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.
Human activity may be triggering the greatest extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, according to scientists. Their study, based on a review of decades of research on environmental change, ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 16, 2025
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182
The slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) has been officially declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Plants & Animals
Oct 14, 2025
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60
Arctic seals are being pushed closer to extinction by climate change and more than half of bird species around the world are declining under pressure from deforestation and agricultural expansion, according to an annual assessment ...
Ecology
Oct 10, 2025
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30
On islands, many plants rely on animals such as birds, bats and reptiles to disperse their seeds and help them grow in new places. When native animals go extinct, this naturally reduces seed dispersal.
Plants & Animals
Oct 8, 2025
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144
Biodiversity in Canada has plunged 10% over the last half century, with hundreds of species facing extinction, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a report Monday.
Ecology
Sep 23, 2025
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32
A century ago, half a million rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. Today, just 27,000 remain.
Plants & Animals
Sep 22, 2025
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27
Dinosaurs had such an immense impact on Earth that their sudden extinction led to wide-scale changes in landscapes—including the shape of rivers—and these changes are reflected in the geologic record, according to a University ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 15, 2025
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227
Southern Cross University has successfully made the first-ever release of captively reared mountain frogs in a remote area of Gondwana Rainforest near the NSW/Qld border, in Australia.
Plants & Animals
Sep 10, 2025
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19
You are probably familiar with kangaroos. Wallabies too, and most likely quokkas as well.
Ecology
Sep 5, 2025
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31
A new species of a native bushland marsupial—closely related to the kangaroo—has been discovered but is already likely extinct, new research shows.
Ecology
Sep 4, 2025
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394
