Research news on Extinction

Extinction as a research area encompasses the quantitative and theoretical study of processes leading to the disappearance of species, populations, or lineages, integrating ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, and paleobiology. It investigates drivers such as habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation, invasive species, and stochastic demographic or genetic factors, often using statistical modeling, population viability analysis, phylogenetic methods, and fossil data. The field examines extinction dynamics across temporal and spatial scales, including background and mass extinction rates, extinction selectivity, and cascading ecosystem effects, with applications to biodiversity forecasting, conservation prioritization, and the design of management strategies to reduce extinction risk.