Transcript Endangered Species - University of Illinois at Chicago

ENDANGERED SPECIES
READINGS:
FREEMAN, 2005
Chapter 54
Pages 1272-1283
EXTINCT AND
ENDANGERED SPECIES
• Extinction is a process that has been going
on since the origin of life on earth.
• Current concerns over the rate of extinction is
that it has increased dramatically due to
human activity.
• It is estimated that since 1600, about 2.1 % of
the world’s mammal species and 1.3% of its
bird species have gone extinct.
• Endangered species are those who’s
numbers are small or rapidly declining but still
have a chance of avoiding extinction if
humans act.
N. A. Extinctions in the Past
• Extinction is a natural
process.
• The rate of occurrence
prior to the present was
largely related to
climate change
(glaciations).
• Recent rates largely
due to human activities
have increased the rate
at least ten fold over the
average for the past
25,000 years.
EXTINCT AND
ENDANGERED SPECIES
TAXON
EXTINCT (%) ENDANGERED (%)
Mammals
85(2.1)
505 (11)
Birds
113(1.3)
1,029(11)
Reptiles
21(0.3)
167(3)
Amphibians
2(0.1)
59(2)
Fishes
23(0.1)
452(2)
Invertebrates
98(0.01)
N.A.
Flowering Plants
384(0.2)
21,895(9)
EXTINCT BIRD SPECIES
• A number of bird
extinctions have
occurred on islands
where human
populations grew
rapidly and adopted
modern forms of
agriculture.
• New Zeeland and
Hawaii have
experienced a had a
number of extinct bird
species.
Extinction of Passenger Pigeon
Stuffed Specimen
• One of the most abundant
birds east of the Rocky
Mountains, who’s
populations may have
ranged between 1 and 4
billion.
• Bred in large colonies; one
egg laid per season.
• Last nesting birds in Great
Lakes region in 1890’s.
• Last individuals shot in
Babcock, WI in 1889 and
Pike County, OH in 1900.
Last survivor died at 1pm on
9-1-14 in Cincinnati Zoo.
Extinction of Dusky Seaside
Sparrow
• A non-migratory subspecies of the
seaside sparrow found in marshes
of Merritt Island and along the St.
John’s River in Southern Florida.
• Nesting grounds destroyed by
flooding to reduce mosquito
population around Kennedy Space
Center.
• Pollution and pesticides along with
highway construction further
reduced population.
• Last female sighted in 1975; 6
remaining males moved to
Discovery Island nature reserve in
1979. Last male died on 6-17-1987.
ENDANGERED AND
THREATENED SPECIES
• Endangered means a species that is in danger or
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of
its range.
• Threatened means a species that is likely to
become endangered within the foreseeable future
throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
• The Endangered Species Act (EAS) was passed
in 1973 to protect listed species for the “esthetic,
ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific
value to our Nation and its people”.
ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES
As of 9-24-06, the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed 1,006
endangered and 287 threatened species in the US.
TAXON
ENDANGERED THREATENED
Mammal
69
13
Bird
76
15
Reptile
14
23
Amphibian
12
10
Fishes
73
47
Invertebrates
164
33
Plants
598
146
http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/StartTESS.do
SOME ENDANGERED
MAMMALS
SOME ENDANGERED
BIRDS
SOME ENDANGERED
FISHES
SOME ENDANGERED
PLANTS
WILDLIFE PROTECTION IN
NATIONAL PARKS
WILDLIFE REFUGES AND
WILDERNESS AREAS
• In addition to the National
Parks, Federal public lands
include National Wildlife and
Wilderness Areas that act to
provide habitat for
threatened and endangered
species.
• Of the 700 million acres
(about 1/3 of the US), that
are in the public domain
about 170 million are
devoted to this preservation
effort.
Larger Preserves Provide
Greater Protection Against
Extinction
Newmark, 1987
• A study has followed
mammal extinctions in
National Parks in the US and
Canada.
• Species loss in 14 western
North American National
Parks is consistent with the
species area relationships
seen earlier.
• Number of extinctions was
greatest in smallest parks.
THE BISON WAS THE FIRST
“ENDANGERED” SPECIES
YEAR
NUMBER
1700
60,000,000
1889
835
1950
45,000
1995
200,000
• The buffalo was found in
most of North America prior
to “settlement”.
