In order to apply different methodologies to preserve the takahe effectively, studies have to be conducted to understand the bird as much as possible. It is indicated that takahe is a specialist species, which means they can only live in one type of habitat and have limited capability to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions and are able to eat only certain types of food (Miller & Spoolman, 2010, p. 72). In Fiordland, the birds live in alpine grassland, and eat tussocks mostly, and snow tussocks are their favorite. Nonetheless, in winter, the takahe change their living location to forested valleys, where they can find the rhizome of the fern. On the other hand, on islands, the food that the takahe feed on is a mixture of native and different types of introduced grasses (Crouchley, 1994, p. 6). The most important reason the birds need protecting is because they are endemic to New Zealand. Since the Maori and European colonization started, the bird population has suffered a sharp decline over time. During the Maori colonization, over-hunting was a major factor causing the size of the population to shrink. Thereby, by the time the Europeans arrived, the number of takahe was already critically low (Bunin & Jamieson, 1995, p. 101). In addition to this, in the late 1960s, there were many other elements including severe modification of the vegetation by deer, predators such as stoats, and possibly accidental poisoning by cyanide. Severe weather also contributed to the loss in the number of birds (Crouchley, 1994, p. 7). Another reason for this loss is the takahe breeding pattern itself. As mentioned above, the breeding season is restrained to once a year, which only starts in late summer and lasts for three months. The poss... ... middle of paper ... ...petition and predation that either directly or indirectly poses a great threat on them. Most importantly, the islands are well managed by DOC. In order to visit one of the islands, it is mandatory to obtain permission from DOC. Different methods have been used to make sure no tourist bring any predators, namely rats with them, and accidentally or deliberately reintroduce them onto the islands. Moreover, a breeding program was also successfully carried out on the islands, helping the number of individuals and pairs of takahe significantly increase over time. According to a study, since the breeding program started, the population has increased by 33 individuals, from 30 when they were first introduced to 63 adult takahe in October 2009. Out of 64 adult takahe, 46 of them were breeding in 22 pairs/groups (Grueber, Maxwell & Jamieson, 2012, p. 225) (see Figure 13).
Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
...es from the coqui frogs are a serious problem, but we need to accept the fact that coqui frogs will never leave our Hawaiian islands the way it used to be.
Every day many species are slowly becoming either endangered or extinct and recently an endangered bird species called piping plovers, started nesting on Revere Beach. What would seem as a miraculous discovery, many are averse to their new inhabitants on the beach. Many Revere residents are complaining because the piping plovers now occupy parts of “their” beach. But in the article “Revere Beach should welcome the piping plover” The Editorial Board believes that the presence of the piping plover could be greatly beneficial to the city of Revere and I certainly agree. What led me to select this particular article is my concern for the many endangered species in the world like the piping plover. Human hands have led many species to become endangered
Although the bird is not a key player in the forest ecosystem, many environmental groups have made it a mascot for environmental causes everywhere. If the Spotted Owl were to become extinct, life would go on without ...
The Atlantic Puffin’s ecosystem contains a combination of both terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic plants and animals. For the cliff-...
...hich is why it is a nature reserve. It is also known for its beautiful beaches. It also holds flora and fauna not found any were else in the world. It has no permanent residents living on the island but is guarded by on duty Natural reserve security.
With this being said, their breeding seasons depend on the time of the year. During El Niño the Galapagos Mockingbirds breed the most, although, because of all of the water there are many deaths within the population where they are desperately trying to outnumber births over deaths (Blumin, 2011). On the other hand, during times of drought they do not breed at all (Blumin, 2011). This affects the fecundity of the population because all of the offspring that the Galapagos Mockingbirds manage to reproduce will eventually die off with no offspring to replace them as this species does not constantly breed. With this, the population results in a stable growth
There is also a new method that scientists are trying to use for the conservation of endangered animals. Sperm freezing, artificial insemination and embryo transfer are routine methods in several domestic species and applications of these techniques may also be used in wild species. However, reproduction physiology is very specific and before any technique can successfully be applied, the main reproduction features must be examined in target species or at least in a nearby relative species.
The finch hybrids before the El Niño of 1983, two different species did not mate each other but during the child, a scandens mated with a fortis and produced four fledgings.
.... Some animals face endangerment because of human’s hunting activities and because of the climate changes. Due to the endangered rare species, people solve this problem by bringing these animals back to their natural habitat.
Marchant, S. and P.J. Higgins. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Williams, P.A. & Karl, B.J., 2002. Birds and small mammals in kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) and gorse (Ulex europaeus) scrub and the resulting seed rain and seedling dynamics. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 26(1), 31-42.
construction and etc. One can see how after a long period of time this could affect bird
As biological Controls – *Birds are very helpful in controlling injurious crop pests. *There are a wide variety of insect eating birds. *Sparrow generally eat seeds of noxious weeds. *Birds of prey such as hawks, eagles and owls kill rodents, hare and ground squirrels etc which destroys the crops. *Birds can destroy up to 98% of over-wintering codling moth larvae, a major pest of apples worldwide. *No doubt, in the absence ofbirds, many of these insects may become even greater pests, destroying our agricultural and forestry crops. As key stone species –*Some birds are considered keystone species as their presence in (or disappearance from) an ecosystem affects other species indirectly. *For example, woodpeckers create cavities that are then used by many other species. *After the extinction of the dodo, it was discovered that a tree whose fruits had been a primary food item of the dodo was unable to reproduce without its seeds passing through the dodos’ digestive tracts, which process scarified the seed coat and enabled