BIOL 3130 Lecture : Conservation Biology - 5. Habitat Loss
23 Mar 2012
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Document Summary
Habitat defines the natural conditions where a species lives. Habitat loss is the primary cause of extinction worldwide as it is the most serious threat to biodiversity. Habitats are not created equally, difference habitats result in different demographic performance (niches, source and sinks). Sink habitats: deaths exceed births (immigration is higher into a sink habitat) Conservation is not only concerned with where the species are found, but also how the population is doing demographically in variable conditions found in its geographical range. Not all habitat loss has similar consequences (some habitats are better than others) : loss unfolds in many ways, from outright destruction (urbanization to. Outcomes indirect forms of change (pollution, eutrophication) Effects: by definition, populations will be dramatically smaller, sampling effect (populations outright eliminated), less places to make a living . Population change is regulated by two major factors: rates of birth and death and the population size at time x (n).
