In ecology and conservation biology, extinction and extirpation are distinct but related processes describing biodiversity loss at different spatial scales. Extinction denotes the complete and irreversible disappearance of a species, subspecies, or other taxon from the entire planet, eliminating its genetic lineage and ecological functions globally. Extirpation, by contrast, refers to the local or regional disappearance of a taxon from a specific area while it persists elsewhere within its range. These processes are quantified using demographic, distributional, and phylogenetic data, and are central topics in assessing population viability, metapopulation dynamics, habitat fragmentation effects, and the design of conservation and reintroduction strategies.
Brush-tailed rock-wallaby populations have dwindled for more than a century due to historical hunting for the European fur trade and competition and predation from introduced species. New research shows terrain complexity ...
Plants & Animals
May 11, 2026
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On the strictly protected island of Golem Grad in North Macedonia, the tortoises are destroying their own population. During prolonged courtship, aggressive males are exhausting the females and frequently pushing them off ...
Plants & Animals
May 10, 2026
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In a new study published in the journal Science, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and their international collaborators including Boise State University present the first ...
Evolution
May 8, 2026
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In 2024, the Western Australian Museum received a donation. It was a koala skull collected from Moondyne Cave in Margaret River by Lindsay Hatcher, an avid caver. There was something a bit odd about this skull, and we were ...
Paleontology & Fossils
May 6, 2026
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Between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, many of the world's largest mammals disappeared. Picture creatures like saber-toothed cats with 7-inch fangs and elephant-sized sloths. Woolly mammoths whose curved tusks grew longer than ...
Ecology
Apr 27, 2026
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283
In the novel "When There Are Wolves Again" by E.J. Swift, the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy is extrapolated to a near future where natural habitats are depleted and precarious.
Ecology
Apr 25, 2026
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362
The emperor penguin has been declared an endangered species as climate change pushes the icon of Antarctica a step closer to extinction, the global authority on threatened wildlife announced on Thursday.
Plants & Animals
Apr 9, 2026
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19
Some 39 Australian mammals have gone extinct since Australia was colonized in 1788.
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
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Are box turtles in worse shape than herpetologists thought? University of Toledo researchers raise the question in new research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2026
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29
Many large herbivores that once roamed modern-day Panama have declined or died out—including the 6-meter-long giant ground sloth and elephant-related creatures called Cuvieronius. New research suggests that introducing large ...
Ecology
Mar 3, 2026
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