Since death is something that happens when anything lives, dont you think extinction is an integral component?

Question

Why do people believe saving species is important?

Answer 1

yes, species go extinct without help from us humans when they become too specialized. Species where dieing out long before we evolved into a threat even without natural disasters like volcano's and meteor impacts.

Answer 2

You are right...death of an individual is an important part of the food web and the circle of life (cue Disney music here.)

The problem occurs in extinction when an entire species dies. Most food webs are more delicate that humans want to think. We as homo Sapien...we'll pretty much eat anything, but not all creatures are so unpicky. If one particular kind of insect goes extinct, it might be the major food source of a certain kind of bird....and that bird has to find something else to eat. When it changes it's feeding habits, it could cause the extinction of another kind of insect, putting another kind of bird at risk. And then we have to think "What was that insect eating?" If the now extinct insect was feeding on a certain kind of plant, that plant is now growing unchecked. When that happens, you could clog waterways, which put a whole ecosystem into trouble....see how just one tiny species can bring down an entire food web?

Look what happened when the dinosaurs died off. A bunch of grubby little mammals became the dominant life form on earth...and here we are.

Answer 3

While it's true that extinction is a part of the way evolution works, evolution has also been about finding a natural, sustainable balance in the biosphere and ecosystem. These days, man's effect on nature has put many species in risk of extinction not because of the natural workings of the balancing effects of evolution, but because of artificial, unbalancing impacts on that same system. So saving species is trying to artificially undo some of that, and try to keep things from going so far in one direction that the rebalancing effects of nature and evolution aren't irreparably damaged.

Answer 4

No, because births prevent extinction except in the cases where the humans go in with their destruction and cause a species to become extinct.

Answer 5

Because pandas are just soooo CUTE!!! No-one wants them to die out, but frankly I think they've got it coming, they've become far too specialised and are unable to adapt.

Answer 6

You may be reasoning from a false premise.... that death is inevitable.