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