Humans have completely destabilized land animal diversity


Species living on land make up 85 percent to 95 percent of all biodiversity on Earth today. This is especially impressive when we consider that the continents cover only 30 percent of our planet’s surface area. And that most land species are descendants of a small number of pioneering groups that invaded the land about 400m years ago. Surprisingly, though, scientists strongly disagree about when land biodiversity reached modern levels. Is what we see today typical of the last several tens, or even hundreds, of millions of years? Or has diversity been increasing exponentially, with substantially more species alive today than ever…

This story continues at The Next Web


Go to Source