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XI.. Major causes of extinction and the decline in biodiversity

1.Destruction of natural ecosystem

Requirements of space, food and raw materials for expanding

human population and establishments is most important cause for rapid
decline in biodiversity in any ecosystem. Much of land area of globe where
agriculture or cattle ----------- possible has been brought under human use
to meet pressure of human demands.
2. Habitat fragmentation
Today pressure of human activity, population and development
are fragmenting biological communities into small patches surrounded by
urban or agricultural lands. Fragmented small habitat patches unable of
support large viable populations of different species leading to their decline
and number are the causes of species extinction.
Most dramatic changes occur in biologically rich areas as tropical rain
forests, wetlands, coral reefs and estuaries.
3. Environmental pollution
it involves introduction into environment (land, water, air)
undesirable and harmful materials / energy (e.g. gas, liquid, solid, heated
effluents or radiation in an ecosystem) thus altering physical and chemical
nature of environment that may impair survival of many sensitive species.
Pollution may be altering health o coral reefs resulting in wide spread
losses of biodiversity.
4. Commercial hunting, harvesting and over exploitation of selected
species
Commercial hunting of wild species occurred for centuries and
second largest threat to world’s animal species. Animals killed and hunted
for food, fur, elephant tusks and their purposes. Many types as
i) sports hunting for enjoyment well regulated help to control population of
wild life to remain within carrying capacity of their environment.
ii) Subsistence hunting is to provide food to indigenous people in tropical
rain forest carried out in sustainable level and no threat to animals.
iii) Commercial hunting (harvesting) involves large efforts as whale hunting
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in the past or hunting African rhinos for their horns. Whale hunting for oil,
meat and other products resulted in severe reduction in whale populations.
Through efforts of whaling commission , whale hunting greatly reduced.
Large scale commercial hunting doomed the passenger pigeons and also
reduced the size of bison’s herd North America. The world’s fisheries
(fishing ground) heavily harvested for commercial gains and many have
been eliminated.
Commercial hunting may also occur illegally and is called
poaching. Today poachers continue to hunt elephants, rhinos, tigers and a
variety of other endangered species as economic benefits outweigh the
risks of small fines and light soil sentences. (Bengal tiger costs 95000 us;
South American ocelot costs 40.000 us. A single orchid or Amazonian
parrot costs 5000 us.) 90% rhinos of Kenya killed since 1970 as their horns
are worth their weight in gold and its powder used as medicine in Asia. No.
of elephants reduced from estimated 2.5 million in 1970 to around 440,000
to 600,000 due to poaching (WWF).

Plants of scientific and medicinal value are disappearing because of their

over exploitation. Pitcher plants, Gnetum sp., Psilotum sp,. Isoetes sp., (for
teaching and lab work) and already rare. Over collection of medicinal plants
as Podophyllum sp,. Coptis sp,. Aconitum sp,. Rauwolfia sp,. And
saussuria lappa. have made them rare. Great demand of orchids for their
shiny feathers (Aerides crispum and Cymbidium aloifolium) has resulted in
species of the lake to near extinction. Eucalyptus (Austrailia) and Casurina
(Tropical America and Austrailia) introduced in Indo – Pak subcontinent has
been extremely successful with fast growth, suppressing the native species
of locality.

6. Animal and plant collection trade for enjoyment and

research.
 Millions of the wild animals and plants collected and imported into
developed for zoos. (USA in 2003 18613 primates were imported).
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No breeding in captivity plus high mortality. So replenishment from

wild populations will continue. Two thirds of world’s, 150 species of
primates were threatened with extinction.
 Similarly in 2003, over 3.8 million, live cacti imported in USA from 2.2
countries and is a booming business.
 Threating many native plant species, private collections, pet shops
and research etc are contributing to the world-wide loss of species.

7. Pest and predator control.

 Chemical pesticides sprayed on farms and on other areas to control

insects and other pests, and predator control programmes have had
a profound impact of plants and animals contributing to steady
decline in biodiversity on earth.
 Impact of DDJ on falcon population as well as eagles and brown
pelicans.
 Predator control affected native population of wolves, bears and
mountain lines in N. America leading to uncontrolled number of prey
populations of dears etc beyond carrying capacity of their
environment.

8. Biological Factors.

Many biological characters of organism (such as their population size and

the number of off-springs they produce, the size of their destruction rate,
their tolerance for people and their degree of specialization) determine
their vulnerability to human impacts on environment. E.g. In case of
passenger pigeon, small and limited population size, over-hunting, habitat
destruction etc led to the extinction of species.
Specialized animals are very restricted to their most favorable conditions
and highly vulnerable to extinction compared to generalists who can
survive under a variety of conditions, hence less vulnerable to habitat
destruction.
Animal size also contributes to their extinction. Large sized animals are;
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 Easier prey for humans.

 Produce less number of off-springs, and hence small populations
and population loss difficult to recover.
 Smaller the range of destruction, the more vulnerable the organism
into extinction.

The loss of keystone species.

These species are organisms on which many other species in an
ecosystem depend. E.g The Gopher tortoise digging
400 feet long and 30 feet deep burrows in sand, that many other
species (as Florida mouse, gopher frog, opossums, grey foods and
indigo snakes etc) share and areas where these tortoise have been
eliminated, 37 species of invertebrates have disappeared almost
disappearing of their natural populations.

Introduction of exotic species.

Plants and animal species introduced into new regions may thrive (to grow
healthy) because of the favorable conditions and low environmental
resistance. Therefore, they often out compete and eliminate native species.
Islands are especially vulnerable to exotic species (i.e. there may be no
normal predators to hold their population in check) E.g

 English sparrow introduced in USA in 1850s now competes for

nesting sites and food with blue birds and swallows, starling and
barred owls of North America are other examples..

 Chance introduction of Zebra mussed, fish work, water fleas great in

North America with devastating economic and ecological
consequences as they feed on phytoplankton, main source of food of
small fishes and in spreading very fast affecting food chain.

 In USA, about 6500 alive species of plants, animals and insects and
spiders and diseased organism have become established causing
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315 native species to become endangered or threatened because of

their predation on native species and habitat destruction. Estimated
losses 120 billion per year.

Introduction of Nile perch in lake Victoria has driven almost half of the 400
regional fish.
P.T.O