Chapter 9 - Admir Basic

In Chapter 9 of The Sixth Extinction, the author opens up with Reserve 1202, 25 acres of untouched rainforest in Brazil. Surrounding these 25 acres are vast scrublands. There are other reserves like 1202 being protected by BDFFP which is an organization that prevents people from cutting down the trees in the reserves. Along with deforestation, the Anthropocene Epoch is known for creating 25 million square miles of ice-less land. Kolbert goes to Reserve 1202 with an ornithologist who points out that over the years, biodiversity has decreased within the reserves. Islands are other habitats where species are especially vulnerable to extinction because “they are less diverse than the continents they once were part of (Page 180).” [(C) I can connect the vulnerability of island species with the Hawaiian Crow. It became extinct in the wild in 2002 due to many factors along with the relatively small landmass of the island. This connects to the theme that the Earth is an interconnected system since species vary widely on their abilities to recover from disasters such as human presence.] Kolbert also explores the main rainforest to compare with Reserve 1202. The army ant is a very specific species of ant that is known to be aggressive and cover major distances. Many species rely on the army ant for nutrition which explains the consequences if the army ant disappeared from the ecosystem. The chapter ends off with the army ants going into a statutory phase and not coming out in the night while birds are singing and waiting to prey on the ants.