Bio Factsheet

www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 297

If extinction is natural, why worry about it?

Plant and animals species become extinct naturally; they may become • small population size also makes populations more susceptible to a
geographically isolated from other members of the same species or their disease that affects one individual and increases the chances of
habitat may change naturally resulting in them being unable to compete inbreeding and mutation
with other species. • over hunting e.g. rhino for use of horn in Chinese medicine/hunting
The growth in human population has resulted in an increased rate of e.g. passenger pigeon
extinction of some species and Fig.1 is often shown as an indication of this. • introduced species acting as predators
Fig.1: Human population and extinctions • environmental pollution
• global warming leading to rapid changes in biomes
Extinction Human population and extinctions Population
numbers numbers However, most extinctions may be a consequence combination of causes
60,000 8,000 e.g. the wolf (Lupus lupus) became extinct in Europe and Britain due to
overhunting and habitat loss.
7,000
50,000
Factors which may decrease the chances of a species becoming extinct:
6,000
40,000 • extensive geographical range – less susceptible to habitat loss and
5,000
fragmentation
30,000 4,000 • non-specialist existence e.g. the rat – survives in many environments
3,000
• large population e.g. cockroach – less affected by predation/large
20,000 genetic pool.
2,000
Whatever happens in the future, one thing is clear: human activities have
10,000
1,000 increased the natural rate of extinction.
0 0
1800 1830 1860 1890 1920 1950 1980 2010
Time Case Studies: Conservation can work
Human population (millions) Extinctions 1. Crocodiles: a success story so far
The first Case Study involves species conservation (crocodiles), the
However, this isn’t the whole story and some scientists believe that the second looks at conserving species diversity (Masai Mara National Park).
impact of humans may have been overestimated. We’ll look at their
evidence for this later but first let’s go over some of the things that most
scientists do agree about.
The fossil record
The millions of fossils that humans have discovered tell us that some species
existed for tens of thousands of years before suddenly disappearing – these
extinctions occurred suddenly over relatively short time periods and it is
believed they were caused by a variety of environmental catastrophes such
as volcanic eruptions e.g. Decan trap eruptions, earthquakes and meteorite
strikes e.g. Mexico strike which lead to huge volumes of dust in the
atmosphere. Not all the individuals of a species may have been wiped out
on the day of the event – some would have survived for decades but would
then have died in the following turmoil. Crocodiles were endangered because:
Other extinctions occurred over much longer time periods – gradual • too many were killed for their skins, meat and as trophies
environmental change such as the onset of glaciations led to gradual
species extinction. • they posed a threat to humans and livestock
• their habitats were polluted
There are many other reasons why species have become extinct in the 300
years and it is clear that some animal species are more at risk than others Crocodiles are top carnivores; their extinction would have resulted in an
imbalance in the food web:
Factors which may increase the chances of a species becoming extinct:
• loss of habitat e.g. extinction of Tasmanian wolf due to expansion of Crocodiles were taken off the endangered list as a result of:
agriculture • education campaigns – “crocodiles are not evil”
• fragmentation of habitat e.g. panda • a ban on hunting
• very specialized lifestyle or food sources making them vulnerable if • controlled culling to remove threatening crocodiles without reducing
that food source is unavailable e.g. pandas only feed on bamboo the overall population
• lack of food Hunting still continues and crocodiles are often disturbed in their habitats
• small population size may reduce chance of reproductive success but populations have increased significantly.
e.g. blue whale

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297 If extinction is natural, why worry about it? Bio Factsheet
www.curriculum-press.co.uk

