Day 2
AT HOME
Reading Assignment
Read pages 150-162
Read pages 150-162
- Describe how new species form. Include specific examples.
- Explain how plate activity has influenced evolution and biodiversity. Include specific examples.
- Discuss causes of mass extinctions.
IN CLASS
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Our planet was once populated by megafauna, big top-of-the-food-chain predators that played their part in balancing our ecosystems. When those megafauna disappear, the result is a "trophic cascade," where every part of the ecosystem reacts to the loss. How can we stay in balance? George Monbiot suggests rewilding: putting wolves, lions and other predators back on top -- with surprising results.
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The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is by far the most significant piece of endangered species legislation and is considered one of the world's most important conservation laws. The bald eagle now soars the sky in every state across the nation. The black-footed ferret, once teetered on the brink of extinction, but now has hundreds of ferrets bred in captivity and more than 1000 in the wild. And the Tennesse purple coneflower now blooms its beautiful purple petals in its historic range after 32 years of federal protection.
Today the Endangered Species Act protects more than 1400 U.S. species and 600 foreign species. It provides a critical safety net for fish, wildlife and plants and has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species, helped the recovery of many others, and conserved the habitats upon which they depend. Forty years later, we can look back at the successes we've shared, and look ahead to the work that still needs to be done. Habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species and many other issues threaten our nation's threatened and endangered species. It is under the Endangered Species Act that we protect the animals, plants and habitats that make up the fabric of our nation's natural tapestry. And we can all celebrate that by conserving them, we help ensure the benefits that accrue from them—healthy air, land, and water—on which we depend. |
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Andrew Currie discusses the importance of the preservation of wildlife now, and in the future.
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IUCN and the Red List
On your own paper, answer the following questions using the IUCN website.
On your own paper, answer the following questions using the IUCN website.
- What is the purpose of the IUCN? How do they work? (click on ABOUT at the top)
- Summarize the IUCN Programme 2017-2020? (click on Programme of Work and Reporting on the left)
- Scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under Resources, click on IUCN Red List. What is the purpose of this list? Why is it important?
4. Under Resources: Go to Guidelines and Brochures. Select IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
- List the 12 criteria used to categorize species
- Name and summarize the 9 categories.
- What are they?
- Describe the following for each species (you may need to use other sources)
- Its global distribution and estimated current population size (if not already extinct)
- Ecological, socio-political and economic pressures that caused or are causing the species’ extinction
- The species’ ecological roles
- The possible consequences of their disappearance