What is the Difference Between Extinction and Extirpation?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between extinction and extirpation lies in the scope of the disappearance of a species or organism:
- Extinction refers to the complete disappearance of a species, with no living representatives existing anywhere in the world.
- Extirpation, also known as local extinction, is the disappearance of a species from a specific region or area, but it still exists elsewhere.
In summary:
- Extinction is the total absence of a species across the entire world.
- Extirpation is the absence of a species in a particular area, but it still persists in other regions.
Both extinction and extirpation can occur naturally, but human activities such as overexploitation, habitat destruction, and the introduction of invasive species have contributed to an increase in the rate of species loss.
Comparative Table: Extinction vs Extirpation
Extinction and extirpation are two different phenomena related to the disappearance of species. Here is a table summarizing the differences between the two:
| Extinction | Extirpation |
|---|---|
| The complete disappearance of a species from the entire planet | The local extinction of a species in a specific region, but still present elsewhere |
| No living representatives of the species exist | A particular species is no longer found in a specific geographic area |
| Generally leads to a reduction in genetic diversity and geographic range of the species | Can make the extinction of a species more likely by reducing its genetic diversity and geographic range |
| Both natural and human-induced factors can contribute to extinction | Both natural and human-induced factors can contribute to extirpation |
Both extinction and extirpation can occur naturally, but human activities such as overexploitation, industrial revolution, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming have accelerated the rates of these phenomena. In some cases, extirpation can make a species more susceptible to extinction by limiting its genetic diversity and geographic range.
- Endangered vs Extinct
- Mass Extinction vs Background Extinction
- Endangered Species vs Threatened Species
- Conservation vs Preservation
- Ediacaran Extinction vs Cambrian Explosion
- Evolution vs Speciation
- Elimination vs Excretion
- Extension vs Extention
- In-Situ vs Ex-Situ Conservation
- Adaptation vs Evolution
- Habitat vs Environment
- Extremism vs Terrorism
- Exotic vs Endemic Species
- Egestion vs Excretion
- an Introduced Species vs an Invasive Species
- Natural Selection vs Evolution
- Implosion vs Explosion
- Taxonomy vs Classification
- Evaporation vs Transpiration