Causes of Wildlife

Extinction
 Definition of Terms
Biodiversity – is the variety of organisms in a given area
Extinct – refers to the groups of organism where nothing is left alive
in captivity or in the wild
Threatened – refers to organism where population is declining
Endangered – a population of organism which is at risk of becoming
extinct
Pollution – process by which harmful substances are added to the
environment that result in a negative effect
Deforestation - refers to the clearing of forest by human activities to
meet demands of increasing human population
Why is biodiversity
important? Why is
biodiversity
deteriorating?
Deforestation – destruction of forest

Reasons for Cutting Trees:

1. clearance for urban development – for building houses,

roads, bridges, dams and factories

2. clearance for cultivation – for growing crops

3. clearance for grazing – provide space for grazing animals

which will be for meat and dairy/milk products

4. clearance for fibers – for used in making textiles for

clothing and other purpose
Damaging Effects of Deforestation
1. Soil erosion - when there are no trees nothing can hold the soil when heavy rainfall
occurs. Heavy rains can wash out topsoil when there are no trees to hold the soil.
Roots and trunks of trees hold enormous amount of rainwater and slowly release
them
2. Flooding – when no trees absorbing rainwater, all water from rain will move to lower
areas suddenly
3. Mudslides – when nothing holds the soil, soil moves down the hill
4. Desertification - because topsoil is removed from the soil, no plants will grow. Sun’s
heat causes water to evaporate rapidly and the soil hardens. Overgrazing depleted
vegetation in the area
5. Loss of biodiversity - since trees are remove this lead to disappearance of other
organisms depending on trees and other organisms in the forest due to loss of habitat
and food sources
6. Wildlife extinction – when no food and shelter from trees and other organisms,
wildlife will forever disappear
 Deforestation is
considered as one of the
major causes of wildlife
extinction because it causes
loss of habitat for
organisms.
Pollution- the process by which harmful substances are
added to the environment
Air pollution – is the contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid
or solid wastes or by-products that can endanger the health of humans,
plants, and animals

Air pollutants:
1. Lead – comes mostly from fossil fuel esp. gasoline
- can lead to lead poisoning and then death
2. Carbon dioxide – comes from burning fuels and industries/factories
--Forms a layer over the earth’s surface causing the enhanced
greenhouse effect that traps heat which then increases the
global temperature and ocean acidification.
3. Carbon monoxide – comes from exhaust of motor vehicles
- alters hemoglobin in the blood
4. Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) – made up of chlorine, fluorine and carbon
- found in aerosols, cooling agents, foam packaging
-breaks down the ozone layer causing UV rays from the sun to reach the
surface of the Earth
5. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides – comes from burning oil, gas, coal in
power plants; and petrol in motor vehicles
- they mix with droplets and oxygen forming nitric and sulfuric acid
- the acids when mixed with rain produces acid rain and damages forests
and lakes. Acid rain increases acidity levels of lakes, rivers, and seas and kill
aquatic life. It can acidify soils and kill plants. It can erode buildings and
monuments
Water pollution - contamination of the water by foreign
matter such as microorganisms, chemicals, and industrial or
other wastes or sewage and deteriorate quality of water
Major Pollutants:
1.Sewage – brings bacteria in the water which consumes
oxygen in water and causes death of water organism due to
lack of oxygen. Sewage causes water-borne diseases such as
cholera, typhoid, etc.
2.Petroleum or oil spills – comes from supertankers and oil
drillings
-results to enormous damage in marine life
3. Industrial wastes – includes poisonous metals like mercury, arsenic, lead,
cadmium, etc.
- contaminates fish and shellfish and causes death or damage on organism
eating them
-causes biological magnification among organisms
Biological magnification –process by which pollutants become more
concentrated in successive trophic level of the food chain
4. Fertilizers – contains nitrates and phosphates which causes abundant
growth of algae and green plants
- carried away by rainwater to rivers and lakes
- submerged algae and plants die due to lack of sunlight. As they
decompose, bacteria decomposing them uses oxygen in the water and result
to lack of oxygen for fish
Eutrophication – rapid growth of algae in bodies of water due to high levels
of nitrogen and phosphate
5. Pesticides – contains non-biodegradable chemicals that
causes poisoning of marine life as well as humans and
biological magnification
6. Sediments - soil and mineral particles that can ruin water
quality and damage to aquatic life esp. corals
7. Radioactive substances - includes uranium and thorium
coming from mining activities and refining from nuclear power
plants, industries, medical facilities, and scientific studies
8. Heat -
Species extinction is a result
of the FAILURE of
populations of organisms to
ADAPT to abrupt changes
in the environment.