Siberian Tiger By: Irvinder Sohi. Dear MP When one species is removed from their ecosystem it affects another. Biodiversity depends on every single organism.

Siberian

TigerBy: Irvinder Sohi

Dear MP

When one species is removed from their ecosystem it affects another. Biodiversity depends on every single organism in a ecosystem, if one is removed other organisms will also suffer the consequences. The Siberian tiger is at the top of the food chain, it is a powerful and intelligent predator. As such, it helps keep the population of antelope, deer, boar, and buffalo balanced. Without the tiger the number of these species would increase dramatically. This sudden increase in population would totally ravage those species food, vegetation.

Dear MP continued

If the vegetation in forests was gone, herbivores would not survive there. Some which include; insects and other small bugs. This would cause those species to fled from their ecosystem and move onto crops in farmlands, which play a vital food source to humans. If these crops fail or are eaten by insects it can have a crustal impact on humans. If these species eat the plant too quickly and do not allow anything to grow, it will affect the soil. Soil will become infertile and eventually nothing will grow on it, decreasing the percentage of vegetation drastically. So Mr. MP please stop the poaching and retributive killing of the Siberian tiger since it affects everyone, please help fight the cause. Donate to WWF to help protect the tiger.

Save the tiger

Together, we cansave the tiger

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Vertebrata

Order: Carnivora

Family: Feliadae

Genus: Panthera

Species: Panthera tigris altaica

Names

Scientific name is Panthera tigris altaica

Known as Amur tiger in Northern America

Known as Siberian Tiger tiger in Europe

The tiger is closely related to the lion, leopard, and jaguar

Location

They live primarily in eastern Russia's birch forests

Some live in China and North Korea

Habitat

Siberian Tigers live in a cooler environment, close to the pacific ocean

Fur is very helpful, provides excellent insulation and camouflage

Siberian tiger is a terrestrial animal but is a excellent swimmer

PopulationSadly only 400-500 Siberian tigers exists

around the world

People hunt the tiger for it’s beautiful fur and some consider killing a tiger as a trophy

2001-2011, the population has increased by 100 tigers, thanks to endangered species act, 1973

Population Trends

• In the past decade the tiger population has been increasing

• Sadly the Siberian tiger is still an endangered species, less than 1000 live in the world today (including zoos and the wild)

Poaching and retributive killing

Includes the illegal trade of tiger parts and human-tiger conflict

Tigers have been hunted as;

Status symbols

Decorative items such as wall and floor coverings, souvenirs and curios

Hunting as a sport probably caused the greatest decline in tiger populations up until the 1930’s

Poaching and retributive killing

Continued Tiger parts such as pelts are very expensive

which provide huge profits to smugglers

One tiger contains around 20Ib of bone which can be sold

Almost every part of the tiger can be sold

Skin for decorations

Claws and teeth for good luck

Bones and pelts for medicine

Habitat loss and fragmentation

Between 1940 and the late 1980s, the greatest threat to the Siberian tiger was loss of habitat due to human population expansion and activities such as logging.

Tiger population decreased by more than 20% in forty years

90% of the Siberian tiger’s habitat has been destroyed

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditionally Chinese doctors used tiger parts in there medicine

Parts include; Tiger bones and skin

Chinese superstitions;

Chinese believe tiger claws, teeth and whiskers bring good luck

100’s of tigers were hunted eachyear

This lead to a drop in the tiger population

Food Web

Food Web

In it’s ecosystem the tiger sits at the top

Since it is a large and powerful carnivore and primary predator

The Siberian tiger is the world’s largest tiger which helps it take it’s prey down easily

In its natural habitat the Siberian Tiger is one of the biggest animals in weight and size

The Siberian tiger can weigh up to 660 lbs and grow up to 10.75 feet

Chordata Characteristics

Every organism which falls under the chordata phylum has or had some or all of these characteristics during one point

Pharyngeal pouches (present during some stage of development)

Closed blood system

Complete digestive system

Ventral heart

Tail (at some stage of development)

Endoskeleton (bony or cartilaginous)

Examples

The lion, leopard, and jaguar are apart of the chordata phylum

These three species fit the characteristics of the chordata phylum

Similarities with the tiger;

All have paws, tails, teeth, and are large cats

Share a similar digestive, respiratory, and skeletal structure

Similarities with lion, jaguar, and leopard

Consequences

If the Siberian Tiger was the go extinct it would have a massive impact on the ecosystem where it was present

The Siberian tiger keeps the population of antelope, deer, boar, and buffalo in check

Without the Siberian tiger these animals population would increase

This would lead to those species having a storage of food and having to leave there ecosystem and enter the human ecosystem

Consequences Continued

• Storage of food because antelope, deer, boar, and buffalo rely on vegetation as food and once it is gone they will have nothing to eat

• This would lead to storage in human resources (animals will attack crops), which can lead to a decrease in the human population

• If one species is effected it has a chain reaction on other species, since everything relies on each other for a ecosystem to work

Is Biodiversity important?

Firstly, what is biodiversity? Biodiversity is specific areas around the world where different species of all shapes and sizes live together, and basically depend on each other to keep everything in that ecosystem stable and sustainable for life. Examples of different ecosystems include; rain forests, oceans, and deserts. The reason why I believe biodiversity is important is every single organism contributes in it’s own unique way; every organism in an ecosystem is a necessity for survival. From single cell organisms such as bacteria to giant mammals such as tigers, play a crucial part in an ecosystem; they all have their own unique functions to perform. For example, decomposers such as worms, break down waste to help fertilize the soil. Without these decomposers that ecosystem would seem nothing more than a lifeless wasteland full of diseases and dead matter piled on top of each other.

Is Biodiversity important Continued

Different species doing different tasks increases the productivity of an ecosystem. Another example is, the tiger keeps the population of its prey such as antelope, deer, boar, and buffalo stable so there isn't a large increase in numbers for those particular species. If predators were removed from an ecosystem this would allow every organism in that particular ecosystem to multiply greatly since the risk of being killed has decreased significantly. This would mean, storages in food supplies and it cause many species to die out due to starvation or the ability to find to food. Every species shares an equal important role in an ecosystem; if one is removed there is a chain reaction on other organism in that ecosystem, which can have serious effects, such as extinction. In conclusion biodiversity is very important because it helps every organism survive. Each organism depends on each other, if one is removed, another is affected. We need to stop hunting wild animals, polluting the environment and place strict laws on poaching. If we do so we can save endangered species from extinction. If some of those species were to go extinct it could have a huge impact on humans, animals will flee there habitats and evolve to live with humans, this means more human-animal conflicts, which can be dangerous. Together, we can stop this from happening, a step at a time, by saving and acknowledging the importance of biodiversity.

Video

Short Video showing Siberian tiger killing a deer

Video shows how tigers attack deer and where it strikes the deer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XefhBqSTmA

Tiger use it’s weight to bring deer onto ground

The tiger then bites the deer in it’s throat, suffocating the animal to death

Bibliography

Siberian Tigers, Siberian Tiger Pictures, Siberian Tiger Facts - National Geographic. (n.d.). Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-tiger/

Tigers -- hunting, prey and captive feeding. . (n.d.). Loadstar's Lair: Support for students, teachers and researchers seeking information on specific environmental, historic and art-related topics. High resolution images of the endangered tiger and the works of Leonardo da Vinci.. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/hunting8.html

Bibliography

WWF - Threats to tigers. (n.d.). WWF. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/end

(2009). The Siberian Tiger. In Grolier (Vol. 1, pp. 1-4). New York City: The New Book of Popular Science.

TIGERS - Scientific Classification. (n.d.). SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/scientific-classification.htm