“Problematic hayawan”

MUSLIM SCIENTISTS

Azlini binti Hj. Ismail

Aimi Salwani binti Abdul Rahman

Amirah binti Abdul Razak

Introduction

Among the greatest challenges is the accelerating pace of species extinctions.

Concerning about this matter, we will bring you towards examining biodiversity crisis and its solutions.

Concept : Documentary

Case Study:

Overexploitation-Whales

Chronology

Right whales were the first to bear the brunt of commercial whaling.

they were slow, easy to capture, and provided up to 150barrels of blubber oil and abundant whalebone

Why they are hunted?

Whale blubber (whale fat)

make oil from it

The fine lattice-like structure

Use in undergarmnents

WHALES OVEREXPLOITATION

Whales ,the lasrgest living animal are rare in the world’s ocean today,their numbers are driven down by commercial whaling

Begin at the sixteenth century

Reaching apex at the nineteenth and early twentieth century

Chronology

Eighteenth century-whaler turned to another species(thegray,humpback,bowhead)-lead to number decline>>Turned to blue whale-they also decimated>>Turned to smaller whale(the fin,sei,sperm)

Every whale became focus of commercial breeding,its numbers unevitably began to steep decline

Action

1935-hunting of right whale was made illegal(their number did not recovered)

1946-formation of International Whaling Comission(continue to steep decline)

1974-number are driven down-IWC banned hunting of blue,gray and humback and institued partial bans on other species)

1986-IWC institued a worldwide moratorium on all commercial killing of whales

Some species appears to be recovering while other do not

Case Study:

Introduced Species-Lake Victoria Cichlids

Lake Victoria, an immense shallow

freshwater sea about the size of Switzerland

in the heart of equatorial east Africa,

had until 1954 been home to an incredibly

diverse collection of over 300 species of

cichlid fishes.

These small, perch like fishes range from 2 to

10 inches in length, with males coming in endless varieties of

colors.

In 1954, the Nile perch, Lates niloticus a commercial fish with a voracious appetite, was introduced on the Ugandan shore of Lake Victoria.

Nile perch ,which grow to over 4 feet in length, were to form the basis of a new fishing industry.

For decades, these perch did not seem to have a significant impact to the cichlids.

By 1986, Nile perch population exploded and

the endemic cichlid species were virtually gone.

By 1989, high inputs of nutrients from agricultural runoff and sewages from towns and villages had led to algal blooms.

A normal increase in cichlid numbers due to the algal blooms led to the explosive increase in perch which then ate their way through the cichlids.

Today, all of these cichlid species are threatened, or extinct.

• Restoration of once-diverse cichlid fishes to Lake Victoria.

• Removal of the introduced species.

MORAL : larger fishes are better source of food, but we should not harm the nature just to fill human needs.

Case Study:

Disruption of Ecological Relationship-

Footed Ferrets

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a highly specialized predators,prey on prairie dogs

DISRUPTION OF ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS-BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS

Chronology

A century ago -at north America range,agricultural development destroyed

1.their prairie habitat

2.prairie dogs on which they feed

Late 1970s -the black-footed ferrets was thought to be gone extinct when the only known wild population;a small colony in South Dakota died out

1981 -a colony of of Meeteese,Wyoming was located(left undisturbed for four years-number dropped by 50%)

Actions

1981-A decision was made to capture some ferrets for a capture breeding programme

1982-effort to capture all remaining ferrets

1991-great succes-population jumping to 311 individulas

Reintroduction-44 ferrets

1993-Additional 159 were released(having drastic decline)

1998-only 10 individulas are still alive

The reason of decline is not completely understood but predators such as coyotes appear to have played arole

Current attemps involve killing local coyote

The black-footed ferrets still teeter at the brink of extinction

Case Study:

Loss of Genetic VariationPrairie Chickens

25,0002,000

6

The great prairie chicken (tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) is a showy 2-pound wild bird renowned for its flamboyant mating rituals.

Prairie grasses in Illinois

Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens

Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chicken

CASES:

Introduction of the steel plow in 1837

Permeates into deep root system in prairie grasses

Habitat Loss EXTINCTION

Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens

Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chickens- Prairie Chicken

SOLU

TIONS:

FIRST TRIAL:

1962,1967- sanctuary was

established. But, they were not doing well. Their numbers

kept falling.

SECOND TRIAL:

1992 ,1996- Out-of-state prairie chicken were brought in to interbreed with the Illinois birds, and hatching rates were back up to 94% by 1998

PROBLEM:

1)Population sizes were too small

2)Mating rituals; one male

dominate a flock

Loosing genetic variability

Case Study:

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

Songbirds

The songbirds are long-distance migrants and covers species such as thrushes, orioles, tanagers, catbirds, vireos, buntings, and warbles.

These birds nest in northern forests in the summer, but spend their winters in South or Central America or the Caribbean Islands.

Fragmentation of breeding habitat and nesting failures in the summer nesting grounds of the United States and Canada have had a major impact on the breeding of woodland songbirds. Many of the most threatened species are adapted to deep woods and need an area of 25 acres or more per pair to breed and raise their young. As woodlands are broken up by roads and developments, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find enough contiguous woods to nest successfully.

MEGARESERVE Critical ecosystems – Core zone. Research and tourism – Buffer zone. Sustainable resource harvesting and permanent habitation – Multiple use area.

Refer to page 645 Biology, Raven.

Conclusion

Endangered species are accelerating towards extinction, then who cares about it?

Progressing with development, but if that only beneficial to human, we are cruel vicegerence.

Abu Hurairah r.a is a Companion who loved cats until he is called; “the cat lover”