What is the biggest threat facing most species on the planet?

Question

My ecology professor put this question up to us and I'm not exactly sure what the answer is. I was thinking that it would be humans in general or possibly gloabal warming, but that would be caused by humans. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

There are different levels of specificity in this answer.

Most specifically: Habitat loss
Species need a particular range of habitats to survive. Take this away, the species must adapt. If it happens too fast- they die.

More generally: Global climate change - this has the ability to threaten the most species at once because it can change habitats globally- not only this, changing one part of the habitat- eg.. melting polar ice(there are many examples), has the potential for a cascade of environmental affects.

Most generally: Human Species: life wants to live and more importantly reproduce. Most reach a limit in their habitat, resources, etc. humans are too smart: medicine, technology innovation gives humans huge ability to expand into many habitats. Humans expand - resulting in
1. directly changing (and destroying) habitats, hogging resources, creating pollution.
2. indirectly by causing climate change.

Answer 2

I agree, Man is the biggest threat to the planet. Consumerism and wasteful management of natural resources has put the planet at risk for global warming, oil dependency, deforestation and poaching (to support consumer desires) all threatens eco-systems and displaces the natural species to that habitat.

Answer 3

the biggest probability to the worldwide at present is paranoia and stupidity. Brits purely have self belief what they're instructed to have self belief. by using fact worldwide warming makes great headlines, the media flog it consistently. Its little ask your self that Brits think of its a great difficulty. yet while they actually provide as much as think of approximately how lots the temperature has better throughout the final one hundred years, its bugger all. It seems massive by using fact its plotted on a graph with an exaggerated scale. yet once you plotted the substitute on a classic on an frequently happening basis temperature graph, you will possibly hardly ever observe it in any respect. Environmental attorneys see a great form of money to be created from litigation in the event that they might persuade sufficient people who worldwide warming is a actual probability. don't be a sucker for this rip-off.

Answer 4

Human caused pollution = Global Warming

is a huge threat likely to cause major species extinction in the next 100 years.

But we also cannot ignore the much more immediately devastating impacts of NUCLEAR WAR.

Most horrible invention ever = nuclear warhead. = really, really, bad idea.

Answer 5

well i would say humans as well. we continue to grow in population like a virus on this earth,thinking we are more important then we really are.even more important then the earth in general,(and other species included) ..mostly because we are spoiled with the highest intellectual capacity.and as far as global warming i believe coral up there on the amount of species it has and if ocean /sea temp level rises easily could kill many of them...but that's inevitable we only speed the process up.

Answer 6

Six billion people on the planet and growing, humans are competing for all sorts of land space. Already humans are encroaching on all corners of the planet that used to be backcountry and wilderness and now they are farmlands and condominium developments.
We may not be intentionally threatening wildlife, but we are doing it unintentionally. My bet is that within the 21st century most animals will be found in zoos.

Answer 7

Pollution.

Answer 8

man is the biggest threat

Answer 9

god and nature.

floods, earthquakes, tsunami, meteors, volcanoes will kill off certain species before global warming ever will.

Answer 10

Republicans... all other problems can be solved with common sense...