Verified
Extinction - disappearance of a species. Caused by natural and human forces-90% of species have now
vanished
Alien Species - species that have been accidentally or intentionally introduced. May kill native species,
out-compete it, or the alien species may not survive.
Habitat Destruction - one of the causes of extinction, logging, urban planning, etc.
Ecological Islands - tiny patch of natural habitat. Scattered among crops, pastures, towns, housing
developments
Habitat Fragmentation - destruction of habitat that results in the formation of ecological islands
Specialists - organism that has narrow requirements for reproduction and survival. They are very
vulnerable to extinction. Cannot adapt easily.
Generalists - Organisms that occupy a variety of habitats and eat of number of different foods. They
adapt well and are not very vulnerable to extinction
Methods for preventing extinction - zoo-botanical garden approach, species approach, ecosystem
approach
Zoo-botanical garden approach - They take an animal that is close to extinction and put it in a zoo and
get it to procreate. Then when the population is higher they release them back into the wild. This is a
last ditch effort.
Species Approach - focus on a species that is not yet critical and study their niche system. They then
design programs to expand the resources that they need to survive. Tends to overlook other species.