PEE 2.1 Species and Ecosystem Services Flashcards
(the rate that existed before modern humans evolved some 200,000
years ago):
Background extinction rate
How many species die per year for every 1 million wild species living on the earth
1 species
Projected annual extinction rate (for this century)
100 to 1,000 times the background extinction rate
—areas that are
highly endangered centers of biodiversity—are much higher than the global average.
Biodiversity hotspots
Reasons of Possibly Higher Extinction Rate
- harmful environmental impacts of the rapidly growing human population
- biodiversity hotspots—areas that are
highly endangered centers of biodiversity - We are eliminating, degrading, fragmenting, and simplifying many biologically diverse
environments cause speciation crisis
Organizations
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
No reasonable doubt that the last
individual has died
Extinct (EX)
Known only to survive in
captivity, cultivation or well outside its natural range
Extinct in the Wild (EW)
Facing an extremely
high risk of extinction in the wild
Critically Endangered (CR)
Facing a very high risk of
extinction in the wild
Endangered (EN)
Facing a high risk of extinction in
the wild
Vulnerable (VU)
Close to qualifying, or likely
to qualify for a threatened category in the near
future
Near Threatened (NT)
Population is stable enough
that it is unlikely to face extinction in the near future
Least Concern (LC)
Not enough information on
abundance or distribution to estimate its risk of
extinction
Data Deficient (DD)
HIPPCO
H - Habitat destruction, degradation, and
fragmentation
I - Invasive (nonnative) species
P - Population growth and increasing use
of resources
P - Pollution
C - Climate change
O - Overexploitation
Occurs when a large, intact
area of habitat such as a forest or natural grassland
is divided, typically by roads, logging operations, crop
fields, and urban development, into smaller, isolated
patches or habitat islands.
Habitat fragmentation
This is the greatest threat to wild species.
Specifically, deforestation in tropical areas, followed
by the destruction and degradation of coastal
wetlands and coral reefs, the plowing of grasslands
for planting of crops and the pollution of streams,
lakes, and oceans.
H - Habitat Destruction, Degradation, and Fragmentation
The next biggest cause of animal and plant extinctions and loss of the ecosystem services they
provide is the deliberate or accidental introduction of harmful species into ecosystems.
I – Invasive Species
Advantages of Invasive Species
Nonnative species may increase the food supply of an area. Some deliberately
introduced species have also helped to control pests
Disadvantages of Invasive Species
The problem is that, in their new habitats,
some introduced species do not face natural predators,
competitors, parasites, viruses, bacteria, or fungi that had
Helped to control their numbers in their original habitats.
The best way to reduce threats from
invasive species
Prevention
Have greatly expanded the human ecological footprint. People have eliminated, degraded, and
fragmented vast areas of wildlife habitat as they have spread out all over the planet, using
resources at increasing rates wherever they go, and this has caused the extinction of many
species.
P – Population Growth
Also threatens some species with extinction, due to the unintended effects of
pesticides and other pollutants.
Pollution
Could help to drive a quarter to half of all land animals and plants to
extinction by the end of this century. For example, scientific studies indicate that the polar bear
is threatened because of higher temperatures and melting sea ice in its polar habitat.
Climate change