Reasons for trying to prevent extinction

2. Masai Mara National Park,
Kenya • ethical – species have as much right to exist as we do and we should
not endanger other species
• aesthetic – we get pleasure from Nature
• genetic resource – for food, medicine
• commercial – value of species if sustainably managed provide long-
term resources e.g. timber/resins/hides;
• ecosystem stability – the more complex the ecosystem the more stable
it tends to be.
Is human population increasing extinctions?
Most scientists would answer: Yes. But some would answer: We don’t
know, the evidence is conflicting.These are the main points to think about:
• Human activity has led to extinction of other species by e.g. destruction
of habitat for cities, HEP, agriculture, pollution, hunting etc. It follows
The Park’s management plan aims to conserve species diversity by: that the greater the population, the more energy, food, houses etc will
• controlling and prohibiting the hunting of species by employing armed wardens be needed so habitat destruction, hence species extinction will increase.
• controlling visitor numbers • Others argue that, even if human population continues to increase, the
• interpretation facilities for tourists to ensure they understand how they levels of extinction might stop increasing because MEDCs are
can avoid disturbing animals e.g. during breeding and to ensure they feel
part of the conservation effort spending more and more money both on conserving their own habitats
• reintroduction of endangered species and species and those in LEDCs. They suggest that current LEDCs
• active involvement / local ownership by Masai people who earn money don’t have to develop in the same way that MEDCs did. In other
from tourists words, high population growth rates and high densities don’t
necessarily lead to more extinction.
Some conservationists disagree with some of these measures e.g.
For example, areas where biodiversity is especially high are known
• the protection of certain species causes an imbalance in the ecosystem
• limiting tourist numbers reduces income to the Park as biodiversity hotspots. 90% of the population of the hotspot in
• migratory species need to travel beyond the boundaries of the Park and their southwest Australia lives in Perth, a single city covering less than 2% of
artificially maintained populations cause economic damage outside the Park the hotspot area – so although there is high human population density this
does not lead to widespread threats to species diversity or survival.
Critics of this argument point out that the ecological impact of a city
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (often just called the Red such as Perth stretch far beyond the city emits – the greenhouse gases
Data List), is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the it emits change global climate and air temperatures and of soil and
global status of plant and animal species. water pH regionally.
A range of countries and conservation organisations assess the risk But we need more scientists studying more aspects of biodiversity:
of extinction to species and classify them into 9 categories. • Our knowledge of just how many species there are and how many we
The criteria they use to do this include: are losing remains poor
• population size • The vast majority of scientific studies have concentrated on mammals,
• rate of decline birds and higher plants in the Northern Hemisphere
• geographic distribution
• degree of population fragmentation • Many studies have used historical data about populations but these
data were collected when hunting was much more prevalent
The 9 categories are summarised in Table 1.
• Researchers may have concentrated on species that are more than
likely to be sensitive to human impact.
Table.1 IUCN Red List categories
Extinct No known individuals remaining
Practice Question
Known only to survive in captivity, or as a 1. (a) Justify the billions of pounds that are spent annually on trying
Extinct in the wild naturalized population outside its historic range. to conserve species (5)
Critically Endangered Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild (b) (i) Name two categories that are used in the IUCN Red List (2)
Endangered High risk of extinction in the wild (ii) Explain the criteria used to assess a species’ conservation
Vulnerable High risk of endangerment in the wild status (3)
Near Threatened Likely to become endangered in the near future
Least Concern At lowest risk low number of mature adults; (max 3)
Not enough data to make an assessment of its
Data Deficient number of populations low/in decline;
risk of extinction habitat fragmentation/population isolation;
Not Evaluated Has not even been studied habitat decline/loss;
levels of exploitation;
Conserving species internationally through CITES (iii) reduction in total population of a species;
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Not Evaluated (max 2)
Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to protect species by preventing
commercial trade in endangered species and products from them. Vulnerable/Near Threatened/Least Concern/ Data Deficient/
(b) (ii) Extinct/Extinct in the wild/Critically Endangered/ Endangered/
Strengths and weaknesses of CITES
Strengths:
study of wild species helps us understand past events;
without pollinators food production would crash;
• supported by many countries commercial value/food/clothing/timber/paper/resins;
• lists many species value to medical research/source of new drugs etc;
• bans commercialization of many products/species
aesthetic/ Nature gives us pleasure/ loss of beauty;
Weaknesses: biodiversity is needed to maintain ecological integrity;
• many countries have not signed 1 (a) ethical argument; R: We can’t play God
• enforcement is weak in some countries and usually difficult
• fines to poachers/traders are small Mark scheme
• focuses on large/attractive species e.g. pandas at expense of other categories

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