Causes of Endangerment--Natural

• Starvation

• Being outcompeted by other similar species

• Excessive predation

• Natural disaster

• Loss of habitat through natural means?

• Impediments to mating?

Causes of Endangerment—Anthropogenic

• HIPPCO

  • habitat destruction

  • invasive species

  • pollution

  • population growth

  • climate change

  • overexploitation

Selective Pressures: Any factors that change the behaviors and fitness of organisms within an environment

• “Selective” = Natural selection = leads to evolution

Not all species are equally impacted by selective pressures and ecosystem changes…

1. Adaptability

2. Mobility

Protecting Endangered Species include…

1. criminalizing poaching

2. protecting animal rights

Metapopulations: spatially separated pops of same species, interact and interbreed

Factors influencing ecosystem conservation plans

1. Size, shape, connectedness

   1. Theory of island biogeography

   2. Metapopulations

   3. SLOSS (Single Large or Several Small)

   4. Edge habitat

2. Biosphere reserves

   1. Contain zones that vary in allowed amount of impact

   2. Central core, buffer zone, transition area

3. Legislation

Different Types of Species

Limitations of single- species approach

• Protecting HABITAT instead allows ecosystem to be more flexible/natural

  • Protects species/relationships we’re not even aware of

  • Focus $/efforts on “hot spots” of biodiversity (rainforests, coral reefs)

Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)

• prohibits killing any marine mammals in the US and any import/export of MM body parts

Endangered Species Act (1973)

• Authorizes the USFWS to determine which species can be listed as threatened or endangered

• prohibits their harm as well as trade of fur/ other body parts

Endangered: Danger of extinction within the forseeable future

Threatened: Likely to become endangered in forseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range