Overexploitation, Exotic Species, and Diseases Flashcards
(35 cards)
Examples of things facing overexploitation?
- whaling
- ivory
- medicinal plants
- sharks
- bushmeat
- seahorses
How many sharks have been fished out of ocean in last 50 years?
90%
Why are sharks fished?
fins (shark fin soup)
Why are sharks so vulnerable to overfishing?
- delayed reproduction
- few offspring (low fecundity)
What is a reason for chimpanzees decline in population?
hunted for live animal trade and for meat
Why has hunting chimpanzees and other animals become more accessible?
expansion of commercial logging
How profitable is the bushmeat industry?
$1 billion industry
What does the Jane Goodall Institute do?
helps orphaned chimpanzees survive (result of loss of mother due to bushmeat trade)
What are the major targeted groups of the worldwide trade in wildlife?
- primates
- birds
- reptiles
- ornamental fish
- reed corals
- orchids
- cacti
What is the International Whaling Commission?
global body responsible for management of whaling and conservation of whales
What is impacting the recovery of humpback whales?
climate change
What did Kenyan Wildlife Service do to show they are against poaching?
collected illegally traded ivory and made big pile of it and burned it
How many african elephants are killed by poachers each year?
30,000
What are decoy tusks used for?
have gps and are used to track ivory trade
What is the Asian turtle crisis?
- In different Asian countries, turtles are sold at markets and it is depleting populations
- happening worldwide as well
What is the fear with GMOs?
GMO crops will harm birds, insects, soil organisms, other species, and even humans
What is the hope with GMOs?
GMO crops will produce more food and use less pesticides, resulting in an improved water quality and healthier animals
What is an invasive species?
one that arrives (often with human assistance) in a habitat that had not previously occupied, then establishes a population and spreads autonomously
Why are invasive species bad?
likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health
What are ideal characteristics for an organism to be a candidate to become invasive species?
- good dispersal abilities
- high population growth rates
- ability to reproduce asexually or through self-fertilization
- “genetic fitness”
- broad ecological tolerance
- climatic matching
What makes certain ecosystems vulnerable?
- diverse, undisturbed communities have few invaders (biotic resistance)
- disturbed habitats have more invaders
- human residential areas
- islands
Why are human residential areas vulnerable?
- many European species are commensal with humans (synanthropic)
Why are islands vulnerable?
little history with competitors, predators, parasites, or diseases
Examples of synanthropic species?
raccoons, coyotes, opossums, starlings, cockroaches
