Transcript Invasive & End Species

Invasive Species Cause Biodiversity Loss
• Invasive species are any non-native
organism that spread outside their
normal distribution and threaten
biodiversity by outcompeting native
organisms.
• Invasive species occur in all
taxonomic groups.
• Invasive species are responsible for
over 40% of all extinct species since
the 1700’s.
• The US economic cost associated
with invasive species is well over
$100 billion.
What is the Convention?
Signed by 150 government
leaders at the 1992 Rio
Earth Summit, the
Convention on Biological
Diversity is dedicated to
promoting sustainable
development.
How Are They Introduced ?
Some Intentionally
Food crops –
ex. Pineapples
in Hawaii
Erosion Control
– ex. Kudzu
Most Accidently
Exotic Pet Trade –
Bermese pythons in FL
everglades
Ballast water –
zebra mussels
Shipping Crates – sub
formosan termites
More Examples of Invasive Species
• Native to the Indian sub-continent, the ship rat (Rattus rattus) have
caused extinctions and catastrophic declines of native birds on islands
and have spread throughout the world. (case study)
• Native to the Amazon basin, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has
invaded tropical habitats worldwide spreading to more than 50
countries on five continents. Water hyacinth blocks waterways,
decimates aquatic wildlife and the livelihoods of local people and
creates ideal conditions for disease and its vectors. (video clip)
Georgia Invasive Species
GYPSY MOTH
• Extinctions are not only a
natural part of the earth’s
history, but are vital for
opening niches and initiating
diversity.
• However, we are currently in
an alarming rate of global
extinction of organisms due to
human interactions – such as
habitat fragmentation,
introducing invasive species,
and over harvesting (including
hunting)
Information on endangered species
in the following slides taken from:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Black Rhino
Giant Panda
Some Classics
Tigers
Gorillas
Bald Eagles
Harlequin Toad - Costa
Rica & Brazil (thought to be
extinct in the 80’s but found
again in early 90’s)
Verreaux’s Safaka Lemur Madacascar. Habitat destruction timber companies, charcoal production
Largetooth Sawfish Indo West Pacific.
Hunted as prize catch
and entanglement in
drift nets (by-catch)
Pinwheel Snail - South Africa.
Lives in urban location. Habitat
destruction
Channel Island Fox - CA,
USA Disease - virus
Crocodile Newt China “Threatened” popular Chinese Med.
& exotic pet trades
Magnifica Vine Ecuador habitat
destruction for
charcoal production
Slender Loris - Sri Lanka
Habitat Destruction deforestation
Short beaked
common dolphin
- PCB
poisoning,
bycatch
Gray Whale
- N.W
Pacific Only
50 left.
Hunted to
almost
extinction
California Condor
Gymnogyps californianus
Status: Endangered, except where there is an
experimental population (specific portions of Arizona,
Nevada and Utah)
 Captive Breeding
 Ecosystem – won’t support many
 Scarce food & land
Risk factors: The number one cause
of death of adult cranes is collisions
with power lines during migration.
Other factors include industrial,
agricultural and recreational
developments which encroach on
wintering and migration rest areas.
Conservation efforts since
1938 have resulted in a slow
increase. Including those in
captivity, and 25 cranes in two
other wild populations, there
are now 320 whooping cranes in
the world.
ORGANISMS IN DANGER
1) Require large amounts of space
or food
2) Reproduce slowly
3) Specialists (food)
WHAT ARE WE DOING??
1) Poaching, hunting, overfishing
2) Destruction of habitats!!!
3) Introduction of alien species
4) Pollution