endangered species

Examples of endangered species in the following topics:

• Measuring Biodiversity

  • As of mid-2012, close to 150,000 named species had been barcoded.
  • Early studies suggest there are significant numbers of undescribed species that looked too much like sibling species to previously be recognized as different.
  • Numerous computer databases now provide information about named species and a framework for adding new species.
  • This task is carried out by the non-profit IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) which maintains the Red List: an online listing of endangered species categorized by taxonomy, type of threat, and other criteria .
  • The Red List is an online listing of endangered species categorized by taxonomy, type of threat, and other criteria.

• Changing Human Behavior in Response to Biodiversity Loss

  • Within many countries there are laws that protect endangered species and regulate hunting and fishing.
  • The Act now lists over 800 protected species.
  • Many nations have laws that protect endangered species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development, or creating preserves.
  • Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare or endangered species in human-controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves and conservation facilities.
  • Captive breeding is meant to prevent species extinction and to stabilize the population of the species so that it will not disappear.

• Exotic Species

  • Invasive species that are closely related to rare native species have the potential to hybridize with the native species.
  • Invasive species cause competition for native species.
  • Four hundred of the 958 endangered species under the Endangered Species Act are at risk due to this competition.
  • This Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus), an endangered species from Panama, died from a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis.
  • Describe the impact of exotic and invasive species on native species

• Present-Time Extinctions

  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) keeps a list of extinct and endangered species called the Red List.
  • Secondly, the number of recently-extinct species is increasing because extinct species now are being described from skeletal remains.
  • The species-area relationship is the rate at which new species are seen when the area surveyed is increased.
  • Species-area estimates have led to species extinction rate calculations of about 1000 E/MSY and higher.
  • Recent work has also called into question the applicability of the species-area relationship when estimating the loss of species.

• Natural and Artificial Methods of Asexual Reproduction in Plants

  • Grafting has long been used to produce novel varieties of roses, citrus species, and other plants.
  • In grafting, two plant species are used: part of the stem of the desirable plant is grafted onto a rooted plant called the stock.
  • In some species, stems can start producing a root even when placed only in water.
  • This method allows propagation of rare, endangered species that may be difficult to grow under natural conditions, are economically important, or are in demand as disease-free plants.
  • The plant material is thoroughly sterilized using a combination of chemical treatments standardized for that species.

• Habitat Loss and Sustainability

  • Other species cannot do this.
  • Remove the entire habitat within the range of a species and, unless they are one of the few species that do well in human-built environments, the species will become extinct.
  • It is home to one sub-species of orangutan, a species of critically endangered elephant, and the Sumatran tiger; however half of Sumatra's forest is now gone.
  • The orangutan in Borneo is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but it is simply the most visible of thousands of species that will not survive the disappearance of the forests of Borneo.
  • Other species include the (b) Sumatran tiger and the (d) Sumatran elephant, both of which are critically endangered.

• Biodiversity of Plants

  • Plant biodiversity, vital to ecosystems, food crops, and medicine production, is threatened by habitat destruction and species extinction.
  • Ebony and Brazilian rosewood, both on the endangered list, are examples of tree species driven almost to extinction by indiscriminate logging .
  • The number of plant species becoming extinct is increasing at an alarming rate.
  • These unknown species are threatened by logging, habitat destruction, and loss of pollinators.
  • Efforts to preserve biodiversity take several lines of action, from preserving heirloom seeds to barcoding species.

• Organismal Ecology and Population Ecology

  • The adult butterflies feed on the nectar of flowers of wild lupine and other plant species.
  • A population is a group of interbreeding organisms that are members of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
  • Organisms that are all members of the same species, a population, are called conspecifics.
  • Population ecologists are particularly interested in counting the Karner blue butterfly, for example, because it is classified as federally endangered.
  • However, the distribution and density of this species is highly influenced by the distribution and abundance of wild lupine.

• Biogeography

  • No species exists everywhere.
  • Approximately 3/4 of living plant and mammal species are endemic species found solely in Australia .
  • Sometimes ecologists discover unique patterns of species distribution by determining where species are not found.
  • Some of these plants are endangered due to human activity.
  • Listed as federally endangered, the forest gardenia is a small tree with distinctive flowers.

• Speciation

  • Speciation is an event in which a single species may branch to form two or more new species.
  • Many species are similar enough that hybrid offspring are possible and may often occur in nature, but for the majority of species this rule generally holds.
  • In fact, the presence in nature of hybrids between similar species suggests that they may have descended from a single interbreeding species: the speciation process may not yet be completed.
  • Given the extraordinary diversity of life on the planet, there must be mechanisms for speciation: the formation of two species from one original species.
  • Biologists think of speciation events as the splitting of one ancestral species into two descendant species.