1. N ATURE U NBOUND L ESSON 5 – E XTINCTION : C AUSES AND C ONSEQUENCES Conservation Mr. Dieckhoff

2. U SING YOUR C OMPUTERS /P HONES Working with the people at your table, determine what the following animals have in common: Carolina parakeet Gray Wolf Passenger Pigeon White-Footed Mouse

3. E XTINCTION VS E XTIRPATION Extinction – 99.9% of all species have gone extinct Extirpation –

4. T YPES OF E XTINCTIONS Natural (Background) Extinction – Example – fescue grass replaces prairie grass Mass Extinction – 5 previous mass extinctions Some believe we are in the 6 th

5. E NDANGERED Endangered – In Missouri: 600 plants 300 animals (Eastern Spotted Skunk in picture) What species are endangered in Missouri? Take 5 minutes. Research one of Missouri’s endangered plants or animals. http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/endangered- species http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/endangered- species http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/lists/missouri- cty.html http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/lists/missouri- cty.html What is the habitat of the species? What is it’s food supply? How is it distributed across Missouri? In your opinion, why is this species endangered in Missouri?

6. F AILURE TO A DAPT Extinction is a result of natural selection – species disappear when they fail to adapt to changing ecological conditions

7. C AUSES OF E XTINCTION 1. Fragmentation – carving of large blocks of habitat into smaller, scattered pieces Example – Carolina parakeet 2. Adapt quickly to a new location and push out native species Example – see next slide 3. Hunted, fished, or harvested to extinction Example – Passenger Pigeons 4. Changes in global temperatures have wide-range effects on environmental conditions and are expected to cause population changes

8. I NVASIVE S PECIES Exotic, non-native species – organism that has moved into an area in which it previously did not exist Invasive – Examples: 1. Emerald Ash Borer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JTKjszvOLw 2. Zebra Mussels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlSW40uU2g 3. Sericea Lespedeza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlFBexymTjk

9. S AVING S PECIES FROM E XTINCTION Problem – Grassland birds are declining faster and more consistently than birds in other ecosystems (example – Eastern Meadowlark) Native grasslands have been replaced by urban sprawl and tall fescue Solution Ideas? Work with the people at your table to come up with what Missouri should do to help grassland birds.

10. W HY S OME S PECIES A RE M ORE P RONE TO E XTINCTION ? Generalist – Specialist – Tend to be smaller populations with less genetic variation because of inbreeding

11. P REDICTING E XTINCTION Factors which affect extinction: Niche tolerance Populations size Geographic range

12. C ONCLUSION 1. Extinction 2. Extirpation 3. Endangered 4. Causes of Extinction 5. Invasive Species 6. Predicting Extinction 7. Consequences of Extinction