ppt课件-diversificationofdioeciosangiosperms- universityof calgary（diversificationofdioeciosangiosperms -卡尔加里大学）.pptVIP

Evolution and Extinction Evolution and Extinction Extinction mechanisms Human-induced Extinction How many species can we lose? Evolution and Extinction Extinction mechanisms Human-induced Extinction How many species can we lose? Extinction mechanisms The signature of two very different extinction mechanisms appears evident in the fossil record: Background extinction Mass extinction Cause of Background extinction the result of biotic interactions (ecological and evolutionary), gradually changing climates and landscapes and, in the case of small populations, chance Like the death of individuals, extinction is a natural part of lifes ebb and flow Population fluctuations Extinction within a region following a perturbation, rate at which species form increases, then levels off or even decreases as all of the ecological niches become filled At the same time, extinction rates continue to rise as species are forced into ever more narrow ways of life system reaches equilibrium number of species Extinction within a region Magnitude of Background Extinction 99% of all species that have ever existed on the Earth are now gone Scientists have found that the normal species extinction rate on a geological time scale is one species every 10,000 years Based on the fossil record, most species exist for 4-22 million years Main Mass Extinction Events many fish species became extinct near the beginning of the Devonian period (409 mya) 90% of marine species and several terrestrial organisms became extinct at the end of the Permian period (245 mya) end of Cretaceous era (65 mya), when dinosaurs went extinct Pleistocene (1.8 mya) many grazing animals went extinct (as well as the sabre-toothed cats, woolly mammoth) Causes of Mass Extinctions Climate: Changes in the climate always results in changes in the biota e.g., Pleistocene glaciation (1.8 mya) resulted in significant extinction of grazing animals in North America and Eurasia, but not in Africa and portions of South