(ORDO NEWS) — The scientists said that sharply increased rates of extinction of species and the decline in the number of many animal and plant populations are well documented.
Therefore, it cannot be denied that the sixth mass extinction, which was predicted for a long time, has already begun.
The researchers noted that extinction deniers focus on mammals and birds and ignore invertebrates, which, of course, make up the vast majority of biodiversity.
In a new study, the authors try to refute extinction deniers by focusing on the extinction of invertebrates.
Scientists say that since 1500 AD, about 1.5% of mammal and bird species have become extinct, which is not far from the “background” rate of extinction.
But if we turn our attention to invertebrates, the figure becomes much more dramatic. Interestingly, invertebrates account for the vast majority of known animal species (up to 97% by some estimates).
Researchers suggest that between 7.5 and 13% of all known plant and animal species on Earth may have become extinct since 1500 AD.
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