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MAR 315 > Other Threats to Marine Biodiversity > Flashcards

Other Threats to Marine Biodiversity Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 5 main threats to marine biodiversity?

A
  1. Overexploitation
  2. Physical alteration
  3. Pollution
  4. Introduced species
  5. Climate change
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2
Q

Extinction

A

The process which leads to the dying out / extermination of a species

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3
Q

Local Extinction

A

A species is no longer found in a particular area / ecosystem

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4
Q

Functionally Extinct

A

Few organisms remain but they are so reduced that they have a negligible impact on their ecosystem

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5
Q

Biological Extinction

A

Species is no longer found anywhere on Earth

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6
Q

Background Extinction

A

Gradual extinction

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7
Q

How does extinction occur?

A

When the environment changes more rapidly that the species can adapt

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8
Q

What populations are the most vulnerable to extinction?

A

Small and narrowly specialized populations (specialists)

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9
Q

Specialists

A
  • Narrow niches
  • Less adaptable
  • More likely to become extinct
  • Use a specific set of resources
  • Easily affected by changing conditions
  • Advantages when things are more constant
    More K-selected species
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10
Q

Generalists

A
  • Broad niches
  • Adaptable to many environments
  • Less likely to become extinct
  • Use a variety of resources
  • High range of tolerance
  • Advantageous when conditions change
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11
Q

How many mass extinction events have there been on earth?

A

5
Most catastrophic was the Permian extinction

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12
Q

What is the biggest threat to the Vaquita Porpoise?

A
  • Illegal gill net fishing for totoaba swim bladders (used in traditional Chinese medicine)
    The totoaba is protected by CITIES but illegal trade continues
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13
Q

Describe Vaquita Conservation Efforts

A
  • 2017: Mexican. government places a permanent ban on gill net fishing
  • December 2017: National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) sues Trump administration seeking an immediate response to petition for a ban (lawsuit was dismissed in 2019)
  • March 2018: NRDC filed a second lawsuit against the U.S departments of commerce, homeland security etc. for failing to follow the Marine Mammal Protection Act
    2019: There were still 70 boats illegally setting gill nets in the vaquita habitat
    2020: NOAA Fisheries banned all seafood caught in the vaquita’s natural habitat
    December 2022: NRDC filed third lawsuit to ensure that the U.S was doing everything in its power to save the vaquita
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14
Q

Invasive Species

A

A species introduced to a habitat where they aren’t native
negatively impact ecosystems

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15
Q

What threats do invasive species pose?

A
  • Outcompete / out-reproduce natives
  • $1.4 trillion in damage annually
  • Threaten endangered native species
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16
Q

Introduced Species

A

Brought to an area (where they are not originally from) by humans

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17
Q

What are some characteristics of invasive species?

A
  • R-Selected
  • High fecundity and dispersal rates
  • Generalist feeders
  • Wide range of conditions
  • Previous invasions
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18
Q

What makes a habitat invasible?

A
  1. Disturbances: agriculture, deforestation etc.
  2. Habitat Fragmentation: create edges and openings that facilitate the spread
  3. Altered Environmental Conditions: things like climate change or pollution, can create new opportunities for invasive species to thrive while stressing native species
  4. Absence of Natural Predators or Competitors: lead to rapid population growth and spread
  5. Human Activities: international trade, transportation, and travel spread invasive species
  6. Lack of Biological Resistance: native species in some habitats may lack the evolutionary history or biological defenses to resist invasion by non-native species
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19
Q

What are some hot spots for invasive species?

A

Estuaries
- Ports (origin and destinations for ships)
- Frequently disturbed by anthropogenic influences

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20
Q

How do invasive species affect biodiversity?

A
  • Outcompete native populations for food and space
  • Restructure established food webs
  • Import diseases, pathogens, and parasites (ex: European green crab)
  • Hybridizations
  • Interbreed with native species (ex: Blue mussel and mediterranean mussel)
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21
Q

Where do invasive species come from?

A
  • Vectors
  • Pathways
  • intentional or accidental release
  • Ships
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22
Q

Vectors

A

Mechanisms responsible for the physical movement of invasive species

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23
Q

Pathways

A

The routes or channels through which invasive species are introduced and spread

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24
Q

How can ships contribute to the spread of invasive species?

A

Ballast water

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25
Q

How can invasive species be introduced accidentally?

A
  • Live bait
  • Aquarium releases
  • Aquaculture
  • Recreational fishing
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26
Q

What is an example of an invasive species that can be found on Long Island?

A

Lion Fish
- Introduced in the 1980s (dumping from aquariums)
- Venomous spines
- Can spawn up to every 4 days
Die in winter due to cold temperatures

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27
Q

Describe Lionfish Ecology

A
  • Up to 200 adults / acre
  • Generalist carnivores
  • Can eat prey up to 1/2 their body length
  • Consume 70+ species of fish and invertebrates
  • Site fidelity
  • Few native predators or parasites
28
Q

What has NOAA Fisheries proposed to control invasive Lion fish populations?

A

A food market (fishery)

29
Q

Ballast Water

A

Water that is put into a ship to provide stability and maneuverability

30
Q

How can ballast water contribute to the spread of invasive species?

A
  • As water is being loaded into the tank of the boat, larval species (fish, algae etc.) could potentially be picked up
  • As the ship travels and ballast water is discharged, any larval species that were present in the ballast tanks will be released
31
Q

What is an example of an invasive species that was spread by ballast water?

A

Zebra Mussels

32
Q

What are some effects that zebra mussels have on marine life and infrastructure?

