Habitat Destruction

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• Habitat Destruction
• Ernetta K. Smith
• Dr. A. Welch
• March 4, 2004
• Ecology

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What is a Habitat?

• A habitat is the physical and biological
  environment used by an individual, a population,
  a species, or a group of species.

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What is Habitat Loss?

• Habitat Loss has occurred when quality of the
  environment is so low that it is no longer usable
  by a given species.

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What is Habitat Degradation?

• Habitat Degradation is the process by which
  habitat quality for a given species is diminished.

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What is a Biota?

• A biota is the combination of animals, plants,
  and fungi within a region.

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What are Causes of Habitat Loss?

• Causes of Habitat Loss include man made objects
  such as roads, dams, and Utility Corridors.

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Habitat Loss-Roads

• Roads are structures used to facilitate movement.
  However, they are barriers for animals such as
  amphibians, small reptiles, and invertebrates.

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Habitat Loss-Roads

• Although many animals are capable of crossing
  roads, they may be run down in the process.

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Habitat Loss-Dams

• Damming streams and rivers have destroyed many
  aquatic ecosystems. Many animals move up and down
  the streams searching for places to forage and
  breed.

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Habitat Loss-Dams

• Moving downstream these animals are likely to be
  churned to death in turbines. Moving upstream,
  they encounter an unmovable wall that may or may
  not provide a food chain.

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Habitat Loss-Utility Corridors

• Utility Corridors are used apply fences to large
  landscapes, controlling the movement of livestock
  and large wild animals.

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Habitat Loss-Utility Corridor

• Utility Corridors are also used to dissect
  landscapes, potentially isolating organisms from
  reaching their comfort zone.

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What are the Consequences of Habitat Loss?

• Consequences of Habitat Loss include the
  endangerment and extinction of species, as well
  as the destruction of land and ecosystems.

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Habitat Loss-More Examples

• Other structures that are considered to be a
  cause of Habitat Loss are parking lots, mines,
  buildings, and railroads.

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What are Causes of Habitat Degradation?

• Causes of Habitat Degradation are Air Pollution,
  Water Pollution, and Pesticides.

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Habitat Degradation-Air Pollution

• A combination of CFCs and halons reduce the
  concentration of the ozone, allowing UV rays to
  reach the earth surface, forming toxic clouds
  called smog.

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Habitat Degradation-Air Pollution

• Although Air Pollution is not a primary cause in
  the decline of populations, it may still lead to
  localized extinction.

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Habitat Degradation-Water Pollution

• Water Pollution includes material such as mud
  that smothers the bottom of aquatic ecosystems at
  high concentrations.

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Habitat Degradation-Water Pollution

• Water pollution affects marine biodiversity via
  extirpation. Also, stresses populations by
  reducing their reproductive success.

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Habitat Degradation-Pesticides

• Pesticides, Insecticides, and Rodenticides are
  used to kill animals that would eat our crops.

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Fragmentation and Barriers

• Fragmentation and Barriers are conservation
  problems because they destroy the ecosystems of
  species.

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Fragmentation and Barriers

• Fragmentation is a process by which ecosystem
  destruction can isolate the biota of ecosystems
  that remain intact.

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Barriers

• Barriers are structures that are built to
  eliminate passage, which in this case the causes
  of habitat loss and degradation help to inhibit
  animal movement.