Historically there have been five mass extinctions according to fossil records. The last one was 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs population disappeared. The New York Times reported that we have 20,000 species of animals and plants that are at a high risk for extinction. If these species were to become extinct in the next century and we continued to lose species at that rate, 75% of all species could be lost. This would result in a sixth mass extinction.
Species are very interdependent on each other. Ecosystems consist of many species and their interactions with each other. Pollination, air quality, climate, and soil fertility are the result of the interactions of species. As we lose species we become even more dependent on the remaining ones to help maintain ecosystems.
Read more at: Are We in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction? – NYTimes.com.
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