Announcements Exam 11/9 Population Lab due this week

2. Invasive Species are species that evolved elsewhere Most are not a problem Some become invasive – out-compete native species Purple Loosestrife Asian Longhorn Beetle

What do we mean when we say something is endangered or threatened?

Endangered Species are in danger of becoming extinct Threatened Species are those that are likely to become endangered Ex. Black footed ferret Ex. Grizzly Bear Ex. Least Tern

Keystone species = without them other species would suffer Ex. Prairie Dogs Black Footed Ferrets (endangered) eat prairie dogs and live in burrows Burrowing Owls (threatened) live in burrows

Umbrella species require large blocks of undisturbed habitat. Ex. Greater Sage Grouse Protecting it will protect 39 other species March 2010 denied adding Greater Sage Grouse to the Endangered Species Act

A. Laws: 1. Endangered Species Act (ESA) attempts to save as much biodiversity as possible It is illegal to harm a species listed as endangered or its habitat Ex. Whooping Crane Ex. Karner Blue Butterfly Ex. Florida Panther

Currently 1,300 species in U.S. are listed as endangered Successes – 29 species including Bald Eagle have been removed or downgraded

What might have been a reason the Greater Sage Grouse was denied listing as an Endangered Species? They need large tracts of land They are an umbrella species They are a prey animal Birds are not listed on the ESA

2. Exotic species control laws make it illegal to plant or transport invasive species. Ex. water milfoil

3. Hunting laws restrict what species can be hunted and when. Ex. white-tailed deer

4. Pollution Control Laws Ex. clean water act http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures/warning.jpg

B. Captive Breeding and Reintroduction Species are raised in captivity and releasing into the wild Ex. Peregrine Falcon

Problems with Captive Breeding Won’t breed in captivity Imprinting – birds think they are the wrong species Lack ability to find food and/or mates when released into the wild

Expensive! Do not have capacity to save all species this way Who do we save? Not a permanent solution. Need to fix wild habitat

Preservation of ecosystems saves many species. C. Habitat Protection Preservation of ecosystems saves many species. Ex. Florida Panther Refuge Habitat for 24 species of endangered, threatened species plus126 bird initial report showed a rich biodiversity including 46 kinds of bees, 373 plant species, 86 mushroom types, five kinds of bats, 24 butterflies and more 300 kinds of insects. species, 46 species of reptiles and amphibians, 22 species of mammals and a large variety of fish.

Sustain all native species in a given area C. Habitat Protection More cost effective to protect large tracts of land as opposed to focusing efforts on a single species Sustain all native species in a given area initial report showed a rich biodiversity including 46 kinds of bees, 373 plant species, 86 mushroom types, five kinds of bats, 24 butterflies and more 300 kinds of insects. Ex. Yellowstone

1st national park was Yellowstone 2 million acres in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana

Animals outside of parks are sometimes shot Solution: Land in addition to parks need to be preserved because animals roam Over ½ the herd has been lost in recent years due to 1,600 shot, 700 starved

Animals are struck by cars Over 15% of Florida Panther population lost last year due to car accidents. Approx 100

Habitat Protection is the best way to save species because It often saves habitat for several species It is more cost effective than focusing on a single species It is a long term solution All of the above

Protecting habitat in other countries Debt-for-nature swaps Buy debt a developing country has and agree to cancel it if the country protects land