2 climate change

3 indian mongoose

4 cane toad

5 python

6 red lionfish

1 water hyacinth

2 japanese knotweed

3 hunting by human

4 keystone species - otters

5 african bush elephant

6 pandas, rhino, tiger

1 deforestation reasons

2 habitat fragmentation

3 effects of deforestation

4 sewage pollution

5 death of seals

6 acid rain effects

2 botanic gardens: roles + examples

3 conserved areas + examples

4 frozen zoos: routine activities

5 seedbanks: roles + examples

6 types of seeds

2 artificial insemination

3 challenges in frozen zoo

4 IVF

5 embryo transfer

6 surrogacy

2 4 6 CITES

• Blocks sunlight from reaching aquatic plants and reduces O2 concentration in water, killing fish.

• Provides habitat for mosquitoe larvae, thus aiding in the spread of mosquito related diseases such as malaria amongst the human population.

THE PROCESS:

• An egg belonging to the female of the species is fertilized by the sperm belonging to a male of the species.

• A zygote forms which develops into an embryo.

• After fertilization, the embryo is taken from the uterus of the female and transferred to a surrogate female.

(surrogate: any female that becomes pregnant with the embryo from another female and carries the embryo full term.)

• The embryo develops to full term and the offspring is born.

• Burmese Pythons invaded Everglades National Park, Florida

• Humans brought them in as pets

• Their owners cannot look after them anymore -> let them go into the wild

• Pythons feed on mammals and birds -> competing with native predators

• Efforts to remove pythons have failed -> can only try to stop increasing the population

• Latest update: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/florida-vs-the-burmese-python-how-an-invasive-giant-is-changing-the-sunshine-state/

Purpose

• Maintain populations of endangered species

• Increase population size, reduce rate of extinction

• Protect species from threats

• Raise public awareness

  Challenges

• Inbreeding

• Lack survival skills

• Behavioural problems

• Unsuccessful reintroduction

  
  

  
  

  
  

A seed bank is a facility that conserves plant diversity by drying and storing seeds in a temperature controlled environment

• seeds of the same species are collected from different sites to maintain gene pool.

• Seeds can be stored long term.

• maintains the genetic diversity

• Protect species from extinction

• Provide seeds for habitat restoration

• Stored for safekeeping

Examples: Millennium seed bank (UK), Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)

-Increased CO2 concentration. (can cause climate change that can lead to global warming)

-Soil erosion and flooding.

It out competes native species by reducing the space where they can grow

• Small volumes of semen are put into thin tubes (straws).

• Stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C, where metabolic activity stops & viability is maintained.

• agriculture

• logging

• infrastructure expansion

Natural

• forest fire

• natural disaster

-Become a predator of other animals

-obtaining precious animal-derived materials like ivory, fur and hides

-obtaining meat from animals

-for sport

-for trophy

Hunting can cause an species’ extinction by removing individuals of a species faster than they can reproduce to replace the previous individuals that were hunted.

-They do research on the species, protect the endangered species and do breeding programs

To learn more: https://northeastfc.uk/Pages/250819Infographic-PCBs-Seals.html

- Prevent international trade of endangered species or certain animal products

- CITES considers evidence presented to it about endangered species and assigns them to one of three Appendices stated in the image above.

- CITES listing does not always benefit a species (if trade in species/products become illegal -> price of products rises causing more trade to occur)

• IUCN has their own classification system

• Several different categories & levels that a species can fall into depending on population numbers & threats & risks to those populations

Animals on the IUCN Red List can be seen online

-Expensive. (liquid nitrogen, advanced equipment)

-Limited genetic material. Which leads to low genetic diversity.

•Genetic diversity=Variety of genes of one species which allows adaptation and different characteristics.

• expansion of its niche

• increasing population density

• few predators in the Atlantic

• immune to many local parasites

• reproduce year-round

2) Impact on Biodiversity

• They eat a wide variety of small fish and invertebrates (over 70 species recorded), lowering biodiversity of the ecosystem.

• reduce population of native reef fishes by up to 79% which causes local extinction in a specific, local area of small, juvenile reef fish.

• By eating herbivores like parrotfish, lionfish indirectly contribute to algae overgrowth on coral reefs, further destroying the ecosystem. 

an international organisation working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It

-assesses the conservation status of animal and plant species around the world and

-has a red list which classifies endangered animals into different categories and levels depending on the species’ population number and the threats and risks its population faces.

-has a global agreement

- aims to control the trade of endangered species and their associated products

Pandas

• only eat bamboos →Low nutritional density.

• Long time to digest → don't live a very active lifestyle.

• Can only thrive in bamboo forest →have been under threat by human activity

• Climate change and deforestation → major habitat loss.

• Very few predators but may be vulnerable to attacks from other animals like bears, snow leopards, and feral dogs.

• Historically hunted for their fur

Rhinos

• Poaching & Illegal trafficking of rhino horns → trade has been banned (CITES) since 1977, yet the black-market demand for rhino horn is high

• Lack of habitat → Need a large area in which to feed and roam, affects the chances of successful breeding and recovery will further decline. ↓↓↓

Tigers

• Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade: for their skin, bones, and body parts

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Agricultural expansion, timber harvesting, and road construction have destroyed forest

• Human-Wildlife Conflict: As habitats shrink, tigers often move into human-populated areas →cause conflict → often killed in retaliation for attacking livestock.

• Loss of Prey: As their natural prey (such as deer and wild boar) decreases, tigers cannot find enough food to survive.

  
  

-its aim is to control the trade of endangered species and their associated products

-cites categorises the endangered species into 3 appendices:

1)species that face the greatest risk of extinction

2)species that are not endangered but will be unless trade is closely controlled

3)species included at request of the country that is regulating trade of the species and trying to prevent its overexploitation

There are different trading regulations in each appendix:

1)all trades of the species are banned

2)trade is only granted if an export permit has been issued by the involved countries

3)permits are required for regulated trade

-There are several restrictions:

1-Humans access is strictly controlled.

2-Industrial activities such as agriculture and

building are tightly regulated.

3-Hunting is limited or completely prohibited.

- Marine parks are protected areas of water that have

endangered marine ecosystems and species been set up for the conservation of endangered species.

They also have restrictions:

1-Prevent the overfishing and pollution.

- Female mammal that receives an embryo from another female.

- Embryo is implanted into uterus by embryo transfer / IVF.

- Surrogate becomes pregnant and carries embryo to term.

- Offspring is not genetically related to surrogate (no egg from surrogate used).

- Used in conservation to increase reproduction/preserve endangered species

• Orthodox Seeds (Long-lived): Can withstand desiccation (drying to 5% moisture) and freezing (below -18°C) without damage.

  • Role: They can be stored for decades or centuries in seed banks.

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• Recalcitrant Seeds (Short-lived): Cannot tolerate high levels of desiccation or low temperatures. They die if dried or frozen.

  • Examples: Tropical plants, such as coffee and cocoa.

  • Conservation Method: Cryopreservation (liquid nitrogen at -196°C).

• Intermediate Seeds: Can tolerate partial drying but are sensitive to freezing. 

2. Types of Seeds (Genetic Diversity)

• Collected from various sites to capture a wide range of alleles. This is important for ensuring the species has the genetic variation to adapt to environmental changes.

• Rare/Endangered Plant Seeds: Seeds of rare and threatened species are targeted for preservation to prevent total extinction.

Crop Wild Relatives (CWR): Seeds from wild relatives of domesticated plants are stored. They contain valuable genes for resistance to pests, diseases, or drought.