biotic resources

Question 1

define habitat destruction

Answer 1

elimination or alteration of the conditions necessary for animals and plants to survive

Question 2

what is the primary cause of habitat loss

Answer 2

human activities such as pollution clearing of land for farming grazing mining drilling urbanisation

Question 3

how can habitats be preserved

Answer 3

setting aside areas for restricted access and use
setting up conservation organisations
development and enforcements of laws which limit the negative impact of industries

Question 4

give an example of restricted areas for habitat conservation

Answer 4

buccoo reef
central forest reserve in tobago
aripo scientific reserve

Question 5

give an example of conservation organisations

Answer 5

asa wright nature centre
emperor valley zoo
ema

Question 6

give an example of conservation laws

Answer 6

environmental commission of trinidad and tobago

Question 7

define wildlife endangerment

Answer 7

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

Question 8

when is a species considered endangered

Answer 8

20% risk of extinction within 20 years or 5 generations

Question 9

how is wildlife protected

Answer 9

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

Question 10

define in situ conservation

Answer 10

process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat like nature reserves and national parks

Question 11

list 2 advantages of in situ conservation

Answer 11

organism is already adapted to environment and mating happens naturall

Question 12

list 2 disadvantages of in situ conservation

Answer 12

organism is susceptible to predation and disease and difficult to monitor organisms

Question 13

define ex situ conservation

Answer 13

process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species which has been moved from it natural habitat
examples zoos and botanical gardens

Question 14

list 4 advantages of ex situ conservation

Answer 14

organism health is taken care of
ample food provided
safe from predators
easy to monitor

Question 15

list disadvantages of ex situ conservation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

define invasive alien species

Answer 16

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

Question 17

how are invasive alien species end up in a new environment

Answer 17

by accident or on purpose as a form of biological pest control

Question 18

give two examples of invasive species

Answer 18

mongoose and lionfish

Question 19

when were mongoose imported to trinidad

Answer 19

on ships from india in 1870 to be used as biological control of snake and rat populations in cane fields

Question 20

list 5 factors that allowed mongoose to adapt easily to trinidads environment

Answer 20

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

Question 21

what happened within 10 to 15 years of the mongooses introduction (3)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

when was the first migration of lionfish reported

Answer 22

native to the pacific ocean but reported in 1985 off the coast of florida

Question 23

how were they introduced

Answer 23

by escape or release from marine aquariums

Question 24

what are the 6 characteristics of lionfish

Answer 24

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

Question 25

how to combat this lionfish problem

Answer 25

encouraged to kill them and eat them as often as possible

Question 26

what are 5 solutions to invasive species

Answer 26

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