Meghan Brockmeyer

AP Environmental Science, A1

Mr. Kemp

2/1/2009

Chapter 12, Question 3 Essay

Local Extinction occurs when a species is not found where it was originally
located and inhabited, but is still found elsewhere in the world. It does not threaten an
entire species, but rather just a group or population of that species. An example of local
extinction is the Large Blue Butterfly, which was extirpated in the UK and was
successfully reintroduced by reinstating habitats back to the way they used to be (able to
support the Myrmica sabuletti, a special species of red ant whose nests play host to the
butterfly's caterpillars). Ecological Extinction occurs when so few members of a species
are left that it can no longer play its ecological roles in the biological communities where
it is found. It is as if it was completely obliterated in its ecosystem because it is no longer
functioning with any impact on much of the environment. An example of an ecologically
extinct animal is the California Condor, which is no longer ecologically extinct thanks to
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs. This magnificent species survived for a while
on a human-designed welfare system, with the young being raised in captivity. Some now
roam free, but their fate is still as precarious. Biological Extinction occurs when a species
is no longer found anywhere on the earth. These animals are gone forever, without one
remaining organism left and there is no possibility of these animals ever returning. An
example of a biologically extinct animal is the Dodo, which became extinct in the late
17th century due to hunting and vulnerability to predators.
Threatened species differ from endangered species in that threatened species are
still abundant in their natural ranges, but their populations are declining at a rate that
could but them at a risk for becoming endangered. Endangered species already have so
few individual survivors that because of their low population, they could soon become
extinct over all or most of its natural range. Examples of threatened species include the
Fishing Cat, the Caspian Seal, and the Black-footed Ferret. Examples of endangered
species include the African Elephant, the Gorilla, and the Snow Leopard.

Nine characteristics that make species extinction prone:

1. Low reproductive rate (K-strategist species)
2. Specialized niches
3. Narrow Distribution
4. Feeding at high trophic levels
5. Fixed migratory patterns
6. Rare
7. Commercially valuable
8. Large territories
9. Vulnerable and reliant on keystone species