Biodiversity in the Caribbean

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS LAB 

The most remarkable places on earth are also the most threatened.  You will be exploring the world and learning about hotspots of biodiversity. To do so, you will visit Conservation International Biodiversity Hotspots Web site and use an interactive map to explore a hotspot of your choice.  Feel free to discover your own resources.

Objectives

1.     Research and discuss the characteristics of global biodiversity hotspots.

2.     Demonstrate an awareness of the effects of human activity on biodiversity.

What to submit on your blog site (see details below):

1.     Description of hotspot location and ecosystem (2 points)

2.     Description of two endemic species - one plant, one animal (4 points)

3.     Names in scientific format (2 points)

4.     Description of socioeconomic conditions (2 point)

5.     How hotspot meets criteria of hotspot. Be specific! (2 points)

6.     Explanation of what is being done to protect (2 point)

7.     Answer to Question 7 (4 points)

8.     References in MLA format (2 points)

Procedure

Visit the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Web site http://www.cepf.net/resources/hotspots/Pages/default.aspx. Choose a hotspot to explore.

1.     Describe the location of your hotspot and the type of ecosystem(s) found there. A description has some detail and is not a simple definition. For my hotspot I chose the Caribbean Islands, they consist of three main groups of islands, the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. There are thousands of plant species, around 100 mammal species, more then 500 bird species, hundreds of reptile species, and a little over a hundred freshwater fishes and Amphibians. These are lush tropical islands, which used to be a great place for these species to live, but when the areas become home to humans it immediately threatened their ecosystems because the island will never grow, it is small and the more people that inhabit it the more hotspots arise.  

2.     Describe at least one endemic (native to the region) plant species and one endemic animal species found in that hotspot. One endemic plant species in the Caribbean is, Caribbean mahogany. One endemic animal species found in the Caribbean is the Puerto Rican nightjar, which is also threatened by extinction. Include trophic levels, interactions with at least five other species, and its reproductive pattern, see page 117 in the textbook).

3.     Write the names of these species in the two-name format of scientific names. Remember to underline or italicize. Caprimulgus noctitherus, CR, (Puerto Rican nightjar), Swietenia mahagoni, EN, (Caribbean mahogany).

4.     Give a general description of the region’s socio-economic conditions. The socio-economic conditions of the Caribbean Islands are, that they are high in economic, cultural, social, and political diversity. They were colonized by Europe with plantation systems. They had some Native peoples living there but once Africans were brought over to the plantations they populated most of the country.

5.     Explain how this hotspot meets the criteria of a biodiversity hotspot. State the human induced and/or natural reasons why species biodiversity has decreased in that region. You will need to do some research. Be specific! All of the human colonization has played a big part in making the Caribbean a making the islands into a biodiversity hotspot. When settlers first arrived on the island in 1492 they immediately started clearing forests to make room for sugar cane plantations. The biggest upset to the biodiversity in the area though was the human settlers. They introduced many alien species to the area; they used the alien species to control the native species such as retiles and rodents in the area.  

6.     Explain what is being done to protect this particular area and its species. Give the name of one protective group and a way to contact them. Only 13% of this area is protected at the moment, and the land that is being protected is in IUCN categories I to IV. The land needs much more protection and better people in charge of protecting the land. Grupo Jaragua, a group in the Dominican Republic made up of scientists and citizens supports and manages the Jaragua National park. You can contact them by phone at: 1-809-472-1036.

7.     Answer this question. Do you think you, as an individual should be concerned with the loss of biodiversity in hotspots located far away from where you live? Explain your reasoning. This answer must be stated in at least four sentences that demonstrate your understanding of.

Yes, even though the Caribbean is far away from where I live it’s ecosystem is important in the big picture of life. Every time we lose a species the chemical cycle in the world is thrown off a bit because that species ecosystem is now affected or lost depending on how much impact that species made. Deforestation in the Caribbean is such a huge problem and all of the species in the area are being affected by it. They are losing there homes and we are creating problems in the chemical cycle of life.

Sources Cited

"Biological Diversity in the Caribbean Islands." Biological Diversity in the Caribbean Islands. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150636/

Caribbean Islands." CEPF.net -. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.http://www.cepf.net/resources/hotspots/North-and-Central-America/Pages/Caribbean-Islands.aspx

"Grupo Jaragua - About." Grupo Jaragua - About. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/contacte_english.html

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR LAB  

  1.     Select a target species, an animal species you would like to see better able to roam naturally in your region or another region with which you are familiar. Name that animal with both binomial designation and common name.             Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus

2.     Identify and describe the habitat areas the corridor is designed to connect. (2 points)

a.     Include at least two natural and two human-imposed features.  One natural feature is the rolling hills of Dewey Arizona, mostly the Fain land I believe and the other is the grass/dessert land in the front of the Quailwood subdivision, and the goal is to not geographically isolate them. One human imposed feature is the Quailwood subdivision and the other is the Quailwood golf course.  Hopefully those areas can be the core habitats for the Jackrabbits instead of residents back and front yards. I think with adaptive management the rabbits will rather like these areas as their new homes, this is also known as habitat fragmentation.

