Week 23

Question 1

What are the two types of pollution impacts?

Answer 1

• Toxic: Normally lethal, affecting organism functions and may be persistent and may bioaccumulate. Eg Air/water pollution
• Non-toxic: Disturb behaviour and can be lethal

Question 2

Example of toxic pollution is water pollution. What are the sources of this?

Answer 2

Regularly discharged by factories and sewage treatment plans.​

Sediments, fertilisers and pesticides from agricultural practices.​

Catastrophic surges as a result of accidents.​

Question 3

British raptors declined following the widespread use of DDT in agriculture since the early 50’s​. Eggs with high levels of DDT have thinner shells​.
Explain how DDT pesticide is toxic beyond its target organism?

Answer 3

Toxic for many non-target species​

Long lasting​

Easily spread to large areas​

Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification: toxin accumulates in living organisms and passes to their predators. Toxin becomes more concentrated the higher the trophic level.

Question 4

A non-toxic water pollution example is plastic microbead pollution??

Answer 4

Directly consumed by many species

Question 5

Non-toxic light pollution impacts what?

Answer 5

Artificial light at night, affects behaviour of nocturnal animals (eg, turtles, birds, mammals and insects)

Question 6

True or false:

All species have a thermal tolerance?

Answer 6

True.

Species differ in there thermal optimum and the range of temperatures they tolerate.

Species who do not adapt, every species thermal optimum will be out of range. Therefore, a mass extinction event may occur.

Question 7

How can species adapt to climate change?

Answer 7

Species change their phenology​:
- life cycle events related to variations in climate​
- Insect fly early​
- Reproductive events happen early​
- Birds migrate early​

Species changing their distribution ​:
- geographic and altitudinal distributions limited by temperature​
- Expansions pole-wards and uphill​
- Contractions at warm limits and downhill​

Question 8

What are examples of species that are less likely to adapt or respond to climate change?

Answer 8

• Polar & high elevation species: ​ Already at their maximum thermal tolerance. Nowhere to go if habitats become warmer.​
• Tropical mountain species: Narrow thermal tolerances that can easily be disrupted; nowhere to go if at top of a mountain
• Species with low mobility:​ will not be able to shift their distributions

Question 9

What are synergistic effects on biodiversity?

Answer 9

The impact of two factors together is greater than the sum of individual effects

Question 10

Butterflies are habitat specialists, what does this mean?

Answer 10

As climate improves, the butterflies can adapt to the warmer climate. However, they are specific to plant species they can eat.

The Comma butterfly eats a lot of vegetation, this impacts the other butterflies as there is no food left, when they can only eat specific food..

So while positive, it has negative impact

Question 11

What are the criteria for selecting species for conservation?

Answer 11

Instrumental uses
Intrinsic values
Ecological values
Uniqueness

• Level of threat!

Question 12

What company decides who gets conserved and who doesn’t?

Answer 12

International Union for Conervation of Nature (IUCN)

Question 13

What are the extinction criteria?

Answer 13

Extinct
Extinct in the wild
Critically endangered,
Endangered,
Vulnerable
Near Threatened
Least concer

Question 14

What different ways is extinction threat measured?

Answer 14

• Different spatial scales
• Different temporal scales and rates of change (Measured every 5-years for those on the red list)
• Different data sources: observed, estimated, projected, inferred, suspected

Question 15

How is a species classified as Extinct?

Answer 15

When there is no doubt that the last individual has died

Question 16

How is an organism classified as extinct in the wild?

Answer 16

When it is known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalised population well outside the past range.

Organisms that do not exists without human management eg zoo populations

Usually due to coevolving with a specific habitat and so need that specific habitat that isn’t there anymore to survive upon.

Question 17

What classifies an organism as critically endanged?

Answer 17

Right at the edge of going extinct. In a state decline year after year and the decline is so rapid if we don’t do anything now they will go extinct

Question 18

What classifies an organism as endangered?

Answer 18

Declining at slow rate and protected habitat is increased.

Typically drop into this when their state continues to decline.

Question 19

What classifies an organism as vulnerable?

Answer 19

On the watch list for becoming threatened, kept an eye on but not declining at a quick enough rate

Question 20

What is the greatest organism threat to conservation?

Answer 20

Coral species

Question 21

Why are the reasons for investing in species that are only threatened locally?

Answer 21

They may be flagships for important ecosystems.

For example in Bitterns habitat, wetlands play a role in flood protection and combatting climate change by locking away carbon-rich plant matter in their mud. Therefore, if we can conserve this habitat and this organism, we can conserve others!

