Question

What has caused the reduction in numbers and/ or extinction of some plants and animals? Which factors have affected the survival of these organism.

Answer 1

Answer:

Scientists theorize that the next mass extinction on earth could occur as soon as 2050, according to National Geographic News. Plant and animal species become extinct for different reasons, both natural and man-made. The loss of animal and plant life has negative implications for the survival of the human race. Because of this, it's important to understand what causes plant and animal extinction.

Habitat Loss

Deforestation is causing habitat loss.

Deforestation and urbanization combine to create two reasons why plants and animals become extinct. Deforestation is leveling forests to harvest the wood or create space for building or agriculture, while urbanization is the turning of once-rural areas into cities. As the human population grows, more and more land has to be cleared and urbanized for living space. This shrinks habitat for animals and plants. Each year, 36 million acres of natural forest is leveled, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The forest provides habitat for 80 percent of the world's species, the group reports.

Global Warming

Global warming is the ongoing increase in the Earth's atmospheric and ocean temperatures due to the greenhouse effect.

Global warming is the ongoing increase in the Earth's atmospheric and ocean temperatures created by the greenhouse effect; a temperature increase of even 1 degree can affect plant and animal life. The report cited by National Geographic News looked at 25 biodiverse areas around the world, such as the Caribbean Basin and the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, and concluded that current carbon dioxide amounts eventually will double in the areas studied. This could lead to the extinction of 56,000 plant species and 3,700 animal species in those areas alone, the study found.

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