Extinction Project
This project was about an animal about to go extinct and to research its biodiversity. My group and I have decided to research the Bornean Orangutans for our extinction project. We have researched their biodiversity and some factors of their cause of extinction and what will happen (the affect it could have on other species) if they happen to go extinct. We made a documentary with some facts and information about the Bornean Orangutans.
Bornean Orangutans
History of Orangutans
There are two types of orangutan which are the Sumatran Orangutan and the Bornean Orangutan. Orangutans are great apes. The Bornean Orangutan live in Indonesia, in Malay and Indonesia the word "orang" means "person" and "hutan" means "forest" which means "orangutan" means "person of the forest" when translated. The orangutans migrated towards the south as the climate changed, their habitat used to be Java, Vietnam, Southern China, and Borneo. After the climate change, they migrated and around 400,000 years ago the orangutans genetically split apart through the course of 10,000 years leading to the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan. They were split due to many factors, mostly geographic isolation for the fact that they were separated by a river which was the java rivers that kept the population separate and created different species from one being the orangutan. The shrink in population when they separated as well as environmental change was a few factors for the evolution in the orangutan species, for it had made the gene pool different for each population through the time and they also had different environments because they were separated by a river (Geographic Isolation, Geographic Speciation).
Concepts
Types of Speciation:
There are many other types of speciation. There is allopatric speciation, sympatric speciation, geographic speciation, temporal isolation, reproduction, and behavioral. Sympatric speciation is related to temporal, reproductive, and behavioral speciation.
Allopatric speciation- Geographic isolation and species evolve separately.
Sympatric speciation- Where species evolves in same location.
Geographic speciation- Geographic barrier in between a population. Like for the orangutans, the barrier is the java rivers.
Temporal isolation- Not breeding at same time (meaning that they mate at separate times).
Reproductive isolation- When species can’t reproduce with each other (example- snail only mates with another snail with the swirl going same direction).
Behavioral isolation- Where species don’t find each others mating ritual attractive.
*Speciation and evolution is the changing of a gene pool.
Founders effect- Small population moves over to an island or anther location, which changes the gene pool.
Genetic drift- Random act eliminating random traits which leads to changes in gene pool.
5 fingers of evolution
5 factors/ fingers of evolution are the small population, non-random mating, mutation, Movement, and adaptation.
1. Small population- new and different gene pool
*Orangutans separated and had small population that later grew and is now is shrinking because of humans.
2. Non-random mating- choosing mate and combining genes
*Orangutans produce offspring every 8 years, either from the same or different mate.
3. Mutation- change in gene pool affects future generation
*When orangutans mutated and 2 species (Bornean and Sumatran Orangutan) evolved and how they became different.
4. Movement- gene flow, moving and carrying genes and mixing genes
*When orangutans moved Southward to new territory and environment because of climate change.
5. Adaptation- changes in a species made to survive
*When the orangutans adapted to new environment.
Artificial Selection- When desirable traits are intervened (by humans).
Natural Selection- When desirable traits are chosen without intervention.
Biodiversity- the diversity of an animal with others and how each species is important for its contribution to planet being either good or bad and how others are affected by it.
Survival of the fittest- Where the strongest and/ or clever survive and those traits are passed down when they reproduce.
Some facts of Bornean Orangutan
The Bornean Orangutan are more isolated and don't use tools as much. They share 97% of their DNA with humans and are intelligent. The Bornean Orangutan also has less hair than the Sumatran Orangutan. Female orangutans have off-springs every 8 years. Orangutans diet consists of 400 different types of plant. They also hunt fish with spears and prey on small species.
Endangered
Orangutans are being endangered from loss of habitat from oil plantations and from being hunted. Some hunt for the baby bornean orangutan to sell it illegally and kill the mother, its terrible. It also takes a while for orangutans to reproduce.
What is being done to help
Enforced laws by the government where they prohibit the trade and capture of orangutans. They also release illegal orangutan pets back to wild. What can be done to help the orangutans is to stop them is stopping plantation owners from destroying their habitat and the habitat of other species, provide more zoo environment, and keep humans from interfering with the species.
Sources Used
https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/orangutan/physical-characteristics
https://www.theorangutanproject.org/about-orangutans/palm-oil/
https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/become-aware/issues/orangutans-a-wildlife/the-illegal-trade-in-orangutans
https://orangutan.org/orangutan-natural-history-and-socioecology/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bornean-orangutan
https://redapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/oo-action-joke_jar1.pdf
Footage sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=426Zg2T4VhE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrH_zkWGIHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spMkaJp975s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS84DnL4ARc&ibss=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtVUEC0SENs&ibss=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrH_zkWGIHM&ibss=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u3ceOvpNUk&ibss=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtCdTWO9Ik&ibss=1
Documentary
My group and I made a documentary about the Bornean Orangutan below!
Documentary of Bornean Orangutan
Script for Documentary
Research On Bornean Orangutans (with group)
Reflection
It was an interesting project and I learned a lot about Bornean Orangutans. I knew nothing about them at first, but I have learned more about the Bornean orangutans through this project. A few downfalls was our progress on the project was a bit slow mostly for the doubt in what to add. I kept doubting myself a lot that I feel I slowed the group down a bit. I feel we could have added a bit more still. I read many things about the Bornean Orangutans and added some useful facts about them and had suggested some good websites I found, we were able to complete the project good. It was a great project to work on, I feel I should improve on my self confidence. Another downfall was that (I felt) our communication was a bit off and that we should have communicated with each other a bit more. Well, I should have. I am more quiet, but I feel I should have talked a bit more. Which I will hopefully manage with the next project.