Editing Holocene extinction (section)

=== Australia ===
{{Main|Australian megafauna|List of extinct animals of Australia|List of extinct flora of Australia}}
{{See also|Invasive species in Australia|Land clearing in Australia|Fire-stick farming}}
[[File:Diprotodon sculpture.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction of a hippopotamus-sized ''[[Diprotodon]]'']]

Australia was once home to a [[Australian megafauna|large assemblage of megafauna]], with many parallels to those found on the African continent today. Australia's fauna is characterized by primarily [[marsupial]] mammals, and many reptiles and birds, all existing as giant forms until recently. [[Indigenous Australians|Humans]] arrived on the continent very early, about 50,000 years ago.<ref name="Kolbert-2014" /> The extent human arrival contributed is controversial; climatic drying of Australia 40,000–60,000 years ago was an unlikely cause, as it was less severe in speed or magnitude than previous regional climate change which failed to kill off megafauna. Extinctions in Australia continued from original settlement until today in both [[List of extinct flora of Australia|plants]] and [[List of extinct animals of Australia|animals]], while [[Threatened fauna of Australia|many more animals]] and [[List of threatened flora of Australia|plants]] have declined or are endangered.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Australian endangered species list|work=Australian Geographic|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2014/06/australian-endangered-species-list|access-date=2017-04-04|archive-date=2020-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216215816/https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2014/06/australian-endangered-species-list/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to the older timeframe and the soil chemistry on the continent, very little [[subfossil]] preservation evidence exists relative to elsewhere.<ref name="UniColoradoBoulder-2016">{{Cite web|title=Ancient extinction of giant Australian bird points to humans|author=University of Colorado at Boulder|date=January 29, 2016|website=ScienceDaily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160129090057.htm|access-date=2016-02-01|archive-date=2020-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218213414/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160129090057.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> However, continent-wide extinction of all genera weighing over 100 kilograms, and six of seven genera weighing between 45 and 100 kilograms occurred around 46,400 years ago (4,000 years after human arrival)<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Richard G. Roberts |author4=Timothy F. Flannery |author5=Linda K. Ayliffe |author6=Hiroyuki Yoshida |author7=Jon M. Olley |author8=Gavin J. Prideaux |author9=Geoff M. Laslett |author10=Alexander Baynes |author11=M. A. Smith |author12=Rhys Jones |author13=Barton L. Smith |title=New Ages for the Last Australian Megafauna: Continent-Wide Extinction About 46,000 Years Ago |date=8 June 2001 |volume=292 |magazine=Science |url=http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@sci/@eesc/documents/doc/uow014698.pdf |access-date=1 February 2016 |archive-date=10 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210051502/https://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@sci/@eesc/documents/doc/uow014698.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and the fact that megafauna survived until a later date on the island of [[Tasmania]] following the establishment of a land bridge<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Turney|first1=Chris S. M.|last2=Flannery |first2=Timothy F.|last3=Roberts|first3=Richard G.|last4=Reid|first4=Craig|last5=Fifield|first5=L. Keith |last6=Higham|first6=Tom F. G.|last7=Jacobs |first7=Zenobia|last8=Kemp|first8=Noel|last9=Colhoun |first9=Eric A.|date=2008-08-21|title=Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=105 |issue=34|pages=12150–12153|bibcode=2008PNAS..10512150T|doi=10.1073/pnas.0801360105|issn=0027-8424 |pmc=2527880|pmid=18719103|doi-access=free}}</ref> suggest direct hunting or anthropogenic ecosystem disruption such as [[fire-stick farming]] as likely causes. The first evidence of direct human predation leading to extinction in Australia was published in 2016.<ref name="Miller-2016">{{Cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=Gifford |last2=Magee |first2=John |last3=Smith |first3=Mike |last4=Spooner |first4=Nigel |last5=Baynes |first5=Alexander |last6=Lehman |first6=Scott |last7=Fogel |first7=Marilyn |last8=Johnston |first8=Harvey |last9=Williams |first9=Doug |date=2016-01-29 |title=Human predation contributed to the extinction of the Australian megafaunal bird Genyornis newtoni [sim]47 ka |journal=Nature Communications |volume=7 |pages=10496 |bibcode=2016NatCo...710496M |doi=10.1038/ncomms10496 |pmc=4740177 |pmid=26823193}}</ref>

A 2021 study found that the rate of extinction of Australia's megafauna is rather unusual, with some generalistic species having gone extinct earlier while highly specialized ones having become extinct later or even still surviving today. A mosaic cause of extinction with different anthropogenic and environmental pressures has been proposed.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bradshaw|first1=Corey J. A. |last2=Johnson|first2=Christopher N. |last3=Llewelyn|first3=John|last4=Weisbecker|first4=Vera |last5=Strona|first5=Giovanni|last6=Saltré|first6=Frédérik|date=30 March 2021|title=Relative demographic susceptibility does not explain the extinction chronology of Sahul's megafauna |journal=eLife|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=eLife Sciences Publications|volume=10 |doi=10.7554/eLife.63870|pmc=8043753|pmid=33783356|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The arrival of invasive species such as feral cats and cane toads has further devastated Australia's ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Woinarski |first1=John C. Z. |last2=Burbidge |first2=Andrew A. |last3=Harrison |first3=Peter L. |date=14 April 2015 |title=Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |language=en |volume=112 |issue=15 |pages=4531–4540 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1417301112 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=4403217 |pmid=25675493 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.4531W }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Radford |first1=Ian J. |last2=Woolley |first2=Leigh-Ann |last3=Dickman |first3=Chris R. |last4=Corey |first4=Ben |last5=Trembath |first5=Dane |last6=Fairman |first6=Richard |date=23 February 2020 |title=Invasive anuran driven trophic cascade: An alternative hypothesis for recent critical weight range mammal collapses across northern Australia |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10530-020-02226-4 |journal=Biological Invasions |language=en |volume=22 |issue=6 |pages=1967–1982 |doi=10.1007/s10530-020-02226-4 |bibcode=2020BiInv..22.1967R |issn=1387-3547 |access-date=11 October 2024 |via=Springer Link}}</ref>

Since European colonisation Australia has lost over 100 plant and animal species, including 10% of its mammal species, the highest of any continent.<ref>Woinarski, J., Murphy, B., et al. (2019) Scientists re-counted Australia's extinct species, and the result is devastating, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/scientists-re-counted-australias-extinct-species-and-the-result-is-devastating-127611 (Accessed: 09 September 2024). </ref>