Question

Despite the loss of the Atlantic forest habitat of Brazil, no extinctions of birds from this area have been reported. According to Brooks and colleagues, which of the following is the most plausible explanation for the apparent lack of extinctions?

1) Birds have gone extinct, but biologists have not observed the extinctions.
2) Birds are adapting to inhabiting forest fragments.
3) Birds are adapting to inhabiting the deforested areas.
4) There is a time lag between deforestation and extinction, and this time lag has not played itself out.

Answer 1

The most plausible explanation for the lack of extinctions of birds in the Atlantic forest habitat of Brazil is 4) a time lag between deforestation and extinction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most plausible explanation for the apparent lack of extinctions of birds in the Atlantic forest habitat of Brazil despite its loss is option 4) There is a time lag between deforestation and extinction, and this time lag has not played itself out.

According to Brooks and colleagues, birds can survive in small habitat fragments for decades before going extinct. The time lag between deforestation and extinction can be as long as 50 years for doomed species. Therefore, it is possible that extinctions have not yet been observed due to this time lag.