What Are The Causes Of Loss Of Biodiversity?

Species may be exterminated by man through a series of effects and agencies.These may be divided into two broad categories:direct(hunting,collection and persecution),and indirect(habitat destruction and modification).Over hunting is perhaps the most obvious direct cause of extinction in animals,as it has affected several large and well--known species.Genetic diversity is liable to reduction as a result of the same factors affecting species.Virtually any form of sustained human activity results in some modification of the natural environment.This modification will affect the relative abundance of species an in extreme cases may lead to extinction.This may result from the habitat being made unsuitable for the species.Or through the habitat becoming fragmented.The latter has the effect of dividing previously contiguous populations of species into small sub-populations.If these are sufficiently small,then chances processes lead to raised probabilities of extinction within a relatively short time.A major change in natural environments is likely to occur within the next century as a result of large scale changes in global climate and weather patterns.There is a high probability that these will cause greatly elevated extinction rates,although their exact effects are at present unknown.