Chapter 22 Sustaining Wild Species

1. Chapter 22Sustaining Wild Species

2. The Story of Martha Oh high above the trees and the reeds like rainbows they landed soft as moonglow in greens and reds they fluttered past the windows ah but nobody cared or saw til the hungry came in crowds with their guns and dozers and soon the peace was over God what were they thinking of? Oh on and on til dreams come true you know a piece of us all goes with you Oh the birds went down they fell and they faded to the dozens Til in a Cincinnati Zoo was the last one Yes all that remained was the last with a name of Martha Very proud, very sad, but very wise Oh as the lines filed by there were few who cared or could be bothered how could anyone have treated you harder and it was all for a dollar or more Oh on and on til dreams come true you know a piece of us all goes with you Oh and surrounded there by some of whom wept around her in a corner of the cage they found her she went as soft as she came so shy til the last song oh the passenger pigeon was gone... John Harold

3. The last word in ignorance is the person who says of an animal or plant: “What good is it?...If the land mechanism as a whole is good, whether we understand it or not…Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. Aldo Leopold

4. Key Concepts • Human effects on biodiversity • Importance of biodiversity • How human activities affect wildlife • Management of wildlife

5. 22.1 Human Impacts on Biodiversity A. Factors that increase biodiversity • Physically diverse habitat • Small - moderate environmental disturbances • Evolution

6. B. Factors that decrease biodiversity Endangered Species Program • Environmental stress • Large disturbances • Extreme conditions • Limitation of essential resources • Introduction of alien species • Geographic Isolation

7. 1% Probably extinct 7% Critically imperiled 8% Imperiled 16% Vulnerable 1% Other 67% Secure or apparently secure Endangered USA Fig. 22.4, p. 554 Endangered PA

8. How Serious is a Loss of Biodiversity? • Some argue that the threat is exaggerated… • We don’t know how many species there are • We don’t know the true value of all species in ecosystems • Estimates are based on models that lack data

9. Should We Focus on Sustaining Species or Ecosystems? A. Ecosystem Approach • Major goal is to assure that there is enough protected land and water to provide habitat. B. Species-by-Species Approach • Identify most at-risk species • Understand the species • Focus on protecting them

10. The Species Approach The Ecosystem Approach Goal Goal Protect populations of species in their natural habitats Protect species from premature extinction Strategies Strategy • Identify endangered species • Protect their critical habitats Preserve sufficient areas of habitats in different biomes and aquatic systems Tactics Tactics • Protect habitat areas through private purchase or government action • Eliminate or reduce populations of alien species from protected areas • Manage protected areas to sustain native species • Restore degraded ecosystems • Legally protect endangered species • Manage habitat • Propagate endangered species in captivity • Reintroduce species into suitable habitats

11. 22.2Three Types of Extinction A. Local Extinction: Species is no longer found in an area it once was, but it is found in other areas

12. B. Ecological Extinction: • So few that it can no longer play its ecological role

13. C. Biological Extinction: • Species is no longer found anywhere on the earth • Biological Extinction is Forever • Irreversible loss of genes

14. Species Status Classification: Endangered: • So few individual survivors that the species can become extinct over all or part of its range Threatened or Vulnerable: • Still abundant in its natural range and may become endangered

16. Threatened and Endangered Species of Pennsylvania Links: • PA GAME COMMISSION • PA FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION • US FISH AN WILDLIFE SERVICE

17. Golden-lion Tamarin(Leontopithecus rosalia) Rare Species: • Naturally small populations due to limited geographic range • Locally depleted by human activities • Vulnerable to extinction East African Bongo(Boocerus eurycerus isaaci

18. Characteristic Examples Blue whale, giant panda, rhinoceros Low reproductive rate (K-strategist) Blue whale, giant panda, Everglades kite Specialized niche Many island species, elephant seal, desert pupfish Narrow distribution Bengal tiger, bald eagle, grizzly bear Feeds at high trophic level Blue whale, whooping crane, sea turtles Fixed migratory patterns Many island species, African violet, some orchids Rare Snow leopard, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, rare plants and birds Commercially valuable Large territories California condor, grizzly bear, Florida panther

19. Types of Extinctions A. Background Extinction- • A small, naturally occurring, low rate of extinction. • One species / million / year • Approximately 10-100 species/year

20. B. Mass Extinction- • A rise above the background rate, often catastrophic and global. • Estimated to be five in the past 500 million years

21. Carboniferous Cretaceous Devonian Jurassic Silurian Triassic Tertiary Ordovician Permian Quaternary Cambrian 408 245 2 Geological Periods Mass extinctions 800 600 Number of families of marine animals ? 400 200 0 570 505 438 360 286 208 144 65 0 Millions of years ago Fig. 22.10, p. 558

