BIOL 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Introduced Species, African Elephant, Habitat Destruction

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL 111
• Professor: Shelly Bursick

Document Summary

Biol 111 - ecology and the environment - lecture 21: extinction. White nose syndrome (wns) disease affecting bats, started in 2006. Fungus grows on the bats muzzle and causes irregular behaviour, eventually leading to death. Bird species are declining due to habitat loss and fragmentation. 70% of the worlds 9,800 known species are declining. One of every eight bird species is threatened with extinction. Difficult to document over long time periods. African elephant only about 600,000 remaining in the wild. Deliberately introduced species (for food, medicine, shelter, aesthetics: isolated and scattering makes species more vulnerable, no natural predators in new environment, can overrun native species. Prevention: identify characteristics of successful invaders and screens for these: inspect imported goods likely to transport species, ban the transfer of harmful invader species. International treaties: convention on international trade in endangered species, convention on biological diversity, enforcement is limited and difficult.