# data[].attributes.body
Owl - Mouse
Great White Shark - Seal

# data[].attributes.body
Sea lice on fish
Fleas on dog

# data[].attributes.headline
Two organisms sharing the same food (niche partitioning)

# data[].attributes.subject
Two organisms sharing the same food (niche partitioning)

# data[].attributes.body
An example of two organisms practicing (spatial) niche partitioning are bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). According to a study carried out in Florida Coastal Everglades, spatial overlap occurred among the species, however seasonal variability in habitat use and movement patterns  may promote coexistence within this area. The results are published in the article "Ecological niche partitioning within a large predator guild in a nutrient-limited estuary".
- The Tursiops truncatus is predominantly spotted in downstream waters during  the dry season, while the Alligator mississippiensis is using the downstream waters more frequently in the wet season.

# data[].attributes.body
Some species prone to wildlife overexploitation are:
- Jaguar (Panthera onca); the jaguar is very popular among the Chinese community, where it is believed that eating jaguar meat has a medicinal effect and promotes health. They use everything from the animal, the flesh, bones, skin, teeth. Therefore the jaguar is unnecessarily (illegally) killed and exported to countries like China for traditional medicine.
- Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber); Poaching on the already decreasing population of the scarlet ibis for their delicate flesh as food source, forms a serious threat.
- Leatherback seaturtle (Dermochelys coriacea); The coast of Suriname is very popular for the leatherback seaturtles to lay eggs. During nesting season, a female may lay 4-5 times per season, each time depositing 60-120 eggs. The biggest threat to these eggs are poachers, who collect the eggs for consumption and to sell on the black market, therefore contributing to further decline of the species' existence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The leatherback turtle is the largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles. Leatherbacks are one of the most migratory of all marine turtle species, making both trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific crossings. They are easily distinguished by their carapace, which is leathery, not hard as in other turtles, and by their long front flippers.

Leatherbacks have a unique system of blood supply to their bones and cartilage. This enables their body temperature to stay several degrees above the water temperature and allows them to tolerate cold water, rather like a mammal. They can dive to depths of up to 1,200m, much deeper than any other marine turtle.

Recent DNA analysis confirms that Atlantic and Pacific populations are genetically distinct lineages of a single species. In turn, nesting Pacific leatherback populations are separated into two genetically distinct populations (eastern and western populations).

Size

The leatherback can reach up to 180cm, and 500kg in weight.

Colour

The species carapace (shell) is dark with white spots.

Life Cycle

Juvenile leatherbacks may remain in tropical waters warmer than 26°C, near the coast, until they exceed 100cm in curved carapace length. Adults are pelagic and live in the open ocean, sometimes in temperatures below 10°C.

Breeding

Female leatherbacks may lay 4 to 5 times per season, each time depositing 60 to 120 eggs. Leatherbacks appear to nest once every two or three years with an incubation period of approximately 60 days.

Diet

The large size of leatherbacks is all the more remarkable given their low energy, low protein diet of soft-bodied creatures such as jellyfish, squid and tunicates ("jelly fish-like" marine invertebrates).

Previous Population and Distribution

The global population for this species was estimated to be 115,000 adult females in 1982. By 1996 this had been revised down to about 30-40,000. Leatherback populations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans have undergone dramatic declines in the past forty years. For example, the nesting colony at Terengganu, Malaysia went from more than 3,000 females in 1968, to 20 in 1993, to just 2 in 1993 - there are no signs of recovery.

Similar scenarios have occurred in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Mexico. Numbers of females recorded at four formerly major Pacific rookeries have declined to about 250 in Mexico, 117 in Costa Rica, two in Malaysia, and fewer than 550 in Indonesia.

Current Population and Distribution

Leatherbacks have been recorded as far north as Alaska, and as far south as Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

The Pacific may now have as few as 2,300 adult females.

Effective Protection

However, not all leatherback populations have declined: in southern Africa, three decades of strong protection have increased the small annual nesting population more than fourfold. Recent reports mention that west Africa has an important population with around 10,400 nests per season, but the total area occupied for the leatherbacks is not well known and there is no available historical information on nesting trends of this population.

The most important nesting beaches now remaining in the Atlantic are found in Suriname, French Guiana, and Gabon. In the Pacific, the few remaining important beaches are in Indonesia, Mexico and Costa Rica, with other rookeries found in Nicaragua, Panama and Guatemala.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The leatherback turtle is the largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles. Leatherbacks are one of the most migratory of all marine turtle species, making both trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific crossings. They are easily distinguished by their carapace, which is leathery, not hard as in other turtles, and by their long front flippers.

# data[].attributes.body
Producer: Plants
Primary consumer: Insects
Secondary consumer: Capuchin monkey
Tertiary consumer: Jaguar

# data[].attributes.headline
Theme 3
Habitat degradation/habitat loss

# data[].attributes.subject
Theme 3
Habitat degradation/habitat loss

# data[].attributes.body
Habitat degradation and habitat loss are results of illegal gold mining activities in Brownsberg Nature Park. Sedimentation, use of mercury, noise pollution and polluted water sources poses serious threats to the wildlife and biodiversity in the Nature Park.

