Vulnerability to Extinction

1. Vulnerability to Extinction by Kiela P. Reeves Ecology

2. The Background of Extinction • Species extinction it thought to be a natural process, but there are many current fears that natural extinction rates are increased by human activity. • Where it seems that some species compared to others are more vulnerable to extinction than others, it has been occurring 3.5 billion years within the history of the earth.

3. Who is prone to Extinction? • Species that have only one or few populations numbers • Those with very small population numbers • Species that have limited resources but have large body size • i.e.: food, water, mate choice, habit • Those who have low rates of population growth • Those who are overly hunted or harvested by man • Those in narrow geographical locations • i.e.: islands, deserts, mountain tops

4. Why some Species are Rarer than Others - species that are restricted to certain type of environment, which they have evolved special characteristics that make them unable to survive in any other habitat. • species that are confined to small area ranges by geographical barriers, which make them unable to migrate • species that have low population densities - species with specialized niche requirements are more prone to extinction than species that are generalists.

5. The Introduction of Exotic Species • All too often exotic species that are not native to the area are introduced into habitats in which the native species cannot compete against them. The exotic species monopolizes the resources of food and land needed for survival of the native species, without access to these required resources, the native species cannot reproduce.

6. Resilience to Introduced Treats • Humans (unpopular attention) • Limitation to adaptability • Ecological development

7. Work Cited http://www.endangeredearth.com/ Handouts: Extinction Processes