Thursday 14 December 2017

Gone Before We Even Knew They Existed?


There is an interesting account, suggesting that the major extinction event triggered by we humans (in the 'Anthropocene'), greatly underestimates the losses of insect and other invertebrate species (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/14/a-different-dimension-of-loss-great-insect-die-off-sixth-extinction). It is pointed out that the 'cuddlies' (basically mammals and birds) are well documented (new species of these are quite rare) so we can be pretty certain when an extinction event has occurred. The invertebrates (insects, worms et cetera) are, however, much less obvious (in deed many species may become extinct before they are documented), so their actual rate of extinction is difficult to determine. It is likely to be worse than we think.

No comments:

A Chilling Suggestion From BORIS

'BORIS' is the acronym for the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register. Academics, from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute...