2021/09/15 01 Matthew Seyfried Name: _________________________________________ Date: _______________ Period: _______ Conservation & Preservation Webquest Directions: Go to the website below. Read through each topic and answer the corresponding questions. https://www.bagheera.com/endangered-species-classroom-studies/ The Extinction Crisis: 1. What is human use of the Earth’s resources causing? → Mass extinction. 2. In your own words, what will happen if humans continue to destroy, degrade and fragment the habitat? → Total ecological collapse. Why it Matters: 3. Human populations depend on plants and animals for much of their food medicines clothing __________________, ___________________________, ________________________, and shelter ____________________. 4. Intact ecosystems perform many vital functions- list 3. 1 Purifying air. 2 Filtering water. 3 Preventing erosion and flooding. Threatened and Endangered Species 5. When is a species or subspecies regarded as “endangered”? → When it is in danger of extinction. 6. When is a species considered “threatened”? → When it is likely to become an endangered species in the near future. The Causes of Extinction Habitat Loss habitat loss 7. The most common cause of endangerment is ____________________________. 8. Give an example of how the increase of human population and consumption affects wildlife habitat. → As human population and consumption increase, wildlife habitat is converted to houses and highways. Forests are cut down for building materials, fuel, and paper. The Causes Introduced Species 9. What happens when humans move and introduce species to non native ecosystems? → Disrupting the delicate balance that evolved among species in that ecosystem. 10. What do the introduced species compete with native species for? → Food and/or nest sites. 11. How are non-native species transported? → By roads and by sea. The Causes Overexploitation 12. List at least 5 things that animals are killed and used for. → Food, fur, feathers, oil, crafts, and more. 13. What is a huge and growing cause of wildlife endangerment? → The international market for animals and animal parts. The Causes Pollution 14. Which species are especially vulnerable to pollution and why? → Fish, frogs, marine mammals, and many invertebrates. They're all creatures that depend on either freshwater or saltwater for all or part of their life cycles 15. What are some ways that water is polluted? (List at least 4) → Run-off of fertilizers and pesticides from farms, oil and other chemicals from roads, human sewage that flows untreated into rivers, lakes, and oceans, and dumping waste in general. The Causes Other Factors 16. What are the natural and nonthreatening phenomena in many ecosystems? → Disease and insect infestations.
