1. Endangered Species
Habitat: The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Ecosystem: Is all the living things, from plants and animals to microscopic organisms, that share an environment. Is a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats and residents of an area. It includes plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil, and people.
Ecological Niche: Is the role and position a species has in its environment; how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces. A species niche includes all of its interactions with the biotic (living things) and abiotic (nonliving things) factors of its environment.
Endangered Species: Seriously at risk of extinction. Is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list as likely to become extinct. Many nations have laws to protect these species.
If you closely look at a typical habitat in the environment, you will see many organisms living and working together, fulfilling their ecological niches. For example, imagine you are walking through the forest where there are leaves scattered on the ground and an old rotting log sitting on the forest floor. If you look closely, you could probably find earthworms just under the soil feeding on decaying organic matter. There could also be centipedes eating small beetles and other organisms as well as a colony of ants that work and feed on dead insects. You may even find a couple of millipedes strolling around feeding on decaying leaves. In a small section of the vast forest, all of these organisms are filling an individual ecological niche. To some degree, their niches may overlap, but if you look into all aspects of their lives, including where they live, how they survive, and how they reproduce, you will see that they are each truly individual niches. You could think of each ecological niche as parts of a puzzle that go together to make the environment successful.

2. Endangered Species, Cont’d
Food Chain: All living things need energy to stay alive. This energy comes from the sun. Plants make their food from energy from the sun. Animals get their energy from the food they eat. Animals depend on other living things for food. Some animals eat plants while others eat other animals. This passing of energy from the sun to plants to animals to other animals is called a food chain. -

3. Endangered Species, Cont’d
The above energy pyramid shows many trees and shrubs providing food and energy to giraffes. Note that as we go up, there are fewer giraffes than trees and shrubs and even fewer lions than giraffes. As we go further along a food chain, there are fewer and fewer consumers. In other words, a large mass of living things at the base is required to support a few at the top. Many herbivores are needed to support a few carnivores. Most food chains have no more than four or five links. There cannot be too many links in a single food chain because the animals at the end of the chain would not get enough food (and hence, energy) to stay alive. Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. These interconnected food chains form a food web. Food chains can get complicated because animals usually eat a variety of food.

4. Endangered Species, Cont’d
Food Web: One at a time, discuss which producers they would each consume. Attach yarn from each primary consumer to the producers it would consume. (Remember that most animals eat more than one kind of food). The students will begin to see how complex a food web is. Next add the secondary and tertiary consumers in rows above the producers. Again, discuss the connections between primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. Next add the scavengers: hyenas (can be predators as well as scavengers) and vultures. Finally, discuss decomposers—bacteria, fungi and worms that feed on the decaying matter—and their role in the food web. Students should now have a complete understanding of the complexity of the food web.

5. Endangered Species, Cont’d
Endangered Species Act (ESA): The ESA of 1973 is a key legislation for both domestic and international conservation. The act provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.
Endangered – any species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened – any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

6. Endangered Species, Cont’d
Role of Environmental Science and Environmental Engineer professionals in the Analysis:
Example of Analysis: Are there any threatened or endangered individuals identified on, adjacent to or near the project site?
Evaluate loss of habitats, populations or individuals only for those species.
What habitats needed by threatened or endangered species are found on the project site?
Is the habitat rare?
Is the project site part of a larger range that supports an endangered or threatened population?
Are there any actions proposed that will reduce the size, structure or other features of the habitats but not totally remove it from the project site?
Is there a barrier proposed as part of the action that will hinder or harm key migration patterns?
What percentage of the project site contains habitats used by rare, threatened or endangered species and what portion of that will be impacted?
Will there be an impact?
If there are no rare habitats on the project site, or if no endangered or threatened species are known to be on, adjacent or near the project site, there will be no related impacts.

7. Endangered Species, Cont’d
Role of Environmental Science and Environmental Engineer professionals in the Analysis:
If your activities could impact these species or habitats, you may be required to develop mitigation strategies to minimize the impacts. Prior to construction, you should consult with the local office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ( the National Marine Fisheries Service ( as well as your local conservation agency, to determine if your project could harm endangered or threatened species, and if so, what to do about it. For information on the Endangered Species Act, go to Absent any Federal involvement or oversight, private landowners must d.fws.gov still insure that their proposed development activities will not result in a “take” of any listed species and may need to develop a habitat conservation plan.

8. Endangered Species, Cont’d

9. Endangered Species, Cont’d
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