...Biology Assignment (speech) Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on planet earth. However more often than not varying human impacts can effect different organisms in different ways. An organism that is severely affected due to human impacts is the Corroboree Frog which is an indigenous species of frog that inhabits now only a small region of Kosciuszko National Park, in New South Whales. This particular organism is currently the worlds most endangered frog species with the Lehmann’s poison frog coming a close second in which is an animal native to Columbia. The corroboree frog is broken into the northern and southern corroboree frogs, however due to the changing climate and new environmental pressures that humans have highly contributed to, now reside within 50 kilometres of one another. The Scientific names for the two frogs are Pseudophryne Corroboree (southern) and the Pseudophyrne Pengilleyeis (northern). These frogs inhabit numerous sections of the Kosciuszko National Park, However mainly occur in the Snowy Mountain regions and nearby state forests. This is between 950 and 1750 meters above sea level. It is usual for the frogs to reside in cavities In vegetation and soil that have dominant substrates. Corroboree frogs during breeding season live in pools within sphagnum bogs wet tussock grasslands and wet heaths. As a whole they generally prefer shallow pools with low water flow and large surface area. However around mid-summer these pools dry up, which puts the...
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...the Ozarks can be lots of fun from fishing to kayaking. The story of the Ozark hellbender’s decline is an all too familiar one just like many of the other endangered species– increased siltation, water quality degradation, and increased human interference to their habitat. To add insult to injury, a highly infectious chytrid fungus is proving fatal to an ever-increasing number of amphibians throughout the world. Over 75 percent of hellbender deaths that occurred in the St. Louis Zoo’s captive population from March 2006 through April 2007 were due to this disease. This prompted the testing of Missouri’s wild Ozark hellbenders, and they found that 100% of the population was infected. Global endangered species: Panamanian Golden frog ((Atelopus zeteki), Considered lucky by the Panamanians, A. zeteki was first listed under the ESA in 1976. It too is undergoing a rapid decline through human interventions. Factors affecting A. zeteki include illegal collecting for the pet trade as well as legal collecting for hotels and Zoos. Deforestations as well as stream sedimentation from logging and local farming. And then you add insult to injury again. The chytrid fungal problem that affects the hellbenders in the...
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...that endangered species should be kept in the wild other than in a sanctuary or zoo. I have multiple reasons for believing this but I would like to start off with the fact that endangered species lifespans are longer in the wild than they are in a sanctuary. For example, the Giant Panda lives up to 38 years in the wild, but only around 30 in a zoo or sanctuary. Also, the Amur Leopard, at a population of around 257 individuals, is also an endangered species. In the wild they live up to 45 years on average, on the contrary, they only live about 21 years in captivity. When an animal is taken out of their natural habitat it is unable to function correctly in captivity. They are more prone to diseases such as Chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease in domesticated amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non hyphal zoosporic fungus. One study, in 2012, estimated it to be a cost of over $76 billion per year to preserve threatened land animals. If my calculations are correct that means that since then, we have spent over $304 billion dollars just to captivate endangered species. Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper if we just left animals in the wild in their natural habitat? I think so. Every year, the North Carolina Zoo spend a total of $7 million on the polar bears. A polar bear is an endangered species native to the Arctic Circle. You know where they get the money for those expenses? Well, you. The money you spend on going to see all of your favourite...
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...FERNANDEZ, Sam T401 MWF 330-430 BS HTM TTM 4 10 September 2014 AUSTRALIA 1. Southern corroboree frog - Pseudophryne corroboree IUCN listing: Critically Endangered Inhabiting a small corridor on the New South Wales and Victorian border, the tiny southern corroboree frog - which is the size of a fingernail - is running on the edge of extinction. Fewer than 150 breeding males are thought to survive across 23 sites that were surveyed in 2001. The main suspected threat is the chytrid fungi. Although many studies have been undertaken, the success has been limited, as they have not been able to confirm the critical threat to the frogs. A studying conducted between 1997 and 1999 revealed that the frogs were present in 213 sites around the NSW and Victorian border but this number dropped only 79 sites as of 2001, revealing how quickly these animals were disappearing. A captive-breeding program, led by Sydney's Taronga Zoo, reintroduced 800 eggs into Kosciuszko National Park in 2012. 2. Margaret River burrowing crayfish - Engaewa pseudoreducta IUCN listing: Critically Endangered With only two known populations, the Margaret River burrowing crayfish is highly endangered. Even one of these may no longer exist, as there have been no sightings since 1985. The threats are almost all attributed to human activity. Land clearing is the biggest danger, as crayfish habitat can be eroded or contaminated by farming, mining and urban development. Feral pigs also damage habitat...
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