The Sumatran Tiger 
by: Kimberly Hench

Title: Nowhere to Hide: Tigers Threatened by Human Destruction of Groundcover

Author: No Author 

Publication: The Public Library of Science’s online journal 

Date: January 23 

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228140502.htm 

Summary:

The Virginia Tech and World Wildlife Fund Research explain how the Sumatran tiger is becoming extinct from deforestation and the loss of understory cover. The understory cover—thick groundcover—is vital for the tigers’ survival because that is where they can capture most of their prey, and without the cover, the tiger would be more easily hunted by people. However, the Sumatran tiger prefers the forest over the understory cover because it prefers areas with little human disruption. The main problem for the tiger is loss of range area, a loss coming mostly from human advances into what had previously been tiger habitat and lands. The result of these human encroachments is the decline in the the Sumatran tiger population to roughly 400 tigers. There have been efforts from the Indonesian government to set aside land for endangered species, but these set-asides have had little beneficial effect. The land set aside only houses about 30% of the tigers’ habitat in Sumatra.

Graphic:

The Sumatran tiger is in its natural habitat. This is one of the few Sumatran tigers still alive. 

Opinion: 

Like most people, I love tigers. Who doesn’t? And I have always been intrigued with how the mother tiger cares for and raises her cubs ever since I saw a nature film on the life of a mother tiger and her cubs. Clearly, I wish—everyone wishes—there were enough room in the world to keep all tigers safe. However, my wished-for world isn’t the one we have. Two species, humanity and tiger, are colliding, and there are no easy answers at this moment. I don’t know enough of the complex details to say for certain what the perfect balance is to the opposing needs and demands. Still, I hope that delicate balance can be found and maintained. After all, as I said, I love tigers. But people need some understanding too. It’s complicated. 

Questions: 

1. If human expansion into tiger habitat is to be stopped, where can the growing human population go instead?
2. What is the population number of Sumatran tigers necessary to sustain viability as a tiger species?
3. How much acreage is needed to sustain the desired tiger population, and is that size territory realistically attainable?
4. Are there any other significant threats to the tiger population other than human encroachment?

NorthernSnakehead( Channa argus )

By: Aidan Knox

http://www.anstaskforce.gov/spoc/snakehead.php

AquaticNuisanceSpeciesTaskForce.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts

 

Picture:

Summary: There are many different kinds of invasive species in the United States such as the Northern snakehead. They are native to China and Asia.  The snakehead was first discovered in 1977 in California but in 2002 it was discovered again in Maryland.  They were wiped out but by then the snakehead had spread to the Potomac River and Florida.  Snakeheads used to be sold in fish markets and pet shops before they were a threat.  As of now there is no huge impact they are having on U.S. waters.  Snakeheads have some helpful adaptations that give them an advantage over other fish such as they can breathe out of water because of an air bladder they use as a lung.  Also since snakeheads can breathe out of water they can also move out of water too.  By wriggling snakeheads can travel a short distance on land.  People use nets, traps, angling, and electro fishing to try and kill them.  They also use chemicals to kill them but in doing that they will kill the other native species.  Snakeheads are

Opinion: I was surprised at how big of a problem the snakeheads are.  They are upsetting many ecosystems and wiping out fish species.  Due to trying to get rid of them we have killed even more species of fish.  I thought that the snakehead’s adaptations were very interesting such as breathing and moving on land.  In class we have been learning about invasive species and their negative impacts.  We should try and take more precautions with snakeheads expansion and try to get rid of them.

Questions

1. Why don’t they just fish and trap on a very large scale?
2. How can we prevent the snakehead from spreading to the whole United States?
3. Are there any positive effects from the snakehead?
4. Can the snakehead adapt to different environments quickly?

