AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Habitat loss due to deforestation, agricultural practices and urbanization is the leading cause of extinction across the world.

Detailed explanation-2: -Causes of Extinction The single biggest cause of extinction today is habitat loss. Agriculture, forestry, mining, and urbanization have disturbed or destroyed more than half of Earth’s land area.

Detailed explanation-3: -When a habitat is destroyed, the plants, animals and other organisms that occupy the habitat have reduced their carrying capacity or ability to survive, to the point that populations decline and become extinct.

Detailed explanation-4: -Today, change is so fast, many of our larger animals simply don’t have time to adapt. Scientists at Southampton University say a combination of poaching, habitat loss, pollution and climate change will cause more than 1, 000 larger species of mammals and birds to become extinct over the next century.

Detailed explanation-5: -Habitat loss affects not only biodiversity but also impacts humans directly by decreasing production of ecosystem goods and services such as pollination (Potts et al., 2010; Ricketts et al., 2008), soil and water management (Bruijnzeel, 2004), and carbon storage (Fargione et al., 2008).