Essay 3

Submit two paragraphs related to Knope et al. (2020). Each paragraph should be approximately 300 words (though I will not be checking). Submit your answers as text directly in the assignment.

1) The first paragraph should be a short summary of the article written in your own words. Be sure to explain the main objective/hypothesis of the article, the study approach/methods, and the main results/conclusions.

2) The second paragraph should draw connections between this paper and the textbook, your own background, or other aspects of the class in general.

Reference: Knope, M. L., A. M. Bush, L. O. Frishkoff, N. A. Heim, and J. L. Payne. 2020. Ecologically diverse clades dominate the oceans via extinction resistance. Science 367:1035–1038. 

Essay 3 Answer

Despite the tight correlation between taxonomic diversity and ecological differentiation in various modern ecosystems, the nature of their relationship and how they are affected by extinction remain unknown. Recognizing the dearth of data in the scientific literature about the phenomenon, the study “Ecologically diverse clades dominate the oceans via extinction resistance” authored by Matthew L. Knope, Andrew M. Bush, Luke O. Frishkoff, Noel A. Heim and Jonathan L. Payne used a comprehensive dataset composed of living and fossilized marine animal classes to examine the evolution of the link between these two important ecological events.