Field of bullets

Hypothetical model of extinction

The field of bullets hypothesis describes a model in which extinction is non-selective and occurs randomly.^[1] The metaphor of the field of bullets suggest that species are simply out in a field and "bullets" are hitting them at random, thus their extinction is due only to stochastic effects. The field of bullets operates without relation to the organisms' adaptability, or fitness of specific animals. Under this hypothesis all species are subjugated to the same probability of extinction no matter where they originate in their taxonomy, and irrespective of traits that typically buffer against extinction.

References

^ Raup, David M. (1991) Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck. Norton. ISBN 0-393-03008-3

Extinction

Phenomena

Background extinction rate
Coextinction
De-extinction
Ecological extinction
Extinct in the wild
Functional extinction
Genetic pollution
Lazarus taxon
Local extinction
Pseudoextinction

Models

Extinction vortex

Causes

Theories
and concepts

Extinction events

Major	Ordovician–Silurian Late Devonian Permian–Triassic Triassic–Jurassic Cretaceous–Paleogene Holocene Timeline
Other	Great Oxidation End-Ediacaran End-Botomian Dresbachian Cambrian–Ordovician Ireviken Mulde Lau Carboniferous Olson's End-Capitanian Carnian Pluvial Toarcian End-Jurassic or Tithonian Aptian Cenomanian-Turonian Eocene–Oligocene Middle Miocene Pliocene–Pleistocene Quaternary