1. * Presented By: Catie Soriano * Date: February 27, 2014 * Period: 4 * SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY: THE SPECIES APPROACH (9-1 AND 9-2)

2.  CORE CASE STUDY  Polar bears could become extinct in this century because of the atmospheric warming taking place in the arctic  This atmospheric warming is occurring twice as fast in the arctic as in the rest of the world  In 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the Alaskan Polar Bear on the threatened species list  The world’s total polar bear population will decline by 30-35% by the year 2050

3.  Species are becoming extinct 100 to 1,000 times faster than they were before modern humans arrived on the earth.

4. * EXTINCTIONS ARE NATURAL BUT SOMETIMES THEY INCREASE SHARPLY  Biological Extinction: When a species can no longer be found anywhere on earth. Ex. Dinosaurs, Mammoths.  A disappearance of a species can weaken or break some of the connections in an ecosystem.  These disappearances can cause secondary extinction, in which a strong connection between the extinct species and a living species is broken.

5.  According to biological and fossil evidence, all species eventually become extinct.  Background Extinction Rate: Natural low rate of species extinction  Extinction Rate: Expressed as a number or percentage of species that go extinct within a certain time period  Mass Extinction: The extinction of many animals in a relative short period of geological time. (50-95% of species)  There have been 3-5 mass extinctions, and recovery takes millions of years

6.  SOME HUMAN ACTIVITIES ARE CAUSING EXTINCTIONS  Extinction is a natural process  Human population has increased and is currently consuming a lot of resources  Humans have taken over and disturbed at least half of earth's land surface  Human activity have also disturbed and polluted surface water  This has greatly increased the rate of which species are disappearing

7.  EXTINCTION RATES ARE RISING RAPIDLY  Extinction experts consider a projected extinction rate of 1% a year to be on the low side for 3 reasons  First- Projected growth of humans  Second- Projected extinction rates are much higher than the global average in parts of the world  Third- Humans are eliminating, degrading, fragmenting, and simplifying many diverse biologically diverse environments

8.  ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES  Endangered Species: Has few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct  Threatened Species (Vulnerable): Still has enough individuals to survive in the short term, but because of declining numbers, it is likely to become endangered.  Behavioral Characteristics: Make a species prone to extinction

11.  We should avoid speeding up the extinction process of wild species because of the ecological and economic services they provide

12.  SPECIES ARE A VITAL PART OF THE EARTH'S NATURAL CAPITAL  Species are a vital part of the Earth's life support system. They provide natural resources and natural services. Some species even keep other species alive. Ex. Humans depend on pollinators for crops  Economic services are provided by species. These services support our economy through food, lumber, and medicine.  62% of all cancer drugs were derived from bioprospectors

13.  Species that are going extinct now, the Earth will take 5 to 10 million years to rebuild its biodiversity  Ethical responsibility to protect all species whether they are useful or not