Question 22

Why may organisms be data deficient and not evaluated?

Answer 22

• Don’t want to evaluate them because we ‘don’t like them’ eg Crabs, snails, butterfly, etc.
• Know they exist, but unsure as to how many there are as we see them little EG Giant squid seen very few times so little data to suggest if these are endangered or not.

Question 23

Pros of species-based approaches to conservation?

Answer 23

Species are more discrete entities than ecosystems​

Convenient for monitoring ​

Public interest in species​

Question 24

Cons of species-based approaches to conservation?

Answer 24

Little known about most spp.​

Taxonomic bias (vertebrates & trees)​

Species cannot exist without their habitats (unless Ex Situ)​

Question 25

What is the criteria for selecting areas for conservation?

Answer 25

Size of the area​ Intactness (fragmentation)​ Site condition (disturbance)​ Habitat rarity​ Level of threat​ Fragility / vulnerability to future change​ Biodiversity​ (Richness hotspots, endemicity hotspots, threat hotspots, complementarity areas)

Question 26

What is complementarity areas in terms of conservation?

Answer 26

Areas conserved as they represent as much biodiversity as possible in a limited area of land available for conservation

Question 27

Why do protected areas of land not work effeciently?

Answer 27

Tourism - Threat of destroying areas that you're paying to conserve. Have to see the area to know it needs protecting, but more people that go, more disruption occurs Expensive - Economic cost of a species the same as the one to conserve it? Size of them restricts the natural size of habitats causing species to have limited survival the area isn't big enough - habitat tunnels/corridors are a way around this.

Question 28

What are conservation triage?

Answer 28

Approaches that abandon some species or subpopulations t extinction, in order to focus resources on others with their chances of survival

Question 29

What is ex-situ conservation?

Answer 29

the removal of species from their natural habitat into captivity for their long-term conservation, such as to breed for reintroduction or to maintain a genetic stock.​

Question 30

What is in-situ conservation?

Answer 30

the actions taken to preserve a species in its natural habitat.​

Question 31

What are ex-situ conservation sites for plants?

Answer 31

Botanic gardens​ Seed banks (domestic plant varieties & wild plants)​ Preservation of plant tissue (cryopreserved)

Question 32

What is Millennium Seed Bank Partnership in terms of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 32

Kew Botanic Gardens, London​ Store seeds of all UK’s native plant species (2009)​ Store seed of 25% of the world’s plants (2020)​ Priority-setting: focus on species vulnerable to climate change (e.g. alpine, island, dryland), arid locations, endemic species, economically-important, endangered ​

Question 33

What is Mexico's tomato agrobiodiversity in terms of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 33

Effort to document traditional tomato varieties, in search of those that are high-nutrition and climate resilient​ Ensure they are protected in farmers’ fields (in-situ) and in botanic gardens (ex-situ)​

Question 34

What is agrobiodiversity?

Answer 34

is a sub-set of biodiversity that results from both natural selection processes and selection by farmers over millennia​

Question 35

Give examples of ex-situ conservation of fauna (animals)?

Answer 35

- Zoos - Aquariums - Wildlife parks

Question 36

What is Martin Mere in terms of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 36

WWT has been saving wetland species ever since the Severn Wildfowl Trust was established in 1946. Our international projects focus on globally Critically Endangered species including the rarest bird in the world - the Madagascar Pochard - and those which can act as flagships for wetland conservation along international flyways, such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Baer’s Pochard.”​ ​ >150,000 animals overall​ 190 species recorded on site​ International projects: Myanmar, Cambodia, Madagascar.​ Migratory bird species: Plover, Ruff, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Bar-tailed Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope​

Question 37

How can private 'hobbyist' collections have ex-situ implications?

Answer 37

Ex-situ breeding of species for personal, rather than commercial or conservation objectives ​ Potential reservoirs of rare species​ Not a part of mainstream conservation efforts​ (can be morally questionable eg magicians)

Question 38

Example of private 'hobbyist' collections that experience ex-situ and been successful?

Answer 38

Private collection of Spix's macaw IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered, possibly Extinct in the Wild ​ 1987: 19 known captive in zoos, 1 wild (Brazil)​ Early 2000’s: Two large private collections purchased by conservation groups​ 2015: 110 captive birds and plans for breeding and reintroduction​

Question 39

Ex-situ needs what type of conservation to achieve its goal?

Answer 39

In-situ

Question 40

How do commercial breeding occur with ex-situ implications?

