Furthermore, nonmarine mollusks have the dubious honor of having the highest number of documented extinctions of any major taxonomic group. A staggering 42% of the 693 recorded extinctions of all animal species since the year 1500 are mollusks (260 gastropods and 31 bivalves).
Regrettably, nonmarine molluscan extinctions go largely unnoticed by the general public, most biologists, and many conservation agencies, which focus their resources and energy on more charismatic vertebrate species. The extraordinary decline of nonmarine mollusks is due directly to habitat destruction and disruption of natural ecosystem processes. As an integral component of healthy ecosystems, molluscan diversity is valuable both for its own sake and as an indicator of conditions that may affect other species, including our own.
Nonmarine mollusks are members of the second most diverse group of animals, the phylum Mollusca, which includes snails, slugs, clams, mussels and others. There are approximately 24,000 terrestrial and 7,000 freshwater mollusk species for which valid descriptions exist. There are probably 11,000 to 40,000 undescribed terrestrial species and 3,000 to 10,000 undescribed freshwater species. Even the lower estimates exceed the number of all known species of birds, and the higher figures exceed the number of all known species of vertebrates.
Journalists may obtain copies of the article by contacting Donna Ro
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Contact: Donna Royston
droyston@aibs.org
202-628-1500 x261
American Institute of Biological Sciences
2-Apr-2004