Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?
Nature
; 471(7336): 51-7, 2011 Mar 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21368823
ABSTRACT
Palaeontologists characterize mass extinctions as times when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short interval, as has happened only five times in the past 540 million years or so. Biologists now suggest that a sixth mass extinction may be under way, given the known species losses over the past few centuries and millennia. Here we review how differences between fossil and modern data and the addition of recently available palaeontological information influence our understanding of the current extinction crisis. Our results confirm that current extinction rates are higher than would be expected from the fossil record, highlighting the need for effective conservation measures.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Espécies em Perigo de Extinção
/
Biodiversidade
/
Extinção Biológica
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article