[Nhcoll-l] vertebrate biodiversity losses point to sixth mass extinction

[malcolm McCallum]

Biodiversity and Conservation has released my paper "Vertebrate
biodiversity losses point to 6th mass extinction" today.  If you would like
a reprint, email me.

Abstract: The human race faces many global to local challenges in the near
future. Among these are massive biodiversity losses. The 2012 IUCN/SSC Red
List reported evaluations of *56 % of all vertebrates. This included 97 %
of amphibians, mammals, birds, cartilaginous fishes, and hagfishes. It also
contained evaluations of about 50 % of lampreys, about 38 % of reptiles,
and about 29 % of bony fishes. A cursory examination of extinction
magnitudes does not immediately reveal the severity of current biodiversity
losses because the extinctions we see today have happened in such a short
time compared to earlier events in the fossil record. So, we still must ask
how current losses of species
compare to losses in mass extinctions from the geological past. The most
recent and best understood mass extinction is the Cretaceous terminal
extinction which ends at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) border, 65 MYA.
This event had massive losses of biodiversity (*17 % of families, [50 % of
genera, and [70 % of species) and exterminated the dinosaurs. Extinction
estimates for non-dinosaurian vertebrates at the K–Pg boundary range from
36 to 43 %. However, there remains much uncertainty regarding the
completeness, preservation rates, and extinction magnitudes of the
different classes of vertebrates. Fuzzy arithmetic was used to compare
recent vertebrate extinction reported in the
2012 IUCN/SSC Red List with biodiversity losses at the end of K–Pg.
Comparisons followed 16 different approaches to data compilation and 288
separate calculations. I tabulated the number of extant and extinct species
(extinct ? extinct in the wild), extant island endemics, data deficient
species, and so-called impaired species [species with IUCN/

IT is availale online first via Springer at:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__link.springer.com_article_10.1007_s10531-2D015-2D0940-2D6&d=AwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=ytqA6dR2tHuBm7phb6rG8aKsW1ptWmuRUQqhiH5_Bvs&s=ZwZ7vECywgGTbxvHrjhKshxK9Cnu4JJdtEnznNn--Es&e= .

If you don't have access, just shoot me an email and I'll send you the pdf
of the 22 page manuscript + 68 pages of supplementals. :)

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Department of Environmental Studies
Green Mountain College

Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology



"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan
Nation

1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea"  W.S. Gilbert
1990's:  Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
            and pollution.
2000:  Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
          MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!

The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi)
Wealth w/o work
Pleasure w/o conscience
Knowledge w/o character
Commerce w/o morality
Science w/o humanity
Worship w/o sacrifice
Politics w/o principle

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