Question

1.What do you see as the long term impacts of damaging species on the ecosystems of North America? Explain. Give examples.  

2.Do wildlife diseases impact endangered species? Explain. Give examples. 

3.Are traps lethal or non-lethal devices? Explain your answer, use specific examples. 

4.How important is the experience of the practitioner in using traps or snares to catch a coyote? Explain. 

Answer 1

Answers:

1. In North America, both endemic and exotic species had damaged the ecosystem, the list of which includes plants, different animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Invasive plant species fall under the category of exotic species. These plants alter fire regiments, affect nutrient and water cycling, cause diseases among herbivore consumers. One such example is Russian knapweed, introduced in North America in late 19th century, consumption of which had led to toxicity among wild horse species, who consumed it. Gypsy moths are also exotic invasive species, which were introduced in 1868. These insects had led to defoliation of large number of trees over the years, leading to death of many hardwood trees. Alligators, Burmese Pythons are some of the endemic invasive species.

2. Yes, though often, but wildlife diseases do impact endangered species. Here, infectious diseases are considered only. A study had found that since 1900, only 4% of 724 plant and animal species got extinct due to impact of diseases and of over 2000 endangered species, only 8% of them had become endangered because of diseases. Avian pox and avian malaria were considered as the driving forces behind extinction of 16 bird species in Hawaii. But, more recently, diseases such as sylvatic plague, canine distemper virus etc. are considered to be fatal for extinction of some species. But, not only the disease, but availability of proper cure or treatment and animal's natual immunity to such a new disease are also two important factors.

3. Trapping have many techniques of trapping which include both lethal and non-lethal types. Lethal types include body-gripping or conibear trap (a deadly trap which kills a animal like rat or mouse quickly by choking its neck), deadfall trap (a big stone is tilted with a support of some twig or branch with baits attached to it, thus leading to crushing of the animal's brain whenever it moves the twig to take the bait) and snare (anchored cable or wire trap which caught a rabbit or squirrel by its neck and kills it). Non-lethal types include foothold trap (one of the oldest techniques of trapping where an animal's limb gets trapped), trapping pit (where a pit is dug and the top of it is covered by grass and stones thus tricking an animal to get caught into the pit), cage trap (trapping inside a cage), glue trap etc.

4. The experience is of great importance and here, the motive should be clarified, whether to kill or just catch the coyote. If one wishes to only catch the animal, snare can be turned out to be deadly. So, the technique of trapping should be carefully decided.