1. Joined
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    28 May '19 00:55
    We are ignoring the gains that balance the losses.

    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/is-the-modern-mass-extinction-overrated?utm_source=pocket-newtab
  2. Joined
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    28 May '19 06:193 edits
    The title you given to this thread of;
    "What Modern Mass Extinction?"
    doesn't make sense because nobody denies there is a modern mass extinction and notice even your link, if you read it, doesn't deny it but rather, rightly or wrongly, merely claims it is "overrated".
    A much better title you could have given this thread would be;
    "Modern Mass Extinction Overrated?"
    In fact, even if you only read the title of your link which was;
    "Is the Modern Mass Extinction Overrated?"
    You should have noticed even this title alone implies there IS a modern mass extinction.
  3. Joined
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    28 May '19 09:496 edits
    Actually, now I think about it, any answer to the question posed by OP link of;
    "Is the Modern Mass Extinction Overrated?"
    would be SO subjective as to render the question almost meaningless;
    'Overrated' by WHO exactly? Obviously different people will 'rate' it by very widely different degrees of severity; some think it would be 'severe' others 'moderate' and others 'trivial'.
    In exactly what way 'overrated'?
    How 'much' must it be 'rated' before you would define it as 'overrated' and how do you quantify that amount of 'rated'?

    Having said that, I can think of some extreme cases where I would say at least a tiny minority people have 'underrated' it (those that say it doesn't matter in the slightest because such a mass extinction has literally no effect; it DOES matter because it WILL have a measurable effect) and at least a tiny minority people have 'overrated' it (those that say it could credibly lead to the permanent collapse of whole ecosystems and even lead to our extinction; to at least me that is clearly just loony NONSENSE; it won't happen). The truth is somewhere between and I have no personal opinion on exactly where between.
  4. Joined
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    28 May '19 18:05
    @metal-brain said
    We are ignoring the gains that balance the losses.

    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/is-the-modern-mass-extinction-overrated?utm_source=pocket-newtab
    It's an interesting thought, although I'm not sure he's arguing that humans have caused a million speciation events to offset the loss of a million other species. But the loss of species introduces a void into ecosystems that could be filled by new speciation events at some point.

    Unfortunately what I've seen is all the ecosystem voids are being filled by squirrels and mosquitoes.

    As I said when I posted the other article, we have a quality-of-life obligation to prevent polar bear extinction, not to benefit polar bears but to benefit humans. The world would be a pretty boring place if all our zoos were just squirrels and pigeons.
  5. Subscribersonhouse
    Fast and Curious
    slatington, pa, usa
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    29 May '19 13:53
    @wildgrass said
    It's an interesting thought, although I'm not sure he's arguing that humans have caused a million speciation events to offset the loss of a million other species. But the loss of species introduces a void into ecosystems that could be filled by new speciation events at some point.

    Unfortunately what I've seen is all the ecosystem voids are being filled by squirrels and m ...[text shortened]... it humans. The world would be a pretty boring place if all our zoos were just squirrels and pigeons.
    And don't forget mosquito's......
  6. Joined
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    29 May '19 18:38
    @wildgrass said
    It's an interesting thought, although I'm not sure he's arguing that humans have caused a million speciation events to offset the loss of a million other species. But the loss of species introduces a void into ecosystems that could be filled by new speciation events at some point.

    Unfortunately what I've seen is all the ecosystem voids are being filled by squirrels and m ...[text shortened]... it humans. The world would be a pretty boring place if all our zoos were just squirrels and pigeons.
    Squirrels and mosquitoes? Pigeons?

    What is your source of information?
  7. Joined
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    29 May '19 19:34
    @metal-brain said
    Squirrels and mosquitoes? Pigeons?

    What is your source of information?
    Anecdotal mostly. They're everywhere. I heard somewhere a few years ago that mosquitoes were on the rise because DDT concentrations in soil is finally declining.
  8. Standard memberSoothfast
    0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,
    Planet Rain
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    04 Jun '19 22:58
    @wildgrass
    The collapse of bat populations is contributing to a rise in mosquitos
  9. Joined
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    05 Jun '19 03:23
    @wildgrass said
    Anecdotal mostly. They're everywhere. I heard somewhere a few years ago that mosquitoes were on the rise because DDT concentrations in soil is finally declining.
    So we need to apply more DDT? What the heck are you thinking?
  10. Joined
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    05 Jun '19 16:33
    @metal-brain said
    So we need to apply more DDT? What the heck are you thinking?
    I'm not following your logic. Why are we applying DDT?

    The guy in the interview admits that humans are causing many extinctions. He also says that this will create new niches to allow for speciation into those niches. Mostly what he talks about though is invasion of existing species into 'humanized' ecosystems. The hybridization effect of species invasion is real, but it is substantially less than the extinction effect. That's why I brought up pigeons and mosquitoes and squirrels. These species were already adapted as generalists and have thrived around humans. Their habitat is expanding with humans.
  11. Joined
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    05 Jun '19 17:06
    @wildgrass said
    I'm not following your logic. Why are we applying DDT?

    The guy in the interview admits that humans are causing many extinctions. He also says that this will create new niches to allow for speciation into those niches. Mostly what he talks about though is invasion of existing species into 'humanized' ecosystems. The hybridization effect of species invasion is real, but it ...[text shortened]... ready adapted as generalists and have thrived around humans. Their habitat is expanding with humans.
    Deer populations have benefited from man as well. There are always examples of that. I don't see your point. What does DDT have to do with what you were trying to say?
  12. Joined
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    05 Jun '19 18:15
    @Metal-Brain

    you can read the comment above. it relates to the interviewees comments about human-influenced changes in species distribution.
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