Describe the ecosystem that your species belongs to, the main interacting species, the functional role your species plays within that ecosystem. Describe your species’ habitat requirements, its reproductive capacity, and its range.

Chosen Specie: Sailfin water lizard

website: https://www.iucnredlist.org/

Assignment Content

Many people see the conservation of biodiversity as an impossible task. The sixth mass extinction has been forecasted by many as a virtual inevitability. However, conservation biologists know that much can be done to forestall the extinction of endangered species with sufficient research and effort. The key is to understand what is needed. Your mission is to research the systems that cause a species to become endangered.

 

Course Learning Outcomes

This assignment aligns with the following course learning outcomes:

1. Describe the current and past trends of global biodiversity decline.

2. Evaluate various economic, social, and moral reasons for conserving biodiversity.

4. Evaluate the utility of different conservation strategies, including conservation of functional diversity, biodiversity hotspots, keystone species, and endangered species.

5. Analyze strategies to control and regulate overhunting and overfishing.

6. Explain the mechanism of climate change, its impacts on biodiversity, and what can be done to mitigate for it.

7. Evaluate strategies to limit the spread and impact of invasive species.

8. Analyze various causes of habitat loss and strategies to improve, expand, and connect it.

9. Formulate a plan to conserve an endangered species

10. Develop and present a comprehensive plan to protect an ecosystem.

 

Instructions

To complete Assignment 1, complete all three of the following steps:

-Sign up for a species: Sign up for an endangered species using the Discussion Board. (I already picked this one – sailfin water lizard)
Research your species. Research the biology and ecology of your species. Look up its current conservation status, population trends, and the major threats to its population.
Write and edit a detailed conservation report. Write a 1000-word report that includes the following four sections (use subheadings):

– Biology and Ecology: Describe the ecosystem that your species belongs to, the main interacting species (e.g. prey, predators, competitors etc.), the functional role your species plays within that ecosystem (e.g. seed disperser, nutrient cycler, apex predator, habitat engineer, prey, etc.). Describe your species’ habitat requirements (e.g. climate, food, shelter, special nursery habitat, special mating areas etc.), its reproductive capacity (e.g. how many offspring and how quickly it could bounce back if threats were reduced), and its range (previous extent and current extent of species distribution). This section should answer the conservation needs and capabilities of your species. Be sure to cite (APA intext) and reference (APA) all your sources.

–History and Current Status: Describe how the population and range of your species has declined over the past 100 years (give numbers). Explain how much habitat has been lost or degraded, and/or other factors that have decreased its population over time. Describe current threats to your species such as climate change and invasive species. Describe conservation plans that have been put in place to protect your species and how they have fared. This section should explain in detail the change in population and habitat over time, using numbers wherever possible. Be sure to cite (APA intext) and reference (APA) all your sources.

–Discussion of Threats: Detail the main human activities, conditions, and human groups that cause(d) the decline of your species population and habitat. Be sure to consider the interactions between these underlying causes. Provide credible evidence to support your points in a written description. This section should detail the interacting systems that endanger your species. Be sure to cite (APA intext) and reference (APA) all your sources.

-References: This section is the full APA Style references list for every in-text citation. You need an APA intext citation for every statement of fact or group of facts in your paper. You should have cited in your paper at least four peer-reviewed journals as well as at least four other credible sources. You should have at least 8 cited sources in total. Use proper APA style for each citation; it is not sufficient to include just the URLs. See Important Guidelines section below for more details.