Posted on 06/09/2014 4:13:04 AM PDT by Paul46360
"A new study led by Jens-Christian Svenning of Aarhus University has strongly suggested that humans are squarely responsible for the disappearance of megafauna during the last 100,000 years. The results have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B."
(Excerpt) Read more at rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org ...
Baby, that’s real science, not a jackass braying.
Reading is your friend.
;-)
what is the “abuse button”??
“Couple that with the climate changes—large body mass makes dissipating heat difficult—and they could not survive.”
Considering that these animals had survived numerous glacial periods prior to the anthropogenic predation period, arguably, heat stress would not be an extinction factor.
When I was studying Quaternary Geology, this was the fashionable theory, based primarily on human migration patterns as they were known at the time and the disappearance of large species. It’s a difficult case to make.
“Specifically, it was white males that did it.”
More specifically, it was white, Christian males that did it.
“Specifically, it was white males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian males that did it.”
More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative males that did it.
“Specifically, it was white males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative males that did it.”
More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative, Republican males that did it.
“Specifically, it was white males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative, Republican males that did it.”
More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative, Republican, Tea Party males that did it.
“More specifically, it was white, Christian males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative males that did it.”
“More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative, Republican males that did it.”
"More specifically, it was white, Christian, conservative, Republican, Tea Party males that did it."
George Bush did it.
The fact is that humans have driven many species to extinction. Its not shame at being human its just what it is. More often than not they’ve been specialized populations or limited populations. Think Dodo birds, the Great Auk, Irish elk, or passenger pigeons. Hunting pressure, loss of habitat, introduction of predators, all take their toll.
On the other hand, we’ve brought some species back from the brink of extinction that were likely dying out all by themselves. The California condor doesn’t appear to have ever existed in any great numbers and would likely go extinct within a few decades if it weren’t for deliberate human intervention.
Other species like the Kirtland warbler have been brought back from the brink because of humans doing what humans do. In the 50s there were only a couple dozen breeding pairs that existed in a couple dozen square miles of northern Michigan. Today they’re found across the northern 3rd of the lower peninsula, across much of the upper peninsula and into northern Wisconsin. They rebounded because of things like logging, clearing of land for oil and gas exploration, forest fires both natural and controlled. They won’t nest anywhere but in new growth jack pines of a particular size.
We nearly wiped out the buffalo but I suspect the indians would have done the same given enough time. Running whole herds off of cliffs was a particularly wasteful means of hunting.
As far as the megafauna are concerned, my guess is that the naturally changing climate did the most damage and wiped out the most species. Humans appearing on the scene probably did finish off a few species. Its also important to note that new species arrived at the same time as humans and would have damage of their own.
I would assume the changing climate would have been the single biggest killer. Humans probably took a toll but a changing climate was inescapable.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc!
The receding ice shelf and the changing environment that accompanied it has long been the conventional wisdom for mega fauna extinctions. The low population numbers for humans, especially in the Western Hemisphere has always made human caused extinction difficult to explain.
I suspect that other animals crossing the Bering land bridge were carrying new diseases as well. There were lots of factors but climate just couldn’t be avoided anywhere.
Why was the extinction so universal? It happened in places where humans did not live.
And the cave man species Georgius Bushmalion.
This study is ABSOLUTE PROOF of one thing- If you are willing to spout liberal dumb-assery you can get government grants.
That guy is still getting blamed to this day!
see they aren’t extinct at all....problem solved
“We the top of the food chain mother@#$%@#!”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.