• Its range was dramatically
reduced by hunting and
habitat destruction.
• This “endangered” species
was conserved in the first
national park (Yellowstone)
and its numbers increased
under human management.
BACK FROM THE BRINK OF
EXTINCTION
• Once abundant and
widespread, wild turkeys
were hunted to near
extinction. By the early
1900’s none were found in
Michigan.
• Protection stemmed decline.
• Reintroduction resulted in
widespread recovery. Newly
established population in
Michigan lead to exponential
increase in birds harvested.
From 91 in 1970 to over
13,000 in 1990.
Population Viability Analysis
• This is a model that estimates the
likelihood that a population will avoid
extinction for a given period of time.
• Freeman (2005, page 1210) describes
how it was used to manage an
endangered marsupial population in
Australia.
Population Viability Analysis
For An Elephant Population
A population viability
analysis was
conducted to
answer the
question:
How Large Should
An Elephant
Reserve Be?
How Large Should An
Elephant Reserve Be?
Assumptions:
1) Survivorship in normal years is known
and can be estimated for 3 drought
regimes.
2) 2) Age to first reproduction and calving
interval is density dependent.
3) 3) Extinction occurs when N = 0 or N
is all the same sex.
Female Survivorship in
Normal Years
Results: Lifespan is
around 60
years.Substantial
“infant” mortality until
large enough to avoid
most predators
(approximately 5 years).
Type II survivorship up
to about age 45 then
rate increases.
Projected Population Growth
in Normal Years
Results: Starting off
with 11 males and
11 females with an r
= 0.03 and living in
an area of 4,000
square miles, the
population leveled
off at around 12,500
individuals in about
625 years.
Probability of Extinction
Results:
1) If the reserve is 20 square mile the
probability of extinction is 1 after only 250
years.
2) If the reserve is 200 square miles the
probability of extinction is 0.1 after only 700
years.
3) If the reserve is 1,000 square miles the
probably of extinction is 0.005 after 1,000
years.
How Large Should An
Elephant Reserve Be?
Conclusion: At a maximum population
growth rate of 3% per year and a
density of 3.1 elephants per square
mile, a minimum reserve size of 1,000
square miles is necessary for a 99%
probability of persistence for 1,000
years.
ILLINOIS IS THE PRAIRIE STATE
• At the time of
settlement, Illinois was
dominated by grassland
(prairie) communities.
• With the invention of the
mold-board plow by
John Deer, a resident of
Illinois, prairie was
rapidly converted to
farm field.
• Today, less than 1/10 of
1% remains today.
Nature Preserves In Northern
Illinois
• The Chicago Region has a rich heritage of
nature preserves.
• The so called “Chicago Wilderness” occupies
about 225,000 acres.
• It includes around 106 nature preserves.
• One can find out more about them by visiting:
http://dnr.state.il.us/INPC/area2.htm
• Two of particular interest are Woodworth
Prairie and Wolf Road Prairie.
COOK COUNTY FOREST
PRESERVE
The Cook County Forest
Preserve District consists of
67,000 acres (11% of
county) acquired “for the
purpose of protecting and
preserving the flora, fauna
and scenic beauties within
such district, and to restore,
restock, protect and preserve
the natural forests and such
lands together with their flora
and fauna, as nearly as may
be, in their natural state and
condition.”
WOLF ROAD NATURE
PRESERVE
• This 80 acre preserve is
combination of three
native community types:
prairie, savanna, and
wetlands.
• It was too wet to plow or
graze extensively and
has survived as the
largest black-soil prairie
east of the Mississippi.
Plant Species at Wolf Road
Prairie
• These are less than 1%
of the native plant
species reported to live
at Wolf Road Prairie
(327 species).
• An online tour of WRP
is available by visiting:
http://www.savetheprairi
esociety.org/
BIOS 101 STUDENTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SEEDS
AND PLANTS FOR RESTORATION AT WRP AND
CCFPD
Since 1992, BioS
101 students have
contributed nearly
80,000 seedlings
that have been used
in restoration
projects throughout
Chicago land.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
READINGS:
FREEMAN, 2005
Chapter 54
Pages 1272-1283