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Research draft

extinction

vr.tr.extinction · XCT.STA

Let an agent explain extinction and its causes, report conservation status from authoritative sources, describe mass extinctions, and support conservation action without alarmism or dismissal.

Thing Registry Cross-cutting context

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain extinction and its causes, report conservation status from authoritative sources, describe mass extinctions, and support conservation action without alarmism or dismissal.

The dying out of a species, subspecies or population so that no living members remain, either globally or locally, occurring through natural processes and, at accelerated rates, through human activity; mass extinction events have punctuated Earth history, and current biodiversity loss is assessed by bodies such as the IUCN and IPBES.

What it is for: Understanding biodiversity loss and conservation.

It can be check whether a species is extinct or threatened; explain causes of extinction; describe mass extinction events; find conservation actions and organisations.

Distinguishing features

No living members remain

Global or local

Natural and human-driven

Assessed by authorities

What it looks like

Not physical; the absence of a species, documented in records.

How it is recognised

Declared by conservation bodies after searches

Local extinction differs from global

Extinct in the wild means survival only in captivity

Related models

is a kind of - category

biological risk

is assessed by - authority

IUCN Red List

is related to - threatened species

Carnivora

is related to - ecosystem base

algae

In practice

Families and kinds

global extinction

local extinction and extirpation

extinction in the wild

mass extinction events

functional extinction

Standards and regulation

IUCN Red List categories and criteria

Convention on Biological Diversity

CITES

Failure modes and hazards

Premature declarations of extinction

Alarmist or dismissive framing

Confusing local and global extinction

Also called

locally extinct speciesbiodiversity lossDoomsday eventextinction eventmale extinctionspecies eradicationevolutionary suicideexterminationeradication of infectious diseasesextinction of AmmonoideaNeanderthal extinctiondecline in wild mammal populationsdecline in amphibian populationsdefaunationEffect of climate change on plant biodiversitydecline in insect populationspollinator declineBig five mass extinctionTithonian extinctionbird extinctionplanetcidePoliomyelitis eradication

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Also registered as vr.tr.extinction-act

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Status Is it extinct.

Authorities decide.

Check

Conservation status.

Check

Conservation status.

  1. What is the status of this species, according to the IUCN Red List? provenance
  2. When was it last recorded? provenance

Scope

Global or local.

Scope

Scope.

  1. Is the extinction global, local or in the wild only? boundary
  2. Are there captive populations? provenance
Causes Why species die out.

Causes are known.

Drivers

Main drivers.

Drivers

Drivers.

  1. What drove this species decline, according to assessments? provenance
  2. Which drivers dominate globally, according to IPBES? provenance

Rates

Extinction rates.

Rates

Rates.

  1. How do current extinction rates compare with background rates, according to research? measurement
  2. How uncertain are the estimates? boundary
History Mass extinctions.

Earth history.

Events

The big five.

Events

Mass extinction events.

  1. What were the major mass extinction events and their causes, according to geologists? provenance
  2. Is a sixth mass extinction under way, and who argues so? provenance

Recovery

After extinction.

Recovery

Recovery.

  1. How did life recover after past mass extinctions? provenance
  2. Over what timescales? measurement
Act Conservation.

Action helps.

Actions

What helps.

Actions

Actions.

  1. Which conservation actions have prevented extinctions, according to evidence? provenance
  2. How can individuals contribute? action

Debates

De-extinction and priorities.

Debates

Debates.

  1. What are the arguments about de-extinction and conservation priorities, attributed to their proponents? provenance
  2. Is the description balanced? boundary

What the second pass must settle

  • Should mass extinctions be separate entries?
  • How should Red List data be linked?
  • How should de-extinction debates be attributed?