Overexploitation
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Overexploitation, also called overharvesting or ecological overshoot, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruct
Atlantic cod stocks were severely overexploited in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to their abrupt collapse in 1992.
When the giant flightless birds called moa were overexploited to the point of extinction, the giant Haast's eagle that preyed on them also became extinct.
Cows on Selsley Common. The tragedy of the commons is a useful parable for understanding how overexploitation can occur.
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is currently overexploited. Scientists say 7,500 tons annually is the sustainable limit, yet the fishing industry continue to harvest 60,000 tons.
Extinction
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Extinction is the termination of a species via the death of its last member. A taxon may become functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to reproduce and recov
The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is an example of a recently extinct species.
Palaeotherium is an example of an extinct genus that is only recorded from fossil records before the existence of hominids.
External mold of the extinct Lepidodendron from the Upper Carboniferous of Ohio
The dodo of Mauritius, shown here in a 1626 illustration by Roelant Savery, is an often-cited example of modern extinction.