Ecophysiology and Status of World Species
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ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND STATUS OF WORLD SPECIES I Wayan Kasa Faculty of Science, Udayana University Denpasar, Bali 2018 1 ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND STATUS OF WORLD SPECIES I Wayan Kasa Faculty of Science, Udayana University Denpasar, Bali 2018 2 Table of Contents Introduction Habitat destruction Commercial exploitation Introduced species International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) IUCN Red List categories Endangered species that moved to a more threatened status Spicies Status According to IUCN. 1. Harvestman, Bee Creek Cave Texella reddelli 2. Spider, no-eyed big-eyed wolf Adelocosa anops 3. Spider, Tooth Cave Neoleptoneta myopica 4. Tarantula, red-kneed Euathlus smithi (also Brachypelma smithi) 5. Albatross, short-tailed Diomedea albatrus 6. Blackbird, yellow-shouldered Agelaius xanthomus 7. Booby, Abbott’s Sula (or papsula) abbotti 8. Bullfinch, Azores Pyrrhula murina 9. Condor, California Gymnogyps californianus 10. Cormorant, Galápagos Phalacrocorax harrisi 11. Crane, Siberian Grus leucogeranus 12. Crane, whooping Grus Americana References 3 Introduction Ecophysiologically, species have been disappearing from the face of Earth since the beginning of life on the planet. Most of the species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. Extinction and endangerment can occur naturally as a normal process in the course of evolution. It can be the result of a catastrophic event, such as the collision of an asteroid with Earth. Scientists believe an asteroid struck the planet off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula some 65,000,000 years ago, bringing about the extinction of almost 50 percent of the plant species and 75 percent of the animal species then living on Earth, including the dinosaurs. Widespread climate changes, disease, and competition among species can also result in natural extinction. To date, scientists believe there have been five great natural extinction episodes in Earth’s history. Since humans became the dominant species on the planet, however, the rate at which other species have become extinct has increased dramatically. Especially since the seventeenth century, technological advances and an ever-expanding human population have changed the natural world as never before. At present, scientists believe extinctions caused by humans are taking place at 100 to 1,000 times nature’s normal rate between great extinction episodes. Species are disappearing faster than they can be created through evolution. In fact, some biologists estimate that in the early 2000s three or more plant and animal species become extinct each day. Because scientists have described and named only a small percentage of Earth’s species, it is impossible to measure the total number of species endangered or going extinct. Just 1,400,000 species—out of an estimated 10,000,000 to 100,000,000—have been described to date. Scientists do know that humans are endangering species and the natural world primarily in three ways: habitat destruction, commercial exploitation of animals and plants, and the transplantation of species from one part of the world to another. Habitat destruction Habitat destruction all over the world is the primary reason species are becoming extinct or endangered. Houses, highways, dams, industrial buildings, and ever-spreading farms now dominate landscapes formerly occupied by forests, prairies, deserts, scrublands, and wetlands. Since the beginning of European settlement in America, over 65,000,000 acres of wetlands have been drained. One million acres alone vanished between 1985 and 1995. Habitat destruction can be obvious or it can be subtle, occurring over a long period of time without being noticed. 4 Pollution, such as sewage from cities and chemical runoff from farms, can change the quality and quantity of water in streams and rivers. To species living in a delicately balanced habitat, this disturbance can be as fatal as the clear-cutting of a rain forest. As remaining habitats are carved into smaller and smaller pockets or islands, remaining species are forced to exist in these crowded areas, which causes further habitat destruction. These species become less adaptable to environmental change; they become more vulnerable to extinction. Scientists believe that when a habitat is cut by 90 percent, onehalf of its plants, animals, insects, and microscopic life-forms will become extinct. Commercial exploitation Living organisms have been hunted by humans not only for their meat but for parts of their bodies that are used to create medicines, love potions, and trinkets. Overhunting has caused the extinction of any species and brought a great many others to the brink of extinction. Examples include species of whales, slaughtered for their oil and baleen. The rhinoceroses of Africa are critically endangered, having been killed mainly for their horns. Sharks’ fins, cruelly cut off of the live animal, are used in Asia as an aphrodisiac, and 75 shark species are now endangered. International treaties outlaw the capture and trade of many endangered or threatened species. These laws, however, are difficult to enforce. The smuggling of endangered species is a huge business. In the early 2000s, the illegal trade in wildlife products was estimated at $15 billion a year worldwide—second only to the value of the international illegal drug trade. Introduced species The native species are those that have inhabited a given biological landscape for a long period of time. They have adapted to the environment, climate, and other species in that locale. Introduced or exotic species are those that have been brought into that landscape by humans, either accidentally or intentionally. In some cases, these introduced species may not cause any harm. They may, over time, adapt to their new surroundings and fellow species, becoming “native.” Most often, however, introduced species seriously disrupt ecological balances. They compete with native species for food and shelter. Often, they prey on the native species, who lack natural defenses against the intruders. In the last 500 years, introduced insects, cats, pigs, 5 rats, and others have caused the endangerment or outright extinction of hundreds of native species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) The IUCN is one of the world’s oldest international conservation organizations. It was established in Fountainbleau, France, on October 5, 1947. It is a worldwide alliance of governments, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Working with scientists and experts, the IUCN tries to encourage and assist nations and societies around the world to conserve nature and to use natural resources wisely. At present, IUCN members represent 74 governments, 105 government agencies, and more than 700 nongovernmental organizations. The IUCN has six volunteer commissions. The largest and most active of these is the Species Survival Commission (SSC). The mission of the SSC is to conserve biological diversity by developing programs that help save, restore, and manage species and their habitats. One of the many activities of the SSC is the production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animalsand the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants.These publications, which have provided the foundation for Endangered Species, present scientifically based information on the status of threatened species around the world. Species are classified according to their existence in the wild and the current threats to that existence. The categories differ slightly between animals and plants. IUCN Red List categories The IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals places threatened animals into one of nine categories: • Extinct: A species that no longer exists anywhere around the world. • Extinct in the wild: A species that no longer exists in the wild, but exists in captivity or in an area well outside its natural range. • Critically endangered: A species that is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future. • Endangered: A species that is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. • Vulnerable: A species that is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium- term future. 6 • Lower risk: Conservation dependent: A species that is currently the focus of a conservation program. If the program is halted, the species would suffer and wouldqualify for one of the threatened categories above within a period of five years. • Lower risk: Near threatened: A species that does not qualify for Conservation Dependent status, but is close to qualifying for Vulnerable status. • Lower risk: Least concern: A species that qualifies for neither Conservation Dependent status or Near Threatened status. • Data deficient: A species on which there is little information to assess its risk of extinction. Because of the possibility that future research will place the species in a threatened category, more information is required. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants places threatened plants into one of six categories: • Extinct: A species that no longer exists anywhere around the world. • Extinct/Endangered: A species that is considered possibly to be extinct in the wild. •Endangered: A species that is in immediate danger of extinction if the factors threatening it continue. •Vulnerable: A species that will likely become endangered if the factors threatening it continue. •Rare: A species with a small world population that is currently neither endangered nor threatened, but is at risk. •Indeterminate: A species that is threatened, but on which