan 16 08:03:33 EST 2001


Ken's dictionary searching was really interesting.
 
Clearly the IUCN and some other definitions are "operational" in attempting to
allow terms to be used in decision making of one sort or another.  I imagine
that the 50 year rule might have different implications for elephants vs
springtails.
 
But what impressed me most about the two definitions in the ECO dictionary is
that NEITHER refers to the totality of "extinction is forever" which the lay
public ascribes to the term.
 
I bet the author believes that dinosaurs never really went extinct because
there are still living descendants.
 
Mike Gochfeld
 
Kenelm Philip wrote:
 
> Out of curiosity, I looked up 'extinction' and 'extirpation' in
> 'A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics' by Lincoln, Boxshall,
> and Clark, 2nd edition, 1998, Cambridge U.P.--a most useful reference.
>
> "extinction  1: The process of elimination, as of less fit genotypes. 2:
> The disappearance of a species or taxon from a given habitat or biota, not
> precluding later recolonization from elsewhere.
>
> extirpation  1: Surgical removal of a part; destroying totally; pulling
> up by the roots. 2: Extermination of the population of a given species
> from an area."
>
> I see little difference between 'extinction 2' and 'extirpation 2'.
>
>         More to the point, however, might be the following entries:
>
> "extinct (Ex)  In the IUCN Categories q.v. of threatened species. those
> taxa that have not been definitely located in the wild during the past
> 50 years.
>
> extinct (EX)  In the proposed IUCN Criteria q.v. for threatened species,
> a taxon is categorized as extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that
> the last individual of that taxon has died.
>
> extinct in the wild (EW)  In the proposed IUCN Criteria q.v. for threatened
> species, a taxon is categorized as extinct in the wild when it is known to
> survive only in cultivation, in captivity, or as naturalized populations
> outside the former range."
>
>                                                         Ken Philip
> fnkwp at uaf.edu
>
>
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