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> More species means greater potential for adaptation as ecosystems shift Of course, somewhat paradoxically, these species disappearing is an adaptation to shi
by BurningFrog 3y ago
> More species means greater potential for adaptation as ecosystems shift
Of course, somewhat paradoxically, these species disappearing is an adaptation to shifting ecosystems.
What's happening now is that ecosystems are globalizing. An ecological niche that was filled by 30 local species before modernity, is now being mixed up and whichever species is "best" may fill that niche everywhere.
So if my local frog species disappears, it's probably replaced by more hardworking immigrant frogs. This can be very disruptive and have negative consequences in many ways. But it doesn't mean animal life disappears. It changes.
- steve_adams_86 3y agoArguably it has been disappearing; there is less animal biomass in most of the world than there was since we began keeping record.
- BurningFrog 3y agoThis is true, though I think of it as a separate problem. One big thing is that on land we converted from hunting and gathering the commons to farming private land thousands of years ago. In the oceans we're still doing it, and modern technology is devastatingly effective at it.