Extinction of Large Mammals and Its Impact on Soil Fertility and Productivity

Scientists say that the extinction and decline of large mammals on land and in the sea deprives the ecosystem of vital elements necessary for the fertility and productivity of the Earth. These materials are found in the urine and feces, as well as the carcasses of these animals. According to Reuters, scientists believe that large mammals such as mammoths (the giant elephants that are extinct), whales, rhinos, large armadillos, and seabirds play a crucial role in fertilizing and maintaining the fertility of rivers, seabeds, and the soil of the Earth. Christopher Doughty, an ecologist at the University of Oxford, states, 'In the past, the presence of animals freely and in large numbers across the Earth increased the fertility of the planet.' Through mass migrations over long distances, these mammals transported nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen to the most remote parts of the Earth, enhancing its fertility. This new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States, claims that the distribution of these nutrients to more remote ecosystems, both on land and in water, has decreased to six percent of its original level. Joe Roman, a biologist at the University of Vermont in the United States, says, 'The Earth was a land of giants before it was occupied by humans.' Over the past 10,000 years, nearly 150 species of large mammals have gone extinct on Earth. This extinction has occurred either due to climate change or human activities. Of the 48 species of very large herbivorous mammals that lived during the Ice Age, only 9 species remain today, and their populations are severely declining. The population of whales on Earth has also decreased by ninety percent.