3.     Explain why your species needs a corridor. (3 points)

b.     Include at least one current condition and one future condition that impede the species’ movement. (1 point) There are a ton of jackrabbits all over our development. They eat the plants in my front yard and they sometimes choose to live in the bigger bushes I have out there. There wouldn’t be a problem with them living there if they didn’t eat my tomato plants all the time. I have tired to keep them out using my dog but he ends up scaring them to death and I don’t want them to die, I just need them to move on. My neighbors have also have a lot of trouble with the rabbits in the area and also want them to move on to a better home. There are not a lot of bushes or trees around since they cleared most of the plots to be prepared for future home building and I feel the bunnies would be safer in an area where they can hide from predators. If the bunnies are to safe in their new home and become geographically isolated the birth rates will go up to quickly and then those areas will be overrun with rabbits. Also because this could cause inbreeding between the rabbits in the area.  

4.     Design a corridor. Use ideas from your research. (2 points)

I think the best kind of wildlife corridor is to make the golf course a little bit wider and have more trees and bushes added to the outsides so that the rabbits can travel along the sidelines without finding their way into people’s homes or bother the golfers in the middle of their game. With adding to the golf course and planting things to attract the rabbits there this should mitigate the rabbits move from my home to their core habitat.

5.     Explain two ways the corridor area will accommodate movement by this species. (2 points)

c.     This change of pace should keep the rabbits from crossing roads and getting hit by cars. It will also protect them from being out in the open and able to be picked up by a bigger bird predator. These are the two biggest impediments that these creators face in the area. At night another impediment they face in the area is coyotes, they come down to hunt around the golf course, which is bad for the rabbits, but it is also great population control, which then in turn keeps the birth rate steady.

    6.     Draw a map of the corridor and describe how your corridor will look and operate. (2 points)

   7.     Design a public watchdog campaign poster and add to your blog site. (1 point each part = 4 points)

Works Cited

"Probing Question: What Are Wildlife Corridors? | Penn State University." Probing Question: What Are Wildlife Corridors? | Penn State University. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

http://news.psu.edu/story/141365/2009/10/26/research/probing-question-what-are-wildlife-corridors

"Jackrabbits, Jackrabbit Pictures, Jackrabbit Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jackrabbit/

"Teaching an Old Jackrabbit New Acceleration Tricks - Ecodriving Solutions." Ecodriving Solutions. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

http://ecodrivingsolutions.com/blog/2011/11/teaching-an-old-jackrabbit-new-acceleration-tricks/

Endangered Species Lab

1.     Include two photos or one video (no more than two minutes in length) illustrating the organism in its natural setting. Do not use any material showing harm to this organism.

2.     State this organism’s ecosystem role. See pages 95 to 98 in your textbook. Every organism has an ecological value because they play an important role in the chemical cycling and energy flow. Since the Grey wolf contributes to other animals in its area along with the plant life, if it went extinct the other organism’s it helps would be affected largely. 

3.     State at least two ecological services this organism provides for humans and other species (at least two ecological services for each, humans and other species = four total), besides providing food. initiating trophic cascades that result in increased growth of woody riparian plants, in nesting sites for songbirds, in materials for beaver dams and in cool, deep ponds needed by juvenile fish. They also help with tourism in the region they live in. People want to see them so they will stay in the town close by and spend money, which helps local economy.

4.     Include a chart or graph showing population of this organism over time and interpret in words the information there.

The chart shows how the population of the grey wolf was so low in 1979, and in 1986 they believed that only 15-20 wolves still remained. Thanks to many different organizations the Grey wolves are making a come back as you can see from the chart. There was even one spotted near the Grand Canyon last year!

5.     Referring to Figure 9-3 in your textbook, list the characteristic(s) that endanger(s) your species. Low reproductive rate: Because there are so little Grey Wolves left they do not have high reproductive rates. Specialized niche, Feed at high trophic level.

6.     Determine if this organism is affected by density dependent and/or density independent factors. Explain this. Independent such as natural disasters, means that no matter how large or small the population is the population will still get affected such as cold weather, tornado, fire. Dependent are factors that depend on how large or small the population is these include food, water, and place to live.

7.     Name and give a two or three-sentence description of an individual or group who is a champions of this species. For the Grey wolf the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the greatest champion. They have gone above and beyond to make sure that the Grey wolf does not go extinct.  

8.     Include a link to one recent scientific article or story about this organism that was written or produced in the last year. Suggestions for sources include ScienceNews, ScienceDaily, and NPR.  Provide a two or three-sentence summary of each. A panel of scientists gathered to discuss the possibility of delisting the Grey wolf from the Endangered Species list. They talked about how they needed to do further research before making the final decision to remove or not to remove the Grey Wolf’s from the list.  

9.     MLA citations of all sources, even the textbook.

University of California - Santa Barbara. "Delist gray wolf from threatened and endangered list? Panel issues report on science." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140207133014.htm>.

“110 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2012.” 110 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

 “ITIS Standard Report- Error.” IT IS Standard Report – Error. Web. 4 Nov. 2015

Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott Spoolman. Essentials of Ecology. 6^th ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180596

http://www.conservationnw.org/what-we-do/predators-and-prey/carnivores-predators-and-their-prey

http://www.esasuccess.org/mammals.shtml