biotic resources Flashcards
define habitat destruction
elimination or alteration of the conditions necessary for animals and plants to survive
what is the primary cause of habitat loss
human activities such as pollution clearing of land for farming grazing mining drilling urbanisation
how can habitats be preserved
setting aside areas for restricted access and use
setting up conservation organisations
development and enforcements of laws which limit the negative impact of industries
give an example of restricted areas for habitat conservation
buccoo reef
central forest reserve in tobago
aripo scientific reserve
give an example of conservation organisations
asa wright nature centre
emperor valley zoo
ema
give an example of conservation laws
environmental commission of trinidad and tobago
define wildlife endangerment
increased rate of extinction as a result of many kinds of human activities such as habitat destruction pollution introduction of more competitive species unsustainable hunting or cropping
when is a species considered endangered
20% risk of extinction within 20 years or 5 generations
how is wildlife protected
designation of game sanctuaries - caroni wildlife sanctuary
legislation - conservation of wildlife act
hunting permits issued during hunting season
ban on hunting of certain animals even during hunting season
define in situ conservation
process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat like nature reserves and national parks
list 2 advantages of in situ conservation
organism is already adapted to environment and mating happens naturall
list 2 disadvantages of in situ conservation
organism is susceptible to predation and disease and difficult to monitor organisms
define ex situ conservation
process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species which has been moved from it natural habitat
examples zoos and botanical gardens
list 4 advantages of ex situ conservation
organism health is taken care of
ample food provided
safe from predators
easy to monitor
list disadvantages of ex situ conservation
difficulty breeding
expensive to train and pay stuff
expensive to maintain the facility
not enough space for large numbers of organisms from each species
animals lose their fear of humans
animals may behave differently in captivity
define invasive alien species
organism that is not indigenous or native to a particular area but can cause great economic and environmental hard to the new area
adapts to its new area easily
reproduce quickly
cause harm to property economy or native flora and fauna
how are invasive alien species end up in a new environment
by accident or on purpose as a form of biological pest control
give two examples of invasive species
mongoose and lionfish
when were mongoose imported to trinidad
on ships from india in 1870 to be used as biological control of snake and rat populations in cane fields
list 5 factors that allowed mongoose to adapt easily to trinidads environment
live in large range of habitats from grasslands to coastal areas
opportunistic carnivores
reproduce 2 to 3 times a year
dominate predators by moving quickly and aggressively
avoid getting bitten by being agile and quick while also having a mutation that protects them against snake venom
what happened within 10 to 15 years of the mongooses introduction (3)
considered agricultural pests due to destruction of crops so were actively hunted
reduced populations of lizards and ground nesting birds
vectors for several diseases including rabies
when was the first migration of lionfish reported
native to the pacific ocean but reported in 1985 off the coast of florida
how were they introduced
by escape or release from marine aquariums
what are the 6 characteristics of lionfish
reproduce quickly
had no natural predators
produce over 2 million eggs a year
venomous spines which make it difficult for local predators to eat it
eat almost anything that can fit in their mouth - crab parrot fish grouper snapper
negative impact on fishing industry and dive tourism industry
how to combat this lionfish problem
encouraged to kill them and eat them as often as possible
what are 5 solutions to invasive species
ensure plants bought for home or garden not invasive
clean boat thoroughly before putting it in different bodies of water
clean boots before hike in a new area
dont take home animals plants shells firewood
never release pets into the wild
