Biol 1500: Conservation Biology Animal Extinction
Biol 1500 – Conservation Biology – Homework #3 TEXTBOOK REFERENCE: Author: Primack & Sher, Title: An Introduction to Conservation Biology, Edition: 1st, Publisher: Sinaur Associates, ISBN: 97816053547361. Research a species that has gone extinct in the last two centuries. Answer the following questions about the species you chose. a. What species did you research and why? b. Where was this species originally located and what sort of habitat did it occupy? c. What categories of extinction vulnerabilities listed in Chapter 5 (attached) affected this species? List as many as apply. d. What other biological or ecological traits may have contributed to its extinction?e. Did it have one dominant feature that was predictive of extinction, or a combination of such features? f. Does this species have a living relative? If so, is its living relative endangered or threatened with extinction? What traits does the living species share with the extinct species that makes it vulnerable?2. Research a species that is currently threatened with extinction. Answer the following questions about the species you chose in Question 1. You can use the following websites to help you. http://www(dot)iucnredlist(dot)org/http://explorer(dot)natureserve(dot)org/https://www(dot)fws(dot)gov/endangered/a. What species did you research and why?
b. What is the scientific name of this species?
c. What is the IUCN Red List Category for this species? When was it was last assessed?
d. How does this compare to the Nature Serve ranking system (note: you may have to search using the scientific name)?
e. How many of these species are left? What is the current population trend?
f. Look at the range of your species. List all the significant locations where your species is found.
g. What sort of habitat does it utilize? Is there continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?
h. Is this species locally extinct, functionally extinct and/or extinct in the wild? Explain your answer.
i. What is the full range of immediate threats to this species (aka why is it being threatened with extinction)?
j. How do these threats connect to the larger social, economic, political and legal issues (think about what is causing these threats and what is being done, or not being done, about it and why)?
k. How might this species be affected by the problems of small populations?
l. Name any organizations that are working to conserve your species and/or laws in place to protect them.
m. Are there any protected areas set up for your species? If so, where are they located and how big are they?
n. What else about your species would be helpful to know?
Animal Extinction
Name
Institution
Animal Extinction
Question 1
* What species did you research and why?
I selected the passenger pigeon for research. This species is also known as the wild pigeon or Ectopistes migratorius (Hedrick, 2018). The common name of the passenger pigeon was derived from the term “passager” which is French word that means "passing by." The species name was given due to the birds migratory habits. The scientific name of the species also describes the migratory characteristics of the species.
* Where was this species originally located and what sort of habitat did it occupy?
The extinct species was originally rampant in the east of the North American Rocky Mountains. It was also found across the great plains of the Atlantic coast and the south of Canada as well as northern Mississippi in the US (Hedrick, 2018). Its major habitat was the eastern deciduous forests. The wild pigeon habitat was mostly the mixed hardwood forests as the species relied on the forests for the nesting sites during spring. During the winter period, the wild pigeon depended on the hardwood forest to get food and roosting. The diet of the wild pigeon included chestnuts, acorns, berries and beechnuts as well as seeds from the forest.
* What categories of extinction vulnerabilities listed in Chapter 5 (attached) affected this species? List as many as apply.
The passenger pigeon was exposed to several extinction vulnerabilities which include:
* Narrow geographic range. The birds depended on the hardwood forests in North America where they travelled and produced in large numbers and thus were affected by deforestation.
* Hunting or harvesting by people. Native Americans and Europeans hunted wild pigeons during the 19th century. The meat of the species was sold as cheap food leading to large scale hunting of the wild pigeon for several years.
* Large home ran. The wild pigeon used to migrate and forage over wide areas making them an easy target for commercial hunters.
* Limited dispersal ability. The species was unable to adapt to the changing environment in the 19th century which witnessed massive deforestation. The hardwood forests were suitable for communal breeding and roosting.
* Seasonal migrations. The wild pigeon was described as nomadic due to the constant migration in search of shelter, food as well as the nesting grounds. Constant migration during the summer and winter made the birds vulnerable to various harsh climatic and reproduction conditions. They were also exposed to human hunting as they migrated.
* Specialized niche requirement. The wild pigeon was a gregarious and colonial species that roosted and bred communally and thus the birds required to be in large numbers to ensure they had optimum environment for breeding.
* What other biological or ecological traits may have contributed to its extinction?
The passenger pigeons had limited genetic diversity despite their large population in the 19th century. A genetic study that was conducted on these birds found out that the low genetic diversity in the species was due to natural selection. Natural selection is a side effect that could have had a significant effect on large species as well as species with coh...
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