Endangered Species (College Board AP® Environmental Science): Flashcards
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Define endangered species.
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Define endangered species.
An endangered species is one whose population has declined to the point that it faces a high risk of extinction.
Under which law and list are endangered species often recorded?
Endangered species are often listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), which gives them legal protection, and the IUCN Red List.
How does overhunting push a species toward endangerment?
Species are hunted extensively for food, medicine, or trade; for example, African elephants are endangered due to ivory poaching.
True or False?
Habitat fragmentation reduces the area of habitat but does not affect genetic diversity.
False.
Fragmentation isolates populations, which makes reproduction more difficult and reduces genetic diversity.
Why are species with specialized diets especially vulnerable to endangerment?
Species with specific food sources or habitat needs are highly susceptible to environmental change; for example, giant pandas rely almost entirely on bamboo.
In which three ways can an invasive species endanger native species?
Invasive species can outcompete, prey on, or spread disease to native species, as the brown tree snake has done to native birds in Guam.
How is climate change threatening polar bears?
Polar bears are struggling to find food as Arctic ice melts.
Which species have the best chance of surviving environmental change?
Species that can adapt quickly or relocate to new habitats have a better chance of survival.
Define physiological adaptation.
A physiological adaptation is a change in body functions that helps a species survive in new conditions, such as the higher stress tolerance of urban blackbirds.
Define behavioral adaptation.
A behavioral adaptation is a change in behavior that increases survival chances, such as pink salmon migrating earlier to avoid warmer waters.
How has climate change caused a genetic adaptation in European tawny owls?
Reduced snowfall gives brown owls a survival advantage, so gray owls are declining; this is natural selection in response to changing conditions.
True or False?
Species with slow reproduction rates recover quickly after habitat loss.
False.
Slow reproducers may not adapt fast enough; for example, orangutans have long birth intervals, which makes population recovery difficult.
Coral reefs cannot as oceans warm, which leads to coral bleaching and mass die-offs.
Coral reefs cannot relocate as oceans warm, which leads to coral bleaching and mass die-offs.
Define selective pressures.
Selective pressures are environmental factors that influence which traits become more or less common in a population over time, driving natural selection.
How does predation act as a selective pressure?
Predators favor traits that help prey survive; for example, faster gazelles are more likely to escape and pass on their genes.
How does climate act as a selective pressure on Galápagos tortoises?
On arid islands, tortoises have evolved saddleback shells that let them stretch their necks higher to reach food, such as cactus pads.
True or False?
Human activities are too recent to act as selective pressures.
False.
Hunting, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change create strong selective pressures; for example, some elephant populations are evolving tusklessness due to hunting for ivory.
Define competitive exclusion.
Competitive exclusion is when two species compete for the same niche and one outcompetes the other, as European starlings have done to native birds in North America.
Which advantages help invasive species outcompete native species?
Invasive species often have a lack of natural predators, faster reproduction rates, and the ability to tolerate a wider range of conditions.
True or False?
A species that loses out in competition will always go extinct.
False.
Some species can shift their niche to avoid competition and survive, while others cannot and go extinct.
loss is the leading cause of species endangerment.
Habitat loss is the leading cause of species endangerment.
What does CITES regulate?
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regulates trade in endangered species to prevent exploitation.
How do captive breeding and reintroduction programs protect endangered species?
They breed endangered species in captivity to boost numbers before releasing them into the wild, as with the California condor.
How does ecotourism help protect endangered species?
Ecotourism generates revenue for conservation and gives local communities an economic reason to protect wildlife, as with mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda.
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