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All are invited to this free public lecture. Dr. Billy Teels will talk about Endemism and Endangerment, using the Black-capped Vireo as an example.
Endemism is defined by Wikipedia as the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country, or other defined zone. For example, kangaroos can be said to be endemic to the Australian continent. However, in the ecological world the term endemism takes on particular meaning when the geographic range of an endemic species is small. Because of the confined geographic distribution, factors that limit growth and reproduction of an endemic species make it much more vulnerable to endangerment and extinction. This talk will explore the concept of endemism, vulnerability, and extinction as it relates to one of the Acton Nature Center’s bird species—the Black-capped Vireo, and discuss its current status under the Endangered Species Act.
Chapter members: Attending this lecture can be recorded as AT hours.