Biodiversity Notes

1. Biodiversity Notes Pg. 222 - 246 Part 2

2. Bird Extinctions • Habitat loss • Degredation • Fragmentation • Invasive species that prey on birds • Climate change

3. Benefits from Birds • Good environmental indicators • Live in every climate and biome • Respond quickly to changes in their habitat • Easy to track and count • Control rodent/insect populations • Pollinate flowers • Seed dispersal

4. Biotic Pollution • Harmful effects of invasive species • Wipe out native species • Trigger ecological disruptions

5. Fire Ants • They spread rapidly by land and water • Wipe out many native ant populations • They swarm when they attack and sting • Damage many crops, phone/power lines

6. Preventing the Introduction of Invasive Species • Research what makes an invader successful and the habitats that are vulnerable • Better inspection of imported goods • Ban the transfer of dangerous invasive species • Research to find natural predators/parasites to control invasive species populations

7. Why Kill Endangered Species? • Poaching: illegal taking or killing of wild organisms • $$$ • As valuable species become endangered, their black market value increases greatly

8. CITES • Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species • International treaty signed by 169 countries • Lists about 900 species that cannot be commercially traded either alive or as prodcuts because they are endangered

9. Endangered Species Act • Forbids federal agencies to be associated with any project that would jeopardize an endangered or threatened species • Large fines for crimes committed on private land • Illegal to trande/sell/buy a product made from an endangered species • All commerical shipments of wildlife must enter/leave through 1 of 9 designated ports

10. Habitat Conservation Plans • Allows private land owners to destroy some critical habitat if they take steps to protect members of the endangered species

11. Safe Harbor Agreements • If land owners agree to steps to restore habitats of endangered species, they are guaranteed that the natural resources they use will not face future restrictions

12. Efforts to Weaken the Endangered Species Act • Make protection on private land voluntary • If people cant use part of their land the gov’t should compensate them • Harder and more expensive to get a species on the list • Eliminating the need to designate critical habitats • Allowing the secretary to let a species go extinct without trying to save it • Allowing the secretary to give any entity permanent exemption from the law

13. Voluntary Candidate Conservation Agreements • Landowners help conserve a species that is declining but not yet threatened • They get technical help, subsidies, and no additional resource restrictions

14. Refuges • Set aside land to protect endangered species • Many are weakened by invasive species • Human visitors degrade habitats

15. Gene Banks and Botanical Gardens • Stores seeds to preserve endangered plant species • Not all species can be preserved in gene banks • Banks are expensive and accidents happen • Botanical gardens contain live plants • Gardens don’t have enough storage and have many visitors that degrade the gardens

16. Aquiriums and Zoos • Protect animals with hopes of reintroducing them back into the wild • Many have captive breeding programs • Lack space and money • Captive breeding doesn’t always work • Mostly they try to educate the public

17. Reconciliation Ecology • Focuses on establishing and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in areas populated by humans

18. Implementing Reconciliation Ecology • Communities can • agree to reduce or eliminate pesticide use • Plant gardens • Build habitats for species • Have contests to encourage people to have species friendly yards