Chapter 6: Wild Speciesand Biodiversity Flashcards
Ecosystem Captial
goods and services provided to humans by natural systems
Keeping ecosystem sustainability means saving:
its ingegrity: resilience, processes, biodiversity
Biota
responsible for ecosystem structure and maintenance
species of living things that are responsible for ecosystem structure and maintenance
Biota
Biological wealth
biota plus their ecosystems
What does biological wealth represent
a major part of a country’s total wealth
What constitutes biodiversity?
the richness of living species
What is the root cause of humans dependence on biological wealth
The way we regard and value nature
Challenge for humans
for all to gain the understanding that wild species have value that makes it essential to preserve them
Instrumental value
a species’ or organism’s existence or use benefits some other entity (more likely to be preserved?, anthropocentric
Anthropocentric
beneficiaries are humans
Intrinsic value
something has value for its own sake
Categories of Natural Species Value
- Sources of food and raw materials
- Sources of Medicines
- Recreational, aesthetic, and scientific value
- Value for their own sake (intrinsic)
Genetic bank
living things house the gene pools of all living species
What three species provide 50% of global food demands
wheat, maize, rice
What happens if wild populations are destroyed?
Potential for developing new cultivars is lost
Habitat change
has caused 36% of all extinctions (greatest cause of biodiversity loss), through
Support only small numbers and populations of species
Fragmentations of habitat
Roadways
kill a million animals each day
Edge habitats
expose species to predators and nest parasites
Interior habitats and species decrease as
edge habitat and species increase
What causes biodiversity loss
- Simlification of habitats by removing trees and channelizing streams
- Intrusion of human structures in habitats
Simplification
making natural areas more park-like and reduces diversity
Invasive species
thrive, spread, and may eliminate native species by predation or competition
Thrive, spread, and may eliminate native species by predation or competition
invasive species
Red imported fire ants
- kill 20% of songbird babies
2. cause decline in native species
Invasive species
have caused problems for native species since colonists arrived
Aquaculture
the farming of shellfish, seaweed, and nfish
Free-roaming house cats
kill over a billion mammals and hundreds of millions of birds each year
How much do exotics cost the U.S. each year?
$137 billion
What are almost all hippo threats caused by?
overpopulation of humans
Pollution
destroys or alters habitats, can change abiotic factors
Overexploitation
overharvest of a species
Trade in exotics
trafficking in wildlife
Keystone species
play a vital role in survival of other species
Umbrella species
larger animals that need lots of unspoiled habitat
Why are most declining species K-selected
they’re more vulnerable to rapid envt’l changes
What does the loss of keystone species have great negative impacts on?
ecosystems
As species become more rare…
the prices of the illegal animals/products rise
Conservation biology
focuses on protection of populations and species
Taxonomy
the cataloging and naming of species
How can individuals help protect biodiversity
- Personal choices
- Support non-profits and push for policy actions
- Push corporations to be more sustainable
- “Citizen scientists”
In the U.S., wildlife resources are what?
public resources
Lacey Act (1900)
forbids interstate commerce in illegally killed wildlife
The ESA protects endangered species:
in imminent danger of becoming extict if it is not protected
Listing
by the appropriate agency, individuals, groups, or state agencies
Critical habitat
designated as areas where a species is or could spread as it recovers
Recovery plans
designed to allow listed species to survive and thrive
The two major causes of extinction
(habitat loss and invasive species) are increasing
What groups oppose the ESA
Development, timber, recreational, mining, and other groups
would have severely limited species protection, eliminate protection of critical habitat and reduce input of EPA and USFWS
TERSA
Success in protecting species
Birds of prey have recovered and been delisted
IUCN
monitors successes and failures of conservation efforts
CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
How often do CITES countires meet?
every 2-3 years
Why have some countries applied to CITES?
to resume ivory sales
Three objectives of CITES
- Conservation of biodiversity
- Sustainable use of biodiversity services
- Equitable sharing of a nation’s genetic resources
Hot spots
34 regions making up 2.3% of Earth’s land surface and contains 75% of hte most threatened species
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Provides grants to NGOs and community-based groups
The UN Global Biodiversity Assessments’ recommendations
Address the needs of people living next to high-biodiversity areas and involve them
Who does the loss of biodiversity most severely affect?
the poorest people in developing nations