22. Extinction of the Dinosaurs

23. Today’s Extinction Crisis 27,000 species/yr in the tropical forests Background extinction rate for mammals (1 per 200 yrs) In past 400 years 89 mammalian extinctions have occurred, 45 times the predicted rate 169 mammal species are listed as critically endangered 30% of the world's animals and plants could be on a path to extinction within 100 years http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/2/l_032_04.html

24. Increased Rates of Instinction

26. 22.3 Why Care About Biodiversity? The Earth’s Overall Biodiversity has 2 Types of Value: • Instrumental Value: • Usefulness to humans • Intrinsic Value: • Because they exist regardless of their value

27. Value of Nature Instrumental Intrinsic (species or ecosystem centered) (human centered) Non-utilitarian Utilitarian Existence Goods Ecological services Aesthetic Information Bequest Recreation Fig. 22.11, p. 561

28. Utilitarian (Use) -Economic goods -Ecological Services -Information -Recreation Non-Utilitarian (Nonuse) -Existence -Aesthetic -Bequest Instrumental Values

29. Rauvolfia Southeast Asia Tranquilizer, high blood pressure medication Pacific yew Rosy periwinkle Pacific Northwest Ovarian cancer Madagascar Hodgkin's disease, lymphocytic leukemia Cinchona Foxglove South America Quinine for malaria treatment Europe Digitalis for heart failure

30. Causes of Premature Extinction Habitat loss Overfishing Habitat degradation Basic Causes Introducing nonnative species Climate change • Population growth • Rising resource use • No environmental accounting • Poverty Commercial hunting and poaching Pollution Sale of exotic pets and decorative plants Predator and pest control Fig. 22.13, p. 564

31. 22.4 Causes of Premature Extinction 1. Habitat loss, degradation, and depletion -In U.S. the major disturbances are… *agriculture/grazing *development *outdoor recreation *pollution

32. Habitat Fragmentation –A large, continuous area of habitat is reduced in area and divided into a patchwork of isolated areas.

33. Rainforest becomes rangeland along Brazils Transamazonia highway. Three-quarters of the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has occurred within 30 miles of a paved highway. National Geographic Photographer: Maria StenzelLocation: Brazil.

34. Former range Range today (34,000–54,000 left) Fig. 22.14d, p. 565 Asian or Indian Elephant

35. Range 100 years ago Range today (about 2,300 left) Fig. 22.14a, p. 565 Indian Tiger

36. Range in 1700 Range today (about 2,400 left) Fig. 22.14b, p. 565 Black Rhino

37. Probable range 1600 Range today (600,000 left) African Elephant

38. 2. Harm by Nonnative Species -U.S. has 50,000 Nonnative species -49% of 1,200 endangered and threatened species are threatened by nonnative species -Nonnative species fall into two categories… A.Deliberately Introduced B. Accidentally Introduced

39. A. Deliberately Introduced -Supply 98% of U.S. food -Can have detrimental affects without predators, parasites, or competition to control numbers.

40. KUDZU VINE: FERAL CATS

41. B. Accidentally Introduced Many times they are transported in shipping products Brown Tree Snake Fire Ants

42. 1918 2000 Expansion of the fire ant in southern states. Fig. 22.18, p. 570

43. Tiger Mosquito Formosia termite

44. -Control of Nonnative species begins with identifying characteristics that allow them to succeed Characteristics of Successful Invader Species Characteristics of Ecosystems Vulnerable to Invader Species • High reproductive rate, short generation time (r-selected species) • Pioneer species • Long lived • High dispersal rate • Release growth- inhibiting chemicals into soil • Generalists • High genetic variability • Similar climate to habitat of invader • Absence of predators on invading species • Early successional species • Low diversity of native species • Absence of fire • Disturbed by human activities

45. 3. Commercial Hunting/Poaching -International trade of wild plant and animals is worth $10-$20 billion dollars per year. -1/4 of total is in illegal sales • Gorilla - $150,000 • Chimp - $50,000 • Rhino Horn - $13,000/lb. • Bushmeat - $150 million /yr. http://cbs5.com/seenon/consumer/bushmeat.africa.illegal.2.453673.html

46. http://cbs5.com/seenon/consumer/bushmeat.africa.illegal.2.453673.htmlhttp://cbs5.com/seenon/consumer/bushmeat.africa.illegal.2.453673.html

47. Indian police officers display three tiger skins and skeletons they seized in Allahabad on December 4, 2007. The police said they broke a major poaching ring in northern India this week when they arrested an alleged kingpin and 15 others.

48. Tiger Pelts