I also think the scientists are missing the big picture if they think that ecosystems should exist in some sort of stasis; the big message of evolution is, given enough time, virtually all ecosystems are dynamic, and will become disturbed (whether by natural or man-made reasons) and some species will go extinct as a result. In short, given enough time, all things change.
They also fail to even mention the fact that it is extinctions of species that open the door for critters to exploit the now vacated eco-niches of the extinct species, and for new species to begin to radiate therefrom.
But, I'm no bio-nerd, so maybe I missed something.
Yep, I'm glad to know I am part of a "weed" species. They did cover the extinction/production cycle, however it is evil if people cause the extinction. They did note that 95% of all species are fossils only. I'm pondering the average 4,000,000 year species life-time(I think I heard that number). We need to exterminate the coelecanth, it's skewing the curve.