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TASEnvironmental ScienceQuick questions
Local and Global Changes to Ecosystems
Quick questions on Biodiversity Loss and Introduced Species - TCE Environmental Science (Tasmania)
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the main drivers of biodiversity loss?Show answer
Scientists group the causes of biodiversity decline into a handful of major drivers, which usually act together.
What is introduced species in Tasmania?Show answer
Tasmania's isolation means many native species evolved without certain predators or competitors, leaving them highly vulnerable to introductions. Feral cats and the establishment risk from foxes threaten ground-dwelling mammals and birds, which have few defences against fast, efficient mammalian hunters. European rabbits compete with native herbivores and damage vegetation, and gorse and other weeds crowd out native plants.
What is disease as a driver?Show answer
Disease can devastate populations with low genetic diversity. Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a transmissible cancer that has killed a large proportion of wild Tasmanian devils since the 1990s. Because devils have low genetic diversity, many individuals cannot mount an immune response, so the disease spreads readily through biting. The decline of this top predator can in turn allow feral cats and other species to increase, showing how the loss of one species ripples through the community.
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