Cloning Extinct Animals

FIRST EXTINCT CLONE
CREATED
Charles
Q. Choi
For
National Geographic News
February
10, 2009
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090210-bucardo-clone.html

Picture: This graphic shows the bucardo, or a
Pyrean ibex, of when it was not extinct. It is in its habitat, which are the
mountains, since it is related to the mountain goat. The last bucardo was even
killed in its own habitat, hit by a fallen branch.

Summary: Some scientists say that
once an animal is extinct, they are gone forever. However, scientists at the
Center for Agro-Nutrition Research and Technology in Spain are proving the
others wrong. In 2003 these scientists to the frozen skin of a bucardo, a
species that went extinct in 2000, to use the DNA for the cloning experiment.
This was the first time in scientific history that an extinct animal had been
brought back to life, even though the newborn died minutes after its birth. However, the scientists’ hopes were not
crushed. They planned to try cloning another bucardo in 2004 or 2005. David
Wildt, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in
Washington D.C. told the public to not get excited for a real-life Jurassic
Park to be made anytime soon. He quoted that even if the embryos could be
constructed, there are no appropriate surrogates for long-dead species. The
surrogate mothers for the bucardo embryos were goats. Over 200 embryos were
implanted, but only seven goats became pregnant, and just one bucardo was born.
It died of respiratory failure due to lung abnormalities. Although scientists
had to resort to resurrection, there are actions we can take now to save the
endangered species from becoming extinct. If we can do this as a planet, then
maybe extinct species cloning will not be necessary.

Opinion: I thought cloning was
some sort of fantasy you see in movies and TV shows (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)!
However, since I saw this article my mind was blown because it seems so unreal
to bring something back to life that has died off. I was a little disappointed
though to see that Wildt does not believe we can bring back the dinosaurs (that
would’ve been cool but scary!). In class we learned about biodiversity and how
the extinction of a species can have a huge affect on the environment. By
bringing these species back from the dead can now solve this ecological
problem. In the first place though, it would be more humanitarian to take
action now and conserve the living endangered species. Hopefully then cloning
will not be needed since humans will not have as big of an impact on the
environment as we do now.

Questions:
·
Is
cloning always good for the environment? Why or why not?
·
What
do you think is more difficult, cloning or conserving the environment? Why?
Which do you think is better?
·
If
the clones keep dying, do you think it is morally right to keep trying?
·
What
kind of an impact do you think the reintroduction of extinct species will have
on the invironment? ( Hint: Remember there are new species everyday that we
don’t know about)

2/21/12

Caught in the Crosshairs. Wildlife Faces the Population Challenge.

By Michelle Zenarosa 

Winter 2007, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 12-14 

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SPL2298-0-6713&artno=0000259083&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=extinction&title=Caught%20in%20the%20Crosshairs%2E%20Wildlife%20Faces%20the%20Population%20Challenge&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=N

http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0226-elephants.html

Picture:

                This picture shows actual elephant tusks which are traded for a high amount of money. Many species just like the elephant are killed for its uses and selling.

Summary:

                Throughout time humans have always hunted animals for its uses but now the poaching of animals has driven many species to extinction. Here is a picture of elephant tusks which were taken after killing the elephants for its uses.  The main problem is that species extinction plays a lead to the destruction of an entire ecosystem of species. This comes from the main source of the issue, human population growth. As there are more humans in a region it is more likely that there will be more endangered or extinct species. This is due to the huge amounts of poaching being done. There is concern on keeping species from extinction as well as human population growth; however wildlife programs and scientist are trying to find ways to prevent extinction.

Opinion:

                I was surprised at how big of an impact humans have on species extinction. I thought it was interesting to find out densely populated areas like India are likely to have more endangered or extinct species because of human population being so big. I’ve seen some animals at the zoos before that were on the brink of extinction but I never thought that they would affect other species as well. I believe that people should take care of animals instead of poaching them to start in making a change.

Questions:

1.       Why doesn’t the government reinforce to not poach animals?

2.       What are some ways we can stop people from poaching as a whole or a nation?

3.       Does poaching have anything good to offer?

4.    How will extinction of many species affect humans?