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Air Pollution: effects on wild animals (2012) Retrieved https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/air-pollution/quality-environment-economy/ecosystem/wild-animals.html

Attard, M. (2013) Why Did the Tasmanian Tiger Go Extinct. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/why-did-the-tasmanian-tiger-go-extinct-11324

Direct and Indirect Loss of Natural Habitat Due to Built-up Area Expansion: A Model Based Analysis for the City of Wuhan China. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S0264837716314028

Gittleman, J. (2022) Extinction. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/science/extinction-biology

How do Humans Affect Biodiversity (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/biodiversity/human-impact-on-biodiversity/

Human Actions and the Sixth Mass Extinction (2021) Retrieved from: https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_Introductory_Biology_(CK-12)/06%3A_Ecology/6.26%3A_Human_Actions_and_the_Sixth_Mass_Extinction

National Museum Australia (2022) Extinction of Thylacine. Retrieved from: https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine

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Great auks were completely vulnerable and were killed by voracious hunters for food and as bait, especially in the early 1800s. Huge numbers were taken by sailors, who frequently drove the birds up planks and killed them while they were being loaded into a ship's hold.

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The Portuguese sailors who first encountered them around 1507 were undaunted by the birds' lack of natural predators. As a convenient source of fresh meat for their trips, these sailors and those who followed them soon devastated the dodo population. Rats, pigs, and monkeys were then introduced to the island, which was disastrous for the stranded birds because the mammals ate their flimsy eggs. In 1681, the final dodo was exterminated.

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Passenger Pigeon - Ectopistes Migratorius

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Passenger Pigeon - Ectopistes Migratorius

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These gregarious birds, which resembled the mourning dove in appearance, originally populated eastern North America in vast numbers. Millions of passenger pigeons were killed every year for their meat and brought by rail carloads for sale in city markets as American settlers pushed westward. In a single breeding season, hunters would frequently raid their nesting locations and wipe off entire colonies.

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Due to deforestation, loss of habitat, overhunting, carbon emissions, global warming, and other anthropogenic impacts, ecologists estimate that the current extinction rate is 1,000–10,000 times the background extinction rate (between one and five species per year) and that by the middle of the 21st century, between 30 and 50 percent of extant species will have vanished. Consequently, the rate of extinction today is 1,000 times greater than the background rate of extinction, and the rate of extinction in the future is predicted to be 10,000 times greater.

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Comparison of modern extinction rates with natural (background) rates

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Comparison of modern extinction rates with natural (background) rates

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List three species that have become extinct due to human activities and the causes of those extinctions. 

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List three species that have become extinct due to human activities and the causes of those extinctions. 

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There are two aspects that all possible causes have in common: they rapidly alter the ecology, surface, atmosphere, and oceans of the Earth as well as its key systems. In general, extreme temperature fluctuations, rising or dropping of sea levels, and catastrophic, singular events like a massive volcano erupting or an asteroid striking Earth were the main causes of previous mass extinctions. We are aware of them because the fossil record shows how life has evolved.

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A mass extinction event occurs when species vanish and disappear far more quickly than they reproduce. This is typically understood as the loss of around 75% of all species over a "short" period of geological time or fewer than 2.8 million years.

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This is referred to as a human-caused reduction or forest clearing. One of the main issues with land surface use is deforestation where the extent of forests removed for human use, including the removal of trees for wood products, farmlands, and pasture grounds, is the foundation for projections of deforestation generally.

Through this act, the source of food, shelter, and habitat is reduced when trees and other types of vegetation are lost. Wildlife habitats become broken, forcing native species to survive on isolated islands of habitat in an area that has been disturbed for agricultural purposes and other uses. Abuse and exploitation, looting, wind, radiation, exotic plant and animal species overtaking residual forest habitat, and other variables including direct exposure to environmental catastrophes that were not as significant of a concern before the deforestation event all contribute to increased danger.

