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WHY ENDANGERED SPECIES MATTER

BY RENEE CHO |MARCH 26, 2019

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/03/26/endangered-species-matter/

Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct over the course of five mass
extinctions, which, in the past, were largely a result of natural causes such as volcano eruptions and
asteroid impacts. Today, the rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster because of
human activity. The main modern causes of extinction are the loss and degradation of habitat (mainly
deforestation), over exploitation (hunting, overfishing), invasive species, climate change, and nitrogen
pollution.

There are also other threats to species such as widespread plastic pollution in the oceans—a recent
study found that 100 percent of sea turtles had plastic or microplastic in their systems.

Emerging diseases affecting more and more wildlife species such as bats, frogs and salamanders are
the result of an increase in travel and trade, which allows pests and pathogens to spread to new
locations, and warming temperatures that enable more pests to survive and spread. Wildlife trafficking
also continues to be a big problem because for some species, the fewer members there are, the more
valuable they become to poachers and hunters.

How many species are endangered?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened
Species, over 26,500 species are in danger of extinction. This includes 40 percent of amphibians, 34
percent of conifers, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 25 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds.
In the U.S., over 1,600 species are listed as threatened or endangered.

What are the consequences of extinction?

Altering ecosystems through cascading effects

If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can cause cascading effects through the
food chain, which impacts other species and the ecosystem itself.

An often-cited example is the impact of the wolves in Yellowstone Park, which were hunted to near
extinction by 1930. Without them, the elk and deer they had hunted were able to thrive, and that
increased their grazing of streamside willows and aspens, which had provided habitat for songbirds.
This left the stream banks vulnerable to erosion, and a decline in songbirds allowed mosquitoes and
other insects to multiply. When the wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995, they once again
preyed on the elk; plant life returned to the stream banks and along with it, birds, beavers, fish and
other animals.

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Kelp forests are another classic example. They play an important role in coastal ecosystems because
they provide habitat for other species, protect the coastline from storm surges and absorb carbon
dioxide.

As another example, Wooddell explained that on Guam, after the invasive brown tree snake was
accidentally introduced to the island in the 1950s, 10 of the island’s 12 endemic bird species went
extinct. “Typically birds eat seeds and spread seeds elsewhere on the island but that is no longer a
functioning ecosystem,” she said. “So the forest and the trees have decreased a lot. And Guam is
covered in spiders because the birds are not there to eat them.”

Losing apex species has multiple effects

Eliminating the large predators at the top of the food chain, the “apex species,” may be humans’ most
serious impact on nature, according to one study. These large species are more vulnerable because
they live longer, reproduce more slowly, have small populations, and need more food and a greater
habitat area. Scientists say their loss has played a role in pandemics, fires, the decline of valued
species and the rise of invasive, the reduction of ecosystem services, and decreased carbon
sequestration.

Elephants are an apex species that may go extinct in our lifetime, as a result of tourism, habitat loss
and poaching for ivory. This could dramatically change ecosystems in Africa and Asia. Through
consumption and digestion, elephants disperse more seeds farther than any other animals; this fosters
the growth of plants and trees that birds, bats and other animals depend upon for food and shelter.

Elephants also dig water holes that all animals share, and they fertilize the soil with their rich dung,
which provides food for other animals.

The loss of apex species can also affect wildfires. After rinderpest, an infectious virus, wiped out
many plant-eating wildebeest and buffalo in East Africa in the late 1800s, plants flourished. During
the dry season, this over-abundance of vegetation led to an increase in wildfires. In the 1960s, after
rinderpest was eliminated through vaccinations, the wildebeest and buffalo returned. The ecosystem
went from shrubbery to grasslands again, which decreased the amount of combustible vegetation, and
the wildfires decreased.

Jeopardizing pollination

Seventy-five percent of the world’s food crops are partially or completely pollinated by insects and
other animals, and practically all flowering plants in the tropical rainforest are pollinated by animals.
The loss of pollinators could result in a decrease in seed and fruit production, which leads ultimately
to the extinction of many important plants.

Flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are the only pollinators of some rainforest plants. They have
been over-hunted in tropical forests with several species going extinct. One study noted that 289 plant
species, including eucalyptus and agave, rely on flying foxes to reproduce; in turn, these plants were
responsible for producing 448 other valuable products.

Bees pollinate over 250,000 species of plants, including most of the 87 crops that humans rely on for
food, such as almonds, apples and cucumbers.

But in recent years, large populations of bees have been wiped out by the mysterious “colony collapse
disorder” where adult honeybees disappear from their hive, likely in response to numerous stressors.

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Endangering the food chain

Plankton, which are tiny plant and animal organisms that live in the ocean or fresh water, make up the
foundation of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton are critical to the health of oceans and the planet
because they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during photosynthesis.

In 2010, researchers found that phytoplankton had decreased 40 percent globally since 1950, and
attributed the decline to rising sea surface temperatures. The scientists speculated that the warming
surface waters did not mix well with the cooler, deeper waters rich in nutrients that phytoplankton
need. In addition, zooplankton are very sensitive to slight changes in the amount of oxygen in the
ocean, and may be unable to adapt as areas of low oxygen expand due to climate change.

The quantity and quality of plankton also affects the nutrition of other creatures further up the food
chain. In the Mediterranean Sea, the biomass of sardines and anchovies declined by one-third in just
ten years. One scientist speculated that this is because the sardines’ and anchovies’ normal plankton
had disappeared, so they had to resort to eating a less nutritious species of plankton with fewer
calories. Changes in plankton quality could be a result of water temperature, pollution or lack of
nutrients, but scientists are not exactly sure why the plankton makeup in some places is changing. If it
is due to global warming and pollution, some say the situation could worsen.

Destroying livelihoods

According to a study for the U.N., the continued loss of species could cost the world 18 percent of
global economic output by 2050.

Already, a number of industries have been economically impacted by species loss. The collapse of bee
populations has hurt many in the $50 billion-a-year global honey industry. Atlantic cod in the waters
off of Newfoundland formed the basis of the local economy since the 15th century — until overfishing
of cod destroyed the livelihoods of local fishermen.

What you can do about extinction

Extinction is hard to see. We may not realize how much of the natural world has been lost because the
“baseline” shifts with every generation. Past generations would regard what we see as natural today as
terribly damaged, and what we see as damaged today, our children will view as natural.

Wooddell believes the most important thing one can do is to put pressure on Congress and elected
leaders to create land management, pollution and other sustainable policies that will protect
biodiversity and the environment. However, because it’s unlikely that these kinds of top-down policies
will be instituted in the current political climate, she recommends mobilizing grassroots community
groups to create “bottom-up” policies.

Here are some other things you can do to protect endangered species and prevent extinction:

 Eat less meat. Soybean production is one of the main causes of deforestation, and most
soybean meal is used for animal feed.

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 Buy organic food because organic farmers use only non-synthetic or natural pesticides on their
crops. Synthetic pesticides may be toxic for other organisms.
 Choose sustainable seafood. The Marine Stewardship Council provides a list of certified
sustainable fish for responsible eating.
 Compost food waste. In New York City, the compost is used for urban farming and gardening,
which provide habitat for pollinators.
 Don’t buy products made from endangered or threatened species, such as tortoise shell, ivory,
coral, some animal skins, and “traditional” medicines.
 Reduce your use of plastic.
 If you have a garden, plant native shrubs and flowers that attract butterflies and other
pollinators.
 Diversify your diet. Eating these 50 foods will promote biodiversity and a healthier plant.
 Support and get involved with organizations that are helping endangered animals.

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