Endangered S p ecies

1. Endangered Species By: Chuan Tran SBI4U 2009 http://www.wellroundedkids.com/store/Accessories/endangered%20Species%20Floor%20Puzzle.jpg

2. Intro • Human beings have recklessly exploited the Earth’s resources despite the apparent negative consequences • These consequences have lead scientists to believe that Earth has entered a new “extinction phase” • The current rate of species extinction is between 50 and 1000 times more than the geo-historical norm • Species that are at immediate risk of extinction are also known as endangered species

3. Endangered Species http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/207836370_c7159225ba.jpg • Those at immediate risk of extinction

4. Factors • Factors that contribute to the decrease in populations are: • Habitat loss • Example: Humans cutting down forests for buildings • Pollution • Example: contaminants released into the environment • Introduced species • Example: captivity • Overexploitation • Example: hunting

5. Facing Extinction • 1/3 of amphibians • 1/8 of birds • 1/4 of mammals • And more than 8000 plants and algae species are facing extinction

6. What Are We Doing • International and U.S. laws offer protection to the endangered species • These laws make it a crime to: • Capture the species • Kill the species • Fail to act to recover them • Harm their habitat • Endangered Species Act • IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature • CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

7. Endangered Species Act • The endangered species act provides for the conservation of endangered or threatened species throughout all or most of their range and the ecosystem they depend on

8. IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature • IUCN is a world conservation union • It maintains a record, called the red list, of the world’s species that are threatened with extinction • The red list includes over 16 000 species

9. CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species • This is an agreement signed by more than 160 countries to restrict trade of more than 30 000 species of plants and animals, live or dead. • Example: Marmosets and Ivory

10. Our Plans • Plans are developed to aid in the recovery of the species • Recovery programs that can take place in the natural or outside the range of a species include: • Habitat restoration • Captive breeding efforts • Assisted reproductive efforts • Or field research into behaviour, reproduction and biological or ecology study

11. Recovery Programs • The major functions of the recovery programs are to: • Identify the most important actions needed to save the species from extinction • Identify major players in the recovery effort • And collaborate and coordinate objectives to speed the recovery process

12. Endangered Species • An example of an endangered species is plankton http://interactive.usc.edu/members/rosenblj/archives/plankton.jpg

13. Plankton • Plankton is a term for species of microorganisms that drift in open water • They are generally about 1/1000th of a mm • They are the most abundant form of life in the ocean • There are two types of plankton • Phytoplankton • Zooplankton

14. Phytoplankton • Phytoplankton make their own food through the process of photosynthesis • Phytoplankton remove carbon dioxide from sea water and release oxygen • Populations of phytoplankton in the northern oceans have declined by as much as 30% since 1980 • Phytoplankton are the first link in the food chain • They are an important part of ocean life

15. Zooplankton • Zooplankton feed on phytoplankton • Zooplankton are a food source to countless animals • As a result, plankton make up the base of the aquatic food chain • These tiny organisms sustain all life in the ocean

16. Facts • All other marine life is dependent upon plankton • The abundance of marine life is directly related to the supply of phytoplankton • They are a vital part of all food webs • Phytoplankton are the world’s number one source of oxygen • Phytoplankton produces about 90% of all photosynthetic processes on Earth

17. Theories for declination • Global warming • CO2 emissions http://www.sustainabilityninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/global-warming.jpg https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kjoboyle/www/images/global-warming-porn.jpg

18. Global Warming • Global warming is an increase in average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere • Global warming is the main cause of decreasing phytoplankton • Phytoplankton require nutrients from the bottom of the ocean in order to reproduce • At the Earth’s poles the ocean water is colder at the surface than it is below • The cold water sinks to the bottom and the warmer water below rises to the top, bringing nutrients with it • Because of the climate changes the water from the top is warmer and therefore less water from below will rise • This means less nutrients will be available for the plankton • As a result, the reproduction of phytoplankton is hindered

19. CO2 emissions • Carbon dioxide emissions also causes the decrease in plankton • Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean • Recent years, the ocean’s capacity has not been able to keep up with the amount of carbon dioxide levels from human output • The carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean turns into carbonic acid • This lowers the pH of the ocean • The decrease in pH is corrosive to the sea animals that form shells • One of these animals include zooplankton

20. Effect • Because plankton are a vital part of all food webs, the decrease in plankton will cause the food web to collapse • For example: Seals feed on fish, and fish feed on plankton, if plankton population decreases the affected species will die from hunger • Therefore if population decreases ocean life will be threatened • Humans are also affected because many cultures also depend on food from the sea • The sea-air exchange will be affected and will cause an impact on our living conditions because of reduced oxygen • Also, since the ocean absorbs additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, if the population of plankton decreased, atmospheric carbon dioxide would increase • This would increase global warming even more

21. Conclusion • Plankton are become closer and closer to extinction as we speak • This needs to be stopped and reversed as soon as possible • If not, the human race may face the ultimate consequence

22. Work Cited Alois, P., & Cheng, V. (2007, July). Keystone Species Extinction Overview. In World's Biggest Problems. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/species-extinction/443# Endangered Species Act (ESA). (n.d.). Office of Protected Resources. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/ Endangered Species Science. (n.d.). Conservation and Science. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/EndangeredSpecies/default.cfm How Do Phytoplankton Control The Carbon Cycle? (2003, January 27). The Wild Blue Wonder. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/seawifs/carbon2.htm The Who? What? Where? How? and Why's? of Plankton. (n.d.). Protect Oceanography: Ocean Drifters. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f97/plank_1.pdf