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As a result of the excessive use of burning of fossil fuels, this increased the Earth’s ocean and air temperature which also increased the sea levels threatening many species. The Earth has warmed by around 1.1°C (2°F) since the 1800s. By the end of the century, global temperatures are predicted to increase by 2.7°C (4.8°F). It is impossible to foresee precisely how our planet's delicate, intricately intertwined ecosystems will be impacted by long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns. Animals will be affected when changes in one area have an impact on changes in other regions. The confluence of problems could lead to the extinction of many species of animals. The biggest threats will likely be to the most defenseless creatures on the planet, including those who are already on the verge of extinction.

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Characteristics of past Mass Extinctions

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Characteristics of past Mass Extinctions

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Describe five kinds of human activities that result in species extinctions. 

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Describe five kinds of human activities that result in species extinctions. 

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Mankind has continually utilized land, water, and air resources as drains for the garbage we produce. Due to this disposal and treatment, most wastes are not effectively processed, resulting in pollution. Rising greenhouse gas emissions have already started to change the global climate. The majority of ecologists, conservation biologists, and climate scientists are concerned that species extinctions will be significantly accelerated by climate change.

Wildlife can be poisoned by air contaminants via disruption of endocrine function, organ damage, increased susceptibility to stresses and illnesses, decreased reproductive success, and even death. The health and richness of dependent species can be significantly influenced by changes in the population size of any species due to air pollution. 

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2. Conversion of wetlands and forests to croplands and urban areas

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2. Conversion of wetlands and forests to croplands and urban areas

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Conversion of forests and wetlands for agriculture and/or urban development involves removing natural forests to meet other land needs, such as plantations, agriculture, pasture for cattle settlements and mining. This process is usually irreversible. Moreover, forest conversion comes with habitat loss. The conversion of lands that once provided wildlife habitat to housing developments, roads, office parks, strip malls, parking lots and industrial sites continues, even during the current economic crisis. In addition to that, much of the habitat loss from agriculture was done long ago when settlers converted forests and prairies to cropland. Today, there is increasing pressure to redevelop conservation lands for high-priced food and biofuel crops.

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Overhunting could simply be referred to as overexploitation of natural resources. This is a crime against the ecosystem that needs to be stopped right away. This planet's ability to support life as we know it is also under danger, not only the survival of the fauna.

The urge to hunt for survival has risen tremendously throughout time due to the population's constant growth. While excessive hunting carried out just to meet human desires may be stopped, it is still very much alive and well. The damage that overhunting has done to the environment—from species extinction to endangerment—is so great that it must be stopped at all costs.

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Tasmanian tigers had no choice but to find new habitats but due to deforestation and the destruction of their habitats by humans, it became hard for them to adapt to every location, moreover, as humans destroyed their habitat it also meant hunting and killing the Tasmanian tigers along the way. Nonetheless, bounties to kill Tasmanian tigers were launched during the 1830s because many thought they were a threat to the livestock business and caused a decrease in the number of livestock in farms and barns. Lastly, evolving diseases like mange greatly contributed to the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger.

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During the 1830s land areas were still raw and home to many species but because of human activities and the increase in population, these land areas that are home to many species like the Tasmanian tiger were occupied by humans for their personal use. Moreover, it was used for business, agriculture, and community expansion. Furthermore, because the land that was once home to Tasmanian tigers was now home to humans, they started to either migrate to other locations or adapt to humans. However, due to its fierce personality, it became the scapegoat for the decrease in the number of livestock on farms. Without proper investigation, farmers and hunters blamed the Tasmanian tiger which eventually led to the hunting and killing of Tasmanian tigers.

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 Possible actions that may have prevented the extinction 

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 Possible actions that may have prevented the extinction 

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Moreover, they hunted kangaroos, sheep, and wallabies, though little is known about these creatures' diets. The Encyclopedia Britannica claims that these animals were capable of opening their lips nearly 90 degrees. The Tasmanian tiger's weak jaw, according to a study published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Zoology, would have prevented it from killing huge animals it resulting in they would have pursued small marsupials

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Despite appearing to be deadly, Tasmanian tigers were actually relatively shy and could be caught without the need for a struggle. According to the Australian government, they frequently passed quite suddenly, possibly from shock. According to research, Tasmanian tigers mostly hunted at night and used fragrance to identify their victims. They either hunted alone or in pairs. According to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, they were generally peaceful animals but while hunting, they would bark like a tiny dog.