Habitat loss and destruction of nesting places of leatherback seaturtles, is caused by illegal and sometimes legal sand extractions of the sandy beaches where these marine species usually have their nesting places.

# data[].attributes.headline
Theme 3
Possible signs of climate change

# data[].attributes.subject
Theme 3
Possible signs of climate change

# data[].attributes.body
The most noticeable effects of possible climate change are heavier rains, which cause flooding and extreme dry periods. Another effect is that the seasonal variability shifted, such as longer or shorter dry or rainy seasons.
On the longer term, a serious impact will be sea level rise. According to predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) till 2100,  Suriname will experience a annual global decrease of precipitation of 40%. The temperature will increase by 4.5 degree Celsius and for the sea level rise a 70-100 cm is predicted. Suriname is very vulnerable to sea level rise, and the effects on livelihood and economy will be massive, especially because approximately 90% of the population lives in the coastal areas and most of the economic activities take place in that same area.

# data[].attributes.body
Some alien invasion species are:
- Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti); A. aegypti is a vector for transmitting several tropic diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever. zika, chikungunya. Only the female bites for blood. They have a wide variety of hosts, such as humans, livestock, amphibians and birds.
The route of spreading is during transportation of goods or products which contain some sort of water body, such as moist vegetation, wet tires or water containers that can hold eggs or larvae.
- Mollusc (Achatina fulica); A. fulica feeds on a wide range of crop plants and therefore present a threat to local flora. It is considered one of the worst snail pests of tropic and subtropic regions. Eventhough they are small in size, the aggregated nature of the infestations can lead to severe damage in infested plants. This species also causes ecosystem change, disease transmission and impacts on economic/livelihood, human nuisance.
The most common route by which this species is introduced into new locations is via trade routes (it is moved with cargo, agricultural products, plant and soil matter).
- Pigeon (Columba livia); C. livia is known to transmit several diseases, such as salmonella food poisoning. Their nests are also infested with parasites such as ticks, mites, which can cause health problems for humans. They also cause considerable damage to buildings and monuments because of their corrosive droppings and therefore increase costs of maintenance. Large amount of these droppings can kill vegetation and cause an unpleasant smell.
Initially pigeons have been introduced as a food source or for game.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ecological Niche of two characteristic organisms

# data[].attributes.subject
Ecological Niche of two characteristic organisms

# data[].attributes.body
A niche describe the role of a species in the ecosystem, its limiting factors, its tolerance levels, its requirements for living. Two characteristic organisms that both inhabit the tropical rainforest, but have different ecological niches are:
- Jaguar (Panthera onca);
Habitat: P. onca is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world (after the tiger (Panthera tigris) and the lion (Panthera leo)). They prefer dense, tropical forests, but they can also be found in scrubland and coastal forests. Not only are they excellent swimmers and can be found in habitats near water, but they are also able to climb trees. To support healthy populations, the jaguar require three habitat characteristics : a water supply, dense cover, and sufficient prey.
Role in ecosystem: As a tertiary consumer P. onca is an apex predator meaning that they are at the top of the foodchain and that they have no natural predators. The only enemy of the jaguar is therefore the human. Considered a keystone species, the jaguar has a great impact on the populations of other animals in the ecosystem. They are carnivores and depend on food sources such as deer, sloths, monkeys, capybaras, but also smaller species like fish and rodents.
- Blue poison dart frog (Dendrobates azureus);
Habitat: D. azureus is found in the southernmost part of Suriname. They inhabit small isolated forest areas surrounded by dry savanna land. The forest habitat is rather humid and warm and the frog prefers a dark, moist environment, living near small streams among moss covered rocks. Typically they remain on the ground, but they have also been found in trees.
Role in ecosystem: They are classified as secondary consumers becuse they are mostly insectivorous. D. azureus plays an important role as a predator of spiders, flies, ants, termites, caterpillars. They can be preyed upon by snakes and large spiders.

# data[].attributes.headline
Theme 3
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

# data[].attributes.subject
Theme 3
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

# data[].attributes.body
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species consists of different categories which describes the extinction risk of species. The examples mentioned below belong in the categories: ENDANGERED (EN), VULNERABLE (VU) and NEAR THREATENED (NT):
- Giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) (EN);
Main threats: hunting, destruction of habitat, due to deforestation, mining activities, mercury pollution and decrease of available foodsources for this species
- Manatee (Trichechus manatus)  (VU);
Main threats: various human activities, such as hunting, seismic surveys, boating (boat propellers can seriously damage the manatee), pollution of habitat
- Jaguar (Panthera onca) (NT);
Main threats: hunting, disturbance and destruction of habitat due to logging and wood harvesting, mining activities, road development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.