A
  • Clog water intake and infrastructure (increased maintenance and operational expenses)
  • High filtering rates that lead to the depletion of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations (vital components of aquatic food webs)
  • Alter habitat structure by attaching themselves onto hard surfaces, rocks, docks, and native mussel shells
33
Q

What can be done to control the invasive zebra mussel populations?

A
  • Physical removal by mechanical scraping
  • Use of chemical treatments like molluscicides
  • Introduction of natural predators
    What are some problems that may arise
34
Q

What are some examples of invasive species that are found on Long Island?

A
  • Mute Swan
  • Phragmities
  • Asian shore crab
  • Chinese mitten crab
35
Q

How has phragmites affected ecosystems on Long Island?

A
  • Introduced from Europe in the 1800s
  • Changes marsh hydrology
  • Produces thousands of seeds each year
  • Roots can spread up to 20 feet
  • Can reach over 15 feet in height
  • Monopolize entire marine ecosystems
  • Interfere with marsh plants ability to hold on to sediments
36
Q

What are some pros to phragmites?

A
  • Holds onto soil and sand, preventing erosion
  • Carbon sequestration (stores carbon)
37
Q

What are some things that can be done to manage phragmites populations?

A
  • Prevention:
  • Mowing (will leave behind root systems)
  • Hand pulling (this is not feasible)
  • Herbicides
  • Prescribed burns (temperature must be hot enough to kill rhizomes in the soil)
38
Q

What is NY iMapInvasives?

A

An online collaborative database and mapping base that serves as the official invasive species database for New York State

39
Q

Nonpoint Source Pollution

A

Occurs as a result of runoff (ex: septic tanks, vehicles, farms etc.)

40
Q

Point Source Pollution

A

Pollution that comes from a single source (ex: an oil or chemical spill)

41
Q

What source of pollution has a large impact?

A

Point source pollution
Occurs less often

42
Q

How can high concentrations of substances lead to pollution?

A

Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are essential elements to plant growth but if they are too abundant to can stimulate the overgrowth of algae (Eutrophication)

43
Q

Marine Debris

A

Can range from tiny micro plastics to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels

44
Q

Where does marine debris come from?

A
  1. Land sources: littering, poor waste management etc.
  2. Ocean sources: derelict fishing gear, littering, cruise ships
45
Q

Plastics

A
  • Invented by Alexander Parkes in the mid 1800s
  • Dormant until WWII (Americans utilized the technology around the wires found in war machinery)
    Do NOT Biodegrade
46
Q

How many pieces of plastics make their way into our oceans every day?

A

8 million

47
Q

How many pieces of plastics are dumped into the ocean every year?

A

12 million tons

48
Q

What percentage of marine debris is plastic?

A

80%

49
Q

How any seabirds are killed by pollution each year?

A

1 million

50
Q

How many marine mammals and sea turtles are killed by pollution each year?

A

100,000

51
Q

What are hurdles?

A
  • Microplastic pellets (2-5mm in size)
  • Building blocks for most plastic products
  • ~600 hurdles = one small plastic disposable water bottle
  • Nearly impossible to remove from the ocean once they have entered it
52
Q

What happened in 2021 with the X-Press Pearl?

A

The X-Press Pearl shipwreck spilled 1,680 girdles into the ocean off the shores of Sri Lanka
The largest recorded hurdle spill at sea

53
Q

How are plastics utilized in the textile industry?

A
  • 70% of clothes are made of synthetic fibers
  • Polyester, elastane, and nylon are plastics made from fossil fuels
  • Laundry of synthetic textiles contributes to one-third of global primary micro plastics
    Synthtic textiles are cheap, durable and versatile
54
Q

Fast Fashion

A
  • Made of synthetic materials
  • Low quality
  • ## Account for high levels of fiber loss
55
Q

Microbead-Free water Act of 2015

A

Prohibits the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing micro plastic beads (ex: face washes)
Passed the Senate unanimously among both democrats and republicans

56
Q

Plastic Immortality

A

It will NEVER fully decompose (only break-up into smaller pieces)

57
Q

Photodegradable

A
  • Decompose when exposed to sunlight
  • Split into increasingly smaller fragments over time releasing harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases in the process
58
Q

How can microplastics impact human health?

A
  • Microplastics can be found in tap water, beer, salt etc.
  • Chemicals used in the production of plastic are carcinogenic
  • Microplastics were recently found in human placentas
  • Contaminants enter organisms digestive systems and accumulate throughout the food web
59
Q

How can marine debris impact humans?

A
  • Deterrent Effect on tourists
  • Damage to ships (dented hulls, broken anchors, propellers etc.)
  • Fishery losses (torn nets, polluted traps etc.)
60
Q

What is SIDS

A

Small Island Developing States

61
Q

What are some characteristics on small island developing states?

A
  • Depend on fishing and tourism
  • Produce only 1.3% of plastic waste
  • Heavily impacted by pollution
62
Q

Where are the five gyres in the ocean?

A
  • Indian Ocean (1)
  • Atlantic Ocean (2)
  • Pacific Ocean (2)
63
Q

Where is the largest accumulation of plastic in the world?

A

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

64
Q

What are some of the critiques regarding the ocean cleanup solution?

A
  • Cleanup strategies produce pollution
  • Remove animals and ecosystems from the ocean
  • Doesn’t address the root of the problem (which is humans)
    You need to target the source of pollution in order to stop it
65
Q

What is the Save Our Seas Act of 2018?

A
  • Promotes international action to reduce marine debris
  • Authorizes cleanup and response actions needed as a result of severe marine debris events (ex: hurricanes)
66
Q

What amendments were made to the Save Our Seas Act of 2018?

A
  • The United States domestic programs to address marine debris
  • International engagement to combat marine debris
  • Domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris

MAR 315 (10 decks)

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