Lesson plan
Functional extinction
Functional extinction is the extinction of a species or other taxon such that: #It disappears from the fossil record, or historic reports of its existence cease; #The reduced population no longer plays a significant role in ecosystem function; #The population is no longer viable. There are no individuals able to reproduce, or the small population of breeding individuals will not be able to sustain itself due to inbreeding depression and genetic drift, which leads to a loss of fitness. In plant populations, self-incompatibility mechanisms may cause related plant specimens to be incompatible, potentially leading to functional extinction if an entire population becomes self-incompatible. This does not occur in larger populations. In polygynous populations, where only a few males leave offspring, there is a much smaller reproducing population than if all viable males were considered. Furthermore, successful males act as a genetic bottleneck, leading to more rapid genetic drift or inbreeding problems in small populations.
Article summary
Functional extinction is the extinction of a species or other taxon such that: #It disappears from the fossil record, or historic reports of its existence cease; #The reduced population no longer plays a significant role in ecosystem function; #The population is no longer viable. There are no individuals able to reproduce, or the small population of breeding individuals will not be able to sustain itself due to inbreeding depression and genetic drift, which leads to a loss of fitness. In plant populations, self-incompatibility mechanisms may cause related plant specimens to be incompatible, potentially leading to functional extinction if an entire population becomes self-incompatible. This does not occur in larger populations. In polygynous populations, where only a few males leave offspring, there is a much smaller reproducing population than if all viable males were considered. Furthermore, successful males act as a genetic bottleneck, leading to more rapid genetic drift or inbreeding problems in small populations.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.