Extinction

Question 1

What are the types of extinction?

Answer 1

True extinction (aka numerical): termination of a lineage

Phyletic extinction: an organism that lived in the past and no longer exists but has at least one living descendent

Functional extinction: not enough individuals left to carry out functional roles (eg. ecosystem services, reproduction etc.)

Question 2

Why do species go extinct?

Answer 2

• major cataclysms (eg. natural disaster)
• habitat destruction/fragmentation
• environmental/climate changes
• ecosystem/trophic change (eg. new consumer/competitor)
• co-extinction