Answer 40

Ex-situ breeding of species for commercial, rather than conservation objectives ​ Potential reservoirs of rare species​ Not a part of mainstream conservation efforts​ (moral efforts questionable)

Question 41

Example of an organism where commercial breeding has occurred with ex-situ implications of the siamese crocodile?

Answer 41

Native to SE Asia​ IUCN Red List: ​ Critically endangered​ Extinct in the wild across most of its range, except in Cambodia​ >1 million in captivity for leather industry​ In 2010, 799 farms in Thailand alone​ Hybridisation​ Artificial selection ​

Question 42

Example of an organism where commercial breeding has occurred with ex-situ implications of the south china tiger?

Answer 42

IUCN Red List: Critically endangered, probably extinct in the wild ​ 1950: 4,000 individuals, not sighted in >25 years​ 1986: 40 pure-bred tigers in 17 Chinese zoos, none wild-bread Save​ 2002: Save China’s Tigers South African begin work to rewild tigers ​ Breeding (11 cubs) and training “wild” skills in South Africa​ Release sites preliminarily identified ​ Many questions about its viability​

Question 43

What are the moral aims of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 43

Insurance against extinction​ Reservoirs for reintroduction​ Stock for breeding new varieties​ Research (animal behaviour)​ Education​ Fundraising for in situ conservation​ Recreation​

Question 44

What do reservoirs for reintroduction require?

Answer 44

Genetic diversity Assisted reproductive technology often needed Eliminate genetic defects Control spread of diseases Release strategy

Question 45

What is an example of ex-situ populations have been reintroduced to the wild?

Answer 45

Short-haired bumble bee 1950: Bombus subterraneus widespread across south of England​ 1988: Last recording in UK at Dungeness ​ 2000: Declared extinct in UK​ 2009: Individuals translocated from Sweden to Dungeness and Romney Marsh in Kent and East Sussex​ 2019: Established overwintering population maintained with restoration and protection of grassland habitat.​

Question 46

How does fundraising in ex-situ programmes support in-situ conservation?

Answer 46

Most zoos also support in-situ conservation ​ 3.3 million Euros raised by EAZA campaigns for in-situ conservation ​

Question 47

How do ex-situ conservation provide research opportunities?

Answer 47

Animal behaviour​ Endocrinology​ Nutrition​ Veterinary science​ Environmental education​ Blue prescriptions​

Question 48

How are ex-situ collections of conservation designed?

Answer 48

ampling of wild genetic diversity​ Maintenance of healthy genetic stock​ Ability to survive in the wild (for reintroduction)​ Ethical standards ​

Question 49

What can captive breeding cause? Therefore its important to keep their natural instincts for survival in the wild, without human interaction.

Answer 49

Loss of hunting ability​ Predator blindness​ Locomotion deficits​ Loss of natural social behaviour​ Imprinting​ Stereotypic behaviour​

Question 50

What is the Urban Rescue Ranch (Example of successful ex-situ rehabilitation)?

Answer 50

Based in Waco, Texas​ Surprising number of non- native ex-farm animals.​ Rescue and rehabilitate injured wild animals.​ Retraining social behaviour and hunting.​ Non-releasable animals trained as wildlife ambassadors.​

Question 51

What are the five freedoms (ethical standards) of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 51

elimination of: - Undue fear, stress & distress​ - Pain, injury, disease & parasites​ - Hunger & thirst​ - Discomfort, loneliness & confinement​ - Can behave naturally (mating, flying, burrowing)​ ​

Question 52

What is taxonomic bias in terms of Contemporary debates on ex-situ conservation

Answer 52

Many zoo species are not threatened​ (eg elephant) Many threatened species overlooked​ - Non-charismatic species​ - Species with demanding husbandry​

Question 53

Are zoos education or entertainment in terms of Contemporary debates on ex-situ conservation

Answer 53

Study of 6,000 visitors to 30 zoos and aquaria globally​ Reported motivations for visiting: ​ - have a ‘fun day out’ (56.0%)​ - ‘see animals’ (53.3%) ​ - spend ‘family time’ (47.2%)​ Increase from pre-visit (69.8%) to post-visit (75.1%) in respondents demonstrating some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding​ - <10% increase in awareness​ - Respondents from Africa and Asia showed a significantly smaller changes in understanding​ - “Some positive evidence”!​ 4.5% leave saying that supporting zoos supports biodiversity (increase of 1%)​ ​

Question 54

What are the Contemporary debates on ex-situ conservation?

Answer 54

Taxonomic bias? Entertainment or education? Expensive and distracts from in-situ conservation? For-profit conservation (just wanting the money without care for the animal?