Final answer:
The study of species extinction in environmental biology shows a concerning escalation compared to the natural background rate, driven by human activities. Current estimates indicate a significant rise in extinction rates, emphasizing the need for urgent conservation actions to protect threatened species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The study of species extinction is a critical aspect of environmental biology, highlighting the rapid decline in biodiversity due to human activities. Historical data combined with current trends suggest an alarming increase in the rate of species loss. The background extinction rate stands at 1 extinction per million species years (E/MSY), but recent estimates predict a rise to 1500 E/MSY by century's end. Notably, since 1500, recorded extinctions for birds alone suggest a rate nearly three times the background rate, even before accounting for unrecorded losses. Factors such as habitat destruction, climate change, and overexploitation contribute to the current extinction crisis, which is unparalleled since the demise of the dinosaurs. Conservation efforts are imperative to mitigate these losses, especially for threatened species like the insect in the inquiry.
The subject of this question is Biology. It is discussing the extinction of a little-known species of insect. The question mentions that the population of the insect is falling by 10?. Although the exact information about the extinction rate is not provided, the answer can be inferred from the background extinction rate and the estimated extinction rates for different species.