2. Endangered Species By: Chuan Tran SBI4U 2009 http://www.wellroundedkids.com/store/Accessories/endangered%20Species%20Floor%20Puzzle.jpg

3. Intro  Human beings have recklessly exploited the Earth’s resources despite the apparent negative consequences  These consequences have lead scientists to believe that Earth has entered a new “extinction phase”  The current rate of species extinction is between 50 and 1000 times more than the geo-historical norm  Species that are at immediate risk of extinction are also known as endangered species

4. Endangered Species  Those at immediate risk of extinction http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/207836370_c7159225ba.jpg

5. Factors  Factors that contribute to the decrease in populations are:  Habitat loss  Example: Humans cutting down forests for buildings  Pollution  Example: contaminants released into the environment  Introduced species  Example: captivity  Overexploitation  Example: hunting

6. Facing Extinction  1/3 of amphibians  1/8 of birds  1/4 of mammals  And more than 8000 plants and algae species are facing extinction

7. What Are We Doing  International and U.S. laws offer protection to the endangered species  These laws make it a crime to:  Capture the species  Kill the species  Fail to act to recover them  Harm their habitat  Endangered Species Act  IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature  CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

8. Endangered Species Act  The endangered species act provides for the conservation of endangered or threatened species throughout all or most of their range and the ecosystem they depend on

9. IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature  IUCN is a world conservation union  It maintains a record, called the red list, of the world’s species that are threatened with extinction  The red list includes over 16 000 species

10. CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species  This is an agreement signed by more than 160 countries to restrict trade of more than 30 000 species of plants and animals, live or dead.  Example: Marmosets and Ivory

11. Our Plans  Plans are developed to aid in the recovery of the species  Recovery programs that can take place in the natural or outside the range of a species include:  Habitat restoration  Captive breeding efforts  Assisted reproductive efforts  Or field research into behaviour, reproduction and biological or ecology study

12. Recovery Programs  The major functions of the recovery programs are to:  Identify the most important actions needed to save the species from extinction  Identify major players in the recovery effort  And collaborate and coordinate objectives to speed the recovery process

13. Endangered Species  An example of an endangered species is plankton http://interactive.usc.edu/members/rosenblj/archives/plankton.jpg

14. Plankton  Plankton is a term for species of microorganisms that drift in open water  They are generally about 1/1000 th of a mm  They are the most abundant form of life in the ocean  There are two types of plankton  Phytoplankton  Zooplankton

15. Phytoplankton  Phytoplankton make their own food through the process of photosynthesis  Phytoplankton remove carbon dioxide from sea water and release oxygen  Populations of phytoplankton in the northern oceans have declined by as much as 30% since 1980  Phytoplankton are the first link in the food chain  They are an important part of ocean life

16. Zooplankton  Zooplankton feed on phytoplankton  Zooplankton are a food source to countless animals  As a result, plankton make up the base of the aquatic food chain  These tiny organisms sustain all life in the ocean

17. Facts  All other marine life is dependent upon plankton  The abundance of marine life is directly related to the supply of phytoplankton  They are a vital part of all food webs  Phytoplankton are the world’s number one source of oxygen  Phytoplankton produces about 90% of all photosynthetic processes on Earth

18. Theories for declination  Global warming  CO 2 emissions http://www.sustainabilityninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/global-warming.jpg https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kjoboyle/www/images/global-warming-porn.jpg

19. Global Warming  Global warming is an increase in average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere  Global warming is the main cause of decreasing phytoplankton  Phytoplankton require nutrients from the bottom of the ocean in order to reproduce  At the Earth’s poles the ocean water is colder at the surface than it is below  The cold water sinks to the bottom and the warmer water below rises to the top, bringing nutrients with it  Because of the climate changes the water from the top is warmer and therefore less water from below will rise  This means less nutrients will be available for the plankton  As a result, the reproduction of phytoplankton is hindered

20. CO 2 emissions  Carbon dioxide emissions also causes the decrease in plankton  Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean  Recent years, the ocean’s capacity has not been able to keep up with the amount of carbon dioxide levels from human output  The carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean turns into carbonic acid  This lowers the pH of the ocean  The decrease in pH is corrosive to the sea animals that form shells  One of these animals include zooplankton

21. Effect  Because plankton are a vital part of all food webs, the decrease in plankton will cause the food web to collapse  For example: Seals feed on fish, and fish feed on plankton, if plankton population decreases the affected species will die from hunger  Therefore if population decreases ocean life will be threatened  Humans are also affected because many cultures also depend on food from the sea  The sea-air exchange will be affected and will cause an impact on our living conditions because of reduced oxygen  Also, since the ocean absorbs additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, if the population of plankton decreased, atmospheric carbon dioxide would increase  This would increase global warming even more

22. Conclusion  Plankton are become closer and closer to extinction as we speak  This needs to be stopped and reversed as soon as possible  If not, the human race may face the ultimate consequence

23. Work Cited Alois, P., & Cheng, V. (2007, July). Keystone Species Extinction Overview. In World's Biggest Problems. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/species-extinction/443# http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/species-extinction/443# Endangered Species Act (ESA). (n.d.). Office of Protected Resources. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/ Endangered Species Science. (n.d.). Conservation and Science. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/EndangeredSpecies/defa ult.cfm http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/EndangeredSpecies/defa ult.cfm http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/EndangeredSpecies/defa ult.cfm How Do Phytoplankton Control The Carbon Cycle? (2003, January 27). The Wild Blue Wonder. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/seawifs/carbon2.htm http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/seawifs/carbon2.htm The Who? What? Where? How? and Why's? of Plankton. (n.d.). Protect Oceanography: Ocean Drifters. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f97/plank_1.pdf http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f97/plank_1.pdf