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Based on various studies and research, they described their habitat in the following:

Habitat Regions: Temperate terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: Savanna or grassland rainforest scrub forest

Wetlands: marsh

Other Habitat Features: Suburban agricultural riparian

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An old tale that has been told for thousands of years has only just reached its conclusion with the extinction of Tasmanian tigers. Tasmanian tigers originally roamed the Australian continent and possibly Papua New Guinea, but they were recently confined to the island of Tasmania. The extinction of Tasmanian tigers in those regions is thought to have been caused by mankind and dingoes hunting and slaughtering them. Tasmania, however, became the last resort for the Tasmanian tiger and its close relative, the Tasmanian devil, because it had few inhabitants and no dingoes. In fact, it was thought that there were no longer more than 5,000 Tasmanian tigers by the time white settlers first came to Tasmania in the 1800s.

White settlers' arrival in Tasmania signaled the start of the Tasmanian tigers' extinction. Because they were accustomed to Western wolves and coyotes, they believed Tasmanian tigers would be equally as ferocious predators of cattle. This led them to bring enormous quantities of livestock with them. However, most people now think that the numbers were considerably inflated. Tasmanian tigers did destroy some sheep, after all. In order to allay these worries, the Tasmanian government established a system of bounties, which it finally used to pay out more than 2,180. Dogs were brought to Australia by the settlers. By spreading new diseases and engaging in direct competition, dogs most certainly contributed to the loss of Tasmanian tigers. Even before the wild population of Tasmanian tigers vanished into thin air, there were tales of a distemper-like illness that was killing off a lot of them.

Benjamin, a Tasmanian tiger kept in a zoo in its native Tasmania, turned out to be the last surviving live species. By the time Benjamin arrived at the zoo, the Tasmanian government had finally realized the need for tiger protection and passed legislation. The last Tasmanian tiger perished from exposure just 59 days after the law was enacted because a careless zookeeper locked Benjamin out of his protected area on a chilly night.

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Tasmanian tigers were the largest marsupial carnivore and were at the top of the food chain. With this position in mind, Tasmanian tigers would keep other prey populations within reasonable limits. Regarding their habitat, the preferred habitat of Tasmanian tigers was never thoroughly described, remains have been collected throughout Australasian coastal regions.

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It is estimated there were around 5,000 thylacines in Tasmania at the time of European settlement. However, excessive hunting, combined with factors such as habitat destruction and introduced disease, led to the rapid extinction of the species.

Reference

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On 7 September 1936 only two months after the species was granted protected status, 'Benjamin', the last known thylacine, died from exposure at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart.

The Thylacine appears to have vanished as a consequence of the interaction with the Dingo and possibly hunting stress from humans, while the exact causes of the Thylacine's disappearance from continental Australia remain unknown. On the Australian continent, thylacine went extinct at least 2000 years ago.

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The species were found exclusively in Tasmania when Europeans arrived in Australia in the late 1700s. Tasmanian tigers were formerly discovered in open forests, wetlands, and meadows throughout Australia. Tasmanian tigers were only known to exist on the island of Tasmania off the southern tip of Australia by the time the first European settlers arrived in Australia in 1788.  The Tasmanian tiger, however, retreated even further into Tasmania's south-eastern woods as a result of European colonization.

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The Thylacinus cynocephalus, an Australian marsupial carnivore, had distinct dark brown stripes across its back and resembled a short-haired wolf or dog. Early European settlers labeled it a Tasmanian tiger because of its striped pattern, identical to a tiger's. It is likewise characterized as a Tasmanian wolf.

By the time the first European explorers arrived, the animal was already extinct in mainland Australia and New Guinea, and rare in Tasmania. Europeans may have encountered it in Tasmania as far back as 1642, when Abel Tasman first arrived in Tasmania.

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Thylacinus cynocephalus