GC: Lesson - Endangered Species (Topic 9.9) 📖

⏳ Estimated Reading Time: 6 - 8 minutes

Explain how species become endangered and strategies to combat the problem.

 

Endangered Species

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Conservation biology is a branch of science that is most focused on the protection of populations and species.  Unfortunately, the species that are often the first to go are the species that we, as humans, tend to appreciate the most.  These species are long-lived, large, older at first reproduction, and have high levels of parental care. In other words, K-selected species are the first to become threatened and endangered.

Review the characteristics of K-selected species. Think of a species you know to be endangered. How does it fit into each of these categories?

🐼 A Preference for Stable Environments (click to reveal)

K-strategists survive best in stable environments because they have adaptations that allow them to compete for resources, avoid predation, and invest in their offspring. 

🐘 Large Size (click to reveal)

K-strategists are usually larger, stronger, or better protected than r-strategists, which makes them less vulnerable to predators and environmental stresses.

🦧 Long-Lived (click to reveal)

They have longer life spans, which means they can reproduce multiple times and maintain their population size. They have fewer but larger and higher quality offspring each time they reproduce.

🐊 Late Maturity (click to reveal)

K-strategists are late to mature because they have adaptations that allow them to compete for resources, avoid predation, and invest in their offspring.

🐋 Parental Care (click to reveal)

K-strategists have parental care because they invest heavily in their offspring to ensure their survival and reproduction in environments where resources are limited, and competition is high. Parental care can include providing food, shelter, protection, and teaching to the offspring. Parental care can also increase the offspring’s chances of finding mates and passing on their genes.

Additionally, species that have never before met humans are also in danger of becoming extinct because they do not know to be wary of hunters. This phenomenon is called species naivete. A prime example of a species going extinct due to this phenomenon is the dodo bird that used to exist on the island of Mauritius. Dodos were descendants of a type of pigeon. Because there were no predators of the dodo on the island, the bird lost its ability to fly and nested on the ground. When early sailors found the island and the bird, they easily decimated the dodo population for food, feathers, and eggs.

We've talked about the acronym “HIPPCO" before. When thinking about how a species became or will become endangered, think about each part of HIPPCO:

• H: Habitat Destruction 🚧
• I: Invasive Species 🐍
• P: Population Growth 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
• P: Pollution 🛢
• C: Climate Change 🌎
• O: Overexploitation 🎣

 

A variety of factors can lead to a species becoming threatened with extinction, such as being extensively hunted, having limited diet, being outcompeted by invasive species, or having specific and limited habitat requirements.

Not all species will be in danger of extinction when exposed to the same changes in their ecosystem. Species that are able to adapt to changes in their environment or that are able to move to a new environment are less likely to face extinction.

Selective pressures are any factors that change the behaviors and fitness of organisms within an environment.

Species in a given ecosystem compete for resources like territory, food, mates, and habitat, and this competition may lead to endangerment or extinction.

 

Protecting Endangered Species

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Choose one accordion tab that interests you the most and open it. Open another accordion tab that you have not explored yet. Compare and contrast it with the previous one. Finish by checking the other tabs you have not yet explored:

 Endangered Species Act (ESA) 🐼 (click to reveal)

In 1973, the Endangered Species Act 🐼 was passed. It protects endangered and threatened species. It defines endangered species as species that have been reduced to the point where they are in imminent danger of becoming extinct if protection is not provided. It defines threatened species as species that are judged to be in jeopardy, but not yet on the brink of extinction. This law gives huge protections to species that earn a spot on the list.

Species can be listed as an Endangered or Threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or by petitions. 

Getting a species listed on the Endangered or Threatened Species list is a bit complicated and requires significant scientific study. However, anyone can petition the FWS to list species that appear to be in trouble. 

The ESA is somewhat controversial because once a species is listed, its habitat becomes protected as well. This can interfere with economic activities such as logging, mining, and any other activity that could potentially impact a species' habitat. One side of the controversy wants to use the habitat for economic gain while the other side sees the value in protecting a species. Debate can become heated at times and prices of commodities such as lumber, metals, and minerals can be impacted. In short, if you want to see species protected, you should be prepared to pay a higher price for some goods and services.

 

 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 🐘  (click to reveal)

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 🐘, is an international agreement aimed at ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES takes a multi-pronged approach for countries to cooperate and collaborate and prevent the depletion of species:

• • • • • Regulate Trade
          • regulates and monitors the international trade of animal and plant species to ensure that it is legal, sustainable, and traceable.
        • Appendices that reflect degree of protection needed

• • • • • • Appendix I: Includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in these species is only allowed in exceptional circumstances.
          • Appendix II: Contains species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.
          • Appendix III: Includes species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.

Through these mechanisms, CITES plays a crucial role in the global effort to protect biodiversity and halt the mass extinction of species, empowering law enforcement officials and courts to enforce species protections effectively and promoting the sustainable and legal use of wild animals and plants, which is better for economies than unchecked illegal trade that can drive species to extinction.

Currently, CITES provides protection for over 38,000 animal and plant species, subspecies, and populations around the world.

 

In short, species all over the planet are in trouble and need our help if they are to survive. Criminalizing poaching, protecting species’ habitats, and passing legislation like the Endangered Species Act are some of the things being done to try and stave off extinction of many species. Not every country has an Endangered Species Act, so it sometimes takes global cooperation to protect species. This is where agreements like Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) come into play.

 

Strategies to protect animal populations include criminalizing poaching, protecting animal habitats, and legislation.

 

You should know the factors that make a species more likely to become endangered.

CITES 🐘 and the Endangered Species Act 🐼 are two of the pieces of legislation you NEED to know for the AP exam.

 

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