Life on Earth as we know it is a result of millions of years of evolutionary processes. These processes are not immune to changes in the environment; changes in evolutionary processes will ultimately result in changes in biodiversity, which will necessarily affect life on Earth, including humans.
Go to the website www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/myers_knoll.html and read the article on the effects of the sixth mass extinction on evolution.
Evaluate the website and work with the information to answer the following questions:
Is this a reliable information source? Does it have a clear and transparent agenda?
Who runs this website? Does this person’s/group’s credentials make this source reliable/unreliable? Explain.
Who are the authors? What are their credentials? Do they have the scientific background and expertise that lends credibility to the article?
In your own words, explain why the authors think that the current mass extinction will change evolutionary processes.
What changes in particular do they think will impact future evolution?
What types of evidence do they provide to support their arguments? Give specific examples.
The sixth mass extinction is the result of human activities. Read “The First Human Caused Extinction: The Dodo” (http://catherineowen.suite101.com/the-first-human-caused-extinction-the-dodo-a85161).
Why did the dodo go extinct? Be specific—there are direct and indirect consequences discussed in the article.
On Mauritius, what happened as a consequence of the dodo’s extinction?
Do you think humans today could have a similar impact on a species? Consider both direct and indirect human impacts. Which types of species might be vulnerable? Find an example on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “Species of the Day” website (www.iucnredlist.org/species-of-the-day/archives).