Changing biodiversity: formerly, today, tomorrow

Abstract

Life on Earth is a process carried out by billions of organisms belonging to a huge number of species. From the beginning of life to the present day, the number of species steadily increases, but the process is interrupted by deep crises (“Great Extinctions”) as the number of species rapidly declines. However, after a relatively short period of time – millions of years – the number of species returns to their previous heights and continues to rise until the next catastrophe. When the species Homo sapiens appeared on Earth, it found the greatest biotic diversity in the history of the Earth, but in a very short time – after its rapid population growth – the diversity began to decline again. Are we witnessing the beginning of another great extinction? If so, what would be the consequences for those species that survive? Is Homo sapiens also endangered? And life on Earth? Questions easy to ask, but difficult to answer.