Coextinction
Coextinction of a species is the loss of one species upon the extinction of another. The term was originally used in the context of the extinction of parasitic insects following the loss of their hosts.
The term is now used describe the subsequent loss of any interacting species, including predators with their prey, and specialist herbivores with their food source. The most often cited example is that of the extinct passenger pigeon and its parasitic louse Columbicola extinctus.
In a recent article in Science, ecologist
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