Is animal extinction a problem?

Answer

Yes. The extinction of animals causes problems in both the short and long term. Problems for nature and problems for humans. There are a number of ecological principles that show that extinction species are causing these problems. For starters, food webs are disrupted. If an apex predator becomes extinct, its prey will increase in numbers and eg all trees will be bare, so that all other animals in the ecosystem where those apex predators previously lived will no longer get food and almost all animals in this system will die. This is just an example. They can be replaced by a new ecosystem, but if animal or plant species become extinct, the general biodiversity/species richness decreases. With a decrease in biodiversity, the resistance of the ecosystem to a disturbance, such as a forest fire, a volcanic eruption, a meteor impact, the increase of CO2 in the air … also decreases, so that the ecosystem disappears after this disturbance. Extinct species again. If this continues to fall, we will eventually have no more crops or animals to eat. Special plants are also used, for example, for medicines. There are still many possible drugs that we have not yet discovered. Biodiversity is an invaluable wealth for the future.

And let’s face it, a world without life, or with only a few species, that would be sad.