Talk:Background extinction rate

What the hell is MYA? The abbreviation is used in the table, but no meaning is given... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.218.11.239 (talk) 17:07, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

"biodiversity increase"?

I think there's a problem with this line: "Given that biodiversity has been increasing since at least 3.5 billion years ago, the background extinction rate must be smaller than the rate of speciation [3]" I read the (ancient) citation, and find no support for such a sweeping generalization. Also 3.5 million years ago coincides with the onset of dropping global temperature and first glaciation and associated extinctions, which makes the statement even stranger, and to that one can add the well-known "pull of the present" taphonomic bias wrt fossil biodiversity. I'm taking the sentence out; if any paleoecologist feels this is in error, feel free to reinstate it. The Man On The Street (talk) 02:27, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

External Links

The external link "Discussion of extinction events, with description of Background extinction rates" which leads to a rochester.edu page is no longer valid Khabalox (talk) 19:13, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Estimates of overall rate needed

There are several estimates. This article needs to address this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.80.64.216 (talk) 12:46, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Conservation Biology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2023 and 1 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Ocsb1902 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Stickystingray.

— Assignment last updated by Otter246 (talk) 22:12, 16 October 2023 (UTC)