Incorporating the current sixth great mass extinction theme into evolution education, science education, and environmental education research and standards

Ron Wagler

doi:10.1186/1936-6434-6-9

Abstract

Humanity is currently in the midst of a self-induced great mass extinction of plant and animal life that is having and will have profound effects on the future biological evolution of Earth’s species if environmental sustainability is not reached. A thorough review of existing evolution education, science education, and environmental education research and existing evolution education, science education, and environmental education standards reveal that this newly emerging and crucially important theme has yet to be incorporated into these two areas which strongly influence future curriculum development and implementation. This manuscript presents: a brief overview of the five past great mass extinctions; a brief overview of past and present human activities associated with the current sixth great mass extinction; a brief overview of present and future rates of species extinctions and their influence on biological evolution; and a brief appeal to begin to incorporate the current sixth great mass extinction theme into evolution education, science education, and environmental education research and standards.

Highlights

Humanity is currently in the midst of a self-induced great mass extinction of plant and animal life (e.g., Jackson 2008; Wake and Vredenburg 2008; Zalasiewicz et al 2010) that is having and will have profound effects on the future biological evolution of Earth’s species (Wagler 2011a) if environmental sustainability is not reached (e.g., World Wide Fund for Nature WWF 2012; Pimm and Raven 2000)
To be incorporated into these two areas which strongly influence future curriculum development and implementation. This manuscript presents a brief overview of the five past great mass extinctions; a brief overview of past and present human activities associated with the current sixth great mass extinction; a brief overview of present and future rates of species extinctions and their influence on biological evolution; and a brief appeal to begin to incorporate the current sixth great mass extinction theme into evolution education, science education, and environmental education research and standards
A brief overview of past and present human activities associated with the current sixth great mass extinction Humanity has entered a sixth great mass extinction driven by our excessive activities (e.g., Alroy 2008; Jackson 2008; Lewis 2006; McDaniel and Borton 2002; Rockström et al 2009; Rohr et al 2008; Steffen et al 2007; Thomas et al 2004; Wake and Vredenburg 2008; Zalasiewicz et al 2010)

Summary

Background

A brief overview of the five past great mass extinctions Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old (Dalrymple 2001). During Earth’s history there have been five past great mass extinctions (Erwin 2001; Jablonski 1995) (Table 1). During all of these past great mass extinctions, there was ‘a profound loss of biodiversity during a relatively short period’ (Wake and Vredenburg 2008, 11466). The first past great mass extinction occurred

Late Devonian extinction

Findings

End Triassic extinction