conservation of biology

Question 1

Anthropocegenic species extinction is the loss of species due to human activities.

Question 2

Human activities are causing species extinction for the following reasons: (HCP OID)

Answer 2

Habitat destruction
Climate change
Pollution
Over-exploitation (often over-hunting of an animal)
Invasive species
Disease

Question 3

Extinction of Caribbean Monk Seals

Answer 3

Caribbean monk seals were hunted to extinction for meat, clothing and blubber (used to make oils) by humans. The seals were passive, and did not move away from hunters.
Human activities also damaged their breeding sites (rookeries).

Question 4

Ecosystem Loss

Answer 4

One of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss is the destruction of habitats and ecosystems due to human activities.

Question 5

The Giant Moa

Answer 5

The giant moa had few predators before the arrival of humans to New Zealand.
The Maori people hunted the giant moa for food, clothing and jewelry.
The giant moa were overexploited, as hunting killed far more birds than were replaced through reproduction.

Question 6

Causes of ecosystem loss
- One of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss is the destruction of habitats and ecosystems due to human activities.

Question 7

Biodiversity should consider the richness (number of different species) and evenness (how close the population numbers are to each other) of species present in an ecosystem.

Question 8

Ecosystem Loss of Mixed Dipterocarp Forests

Answer 8

Deforestation for wood: The hardwood timbers of the rainforests are valuable and are sold for profit.
Agriculture: Deforestation is often caused by the development of palm oil plantations. Palm oil plantations are a monoculture and do not support biodiversity.

Mining: The rainforests are rich in coal, metals and diamonds. Excavation for mining can directly destroy the rainforests. In addition, many of the chemicals used in mining are harmful to plants and animals.

Climate Change: Human activities are contributing to climate change. Climate change can result in changing rainfall patterns: floods and droughts, which impact the biodiversity of the rainforests.

Hunting: Animals are hunted for meat, skin/fur, trophies, traditional medical practices, and to be sold as exotic pets.
The over-hunting of animals reduces biodiversity of the rainforests, and can disrupt the ecological balance within the ecosystem.

Question 9

Mangrove Ecosystem Loss

Answer 9

Coastal Infrastructure and Tourism: Mangrove forests have been cleared for resorts, roads and cities, resulting in the loss of mangroves.
Agriculture: Farms upstream from the mangroves release fertilizer, pesticides and animal waste into the mangroves, harming plants and animals.

Fishing and Aquaculture: Overfishing of vulnerable species removes links in food chains within the ecosystem.
Fish farming releases excessive nutrient waste into the mangroves, resulting in algal blooms and eutrophication.
Climate Change: Sea level rise as a result of climate change is a threat to mangrove ecosystems, as many mangrove tree species are unable to tolerate more salt water from higher tides.

Question 10

Causes of the current biodiversity crisis

Answer 10

• Growing human population
• Over-Exploitation of Resources (over-fishing, logging, poaching)
• Urbanization is the movement of people to cities and towns.
  The process of urbanization leads to the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Deforestation happens due to the demand for wood, and agricultural land.
  Clearing the Earth’s forests destroys ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and contributing to climate change.
• Agriculture displaces natural ecosystems, decreasing biodiversity.
  Farm wastes, fertilizers and pesticides enter natural ecosystems, disrupting food webs and biodiversity.
• Pollution
• introduced species become invasive when they harm their non-native ecosystem.
  Invasive species disrupt food webs resulting in the loss of biodiversity. (global transport)

Question 11

Conservation of Biodiversity

Answer 11

Conservation focuses on protecting natural ecosystems from harm, including preventing the extinction of species.

• in situ conservation of species in natural habitats, management of nature reserves, rewilding (restore degraded ecosystems back to their natural state) , ex situ conservation in zoos and botanic gardens and storage of germ plasm in seed or tissue banks.

Question 12

Ex Situ Conservation of the Espanola Giant Tortoise

Answer 12

The tortoise was in danger of extinction due to being hunted for food by humans, and competition for food by goats introduced to the island.
The 15 surviving tortoises entered a captive breeding program.
The goats were removed from the island, so that they were not competing with the tortoises.
Tortoises were no longer hunted for food.
Since the 1960s, over 1500 tortoises have been reintroduced to the island of Espanola.
The captive breeding program has been so successful that it is no longer operating.

Question 13

Note: The conservation of giant tortoises combined ex-situ conservation (captive breeding) and in-situ conservation (protecting ecosystems).

Question 14

Seed and Tissue Banks

Answer 14

Seed banks store seeds to preserve genetic variety. The seeds can be used to restore ecosystems in the future.
Tissue banks store plant tissues which can be used to propagate plants in the future.

Question 15

see advantages and disadvantages of in- and ex-situ conservation if you have time