The Chambered Nautilus
The Chambered nautilus, a mollusk belonging to the genus Nautilus, shall be the species that is discussed in accordance with the aforementioned subsection.
Habitat
The habitat of the species is primarily comprised of oceans and other bodies of water. Rarely do they inhabit inland water ecosystems like ponds, lakes, and rivers. In late 2016, the mollusc was added to the list of endangered species, according to a blog post on scientificamerican.com. A detailed analysis of the species is provided in the essay that follows.
Phylogenetic Identity
Regarding its phylogenetic identity, the species is of the following taxonomic units:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Mollusca
- Class: Cephalopoda Cuiver
- Order: Nautilida Agassiz
- Family: Nautilidae Blainville
- Genus: Nautilus Linnaeus
- Species: Nautilus pompilius LinnaeusThe species shares a great deal of similarity with the common water snail. The only real difference is regarding the size.
Population Distribution
The population distribution of the Chambered Nautilus is as follows: It is located in areas with a significant amount of oceanic coral. These include India, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Philippines, Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. They were believed to be initially found in abundance in the regions of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Western Samoa. They were also initially located in specific sub-islands and sub-regions.
Ecology and Habitat
As already explained above, the ecology/habitat of the mollusk comprises mainly of water bodies. These include oceans, seas, and lakes and at times rivers. The distribution is wholly limited to a tropical benthic habitat that is located in the Indo-Pacific region characterized by steep coral reef drops and coral seamounts typically between depths of 130-700m. The mollusks themselves are deep scavengers hence the shell physiology is primarily adapted to prevent damage from accumulated water pressure because of residing at such depths.
Reproductive Process
The reproductive process is the same as that of any mollusk animal. There are no distinctions between sexes hence a member of the species can reproduce asexually. Regarding the numbers recorded, the Endangered Species act records no global population estimates for Chambered Nautiluses. This is mainly because, of their unpredictable trend regarding growth. The general trend is, however, a worrying decline because of overfishing mostly in areas where they are found. In essence, overfishing has led to its eventual decline in numbers.
History of Identification
The Chambered Nautilus was identified as endangered for a significantly extended period. For it to become a member of the list of animal/plant life protected by the Endangered Species Act, it went through all the preliminaries and requirements. First, a petition was issued to the ESA that, in turn, went on to further investigate the possibility of the Nautilus being endangered. According to the act, a species is only considered to be endangered if the endangerment overpasses a significant portion of its range not by a single region alone, but the entire global population. To put this into context, if it is discovered that the Chambered Nautilus is excessively deficient in a specific area but more or less abundant in the other habitats, it is not endangered. If the investigation notes a net decline in the majority of the regions where the species is found, it is concluded to be wholly endangered. Studies into the population of the Chambered Nautilus revealed this, and hence it was successfully added to the ESA endangered species list. This meant that it was to benefit from a wide array of protection.
Protection Measures
Since it was noted that the population of the species greatly diminished because of the shell trade activities based on Europe, the protection efforts were mainly geared toward the trade. The decision was made as per the Convention International Trade in Endangered Species. The rule noted that the trade in Nautilus shells might continue but in a strictly formulated permission-based system. Individuals who have permits can fish and sell the shells of the mollusks. This was to ensure that the species could fully recover their numbers that will, in turn, kick them from the endangered species list. By research, this is the only protection measure that has been geared toward the endangered species.As per the four provided types of protection, it is safe to say that the recovery plan is the only one that was employed since the regulation of trade served to ensure the recovery in numbers of the species. In essence, it is safe to say that although extensive research was employed, Critical Habitat designation, A Habitat Conservation Plan, and finally a Safe Harbor agreement could not be found as viable forms of protection regarding the species in question.
Political and Social History
Research into the overall protection process has revealed that the control of trading activities about the shells and awareness are the only means of protection that are being applied to protecting the species. What this means is that one is not allowed to participate in the trade if he or she lacks a license or a permit in general terms. This implies that the trade in shells will be subject to a steep decline hence the species will be saved. Unpronounced awareness efforts are also being put into the protection. This shows that the overall cost of basically protecting the species is not as much as expected. The amount set aside for legal protection remains undisclosed. This is due to the recent nature of the protection program.Regarding the legislative decisions that are involved in the protection of the species, the above-mentioned legislation that requires traders of the shells to have permits was induced as per the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species. The key stakeholder's groups which were affected because of the passed regulation include the merchants who brought the merchandise from the fishermen and later transferred it to processing and manufacturing companies. The companies themselves were also stakeholders who were subject to losses as a result of the rule which served to ensure their production standards fall below expectations. This was mainly when the demand for artifacts that were made using the shells from the mollusks was high. Regarding the specific political or social controversies that surround the protection of the species, none has occurred so far. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the protection efforts toward the species have begun very recently hence controversies are yet to happen.
Final Summary
To summarize the research, essential tropes which were discussed concerning the endangered species. It forms an essential addition to the habitat it occupies since it helps in preserving the coral reef that forms the home of a variety of wildlife forms. In addition to this, it also helps in circulation of oxygen in the water, by digestion and decomposition, the species helps to regulate the amount of organic matter of the water. This is particularly important for the plant life that forms part of the ocean life. In essence, it is a crucial component of the habitat. Similarly, it is also important ecologically as it helps to regulate the numbers of small animals located in the water to be fairly even. As already described above, the organisms are predatory hence it consumes animals which are smaller in size compared to it, most of them at least. Its camouflage shell helps to prevent it from being consumed by other organisms mainly fish. The shell also offers protection in the sense that it retracts back into it when faced with danger.The species has no symbolic or cultural value. The shell is mostly used for the manufacture of home-based appliances such as cups, and for decoration purposes. Research into the cultural use of the shells revealed no insight whatsoever. In light of all that has been mentioned above, the mollusk forms one of the most beautiful and rare creatures. Research has indicated that they have survived many extinction eras hence scientists have referred to them as living fossils. The earliest fossils of the animals have been traced to the dinosaur age. The historical value of the species hence warrants an efficient protection system. If properly conserved, the numbers may grow largely consequently the shell trade market is likely to flourish again. As of now, it is subject to a standstill.
Works Cited
Barord, Gregory Jeff. On the biology, behavior, and conservation of the chambered nautilus, Nautilus sp. City University of New York, 2015. From http://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/853/
Combosch, David J., et al. “Genomic signatures of evolution in Nautilus—An endangered living fossil.” Molecular Ecology (2017). From https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Lemer/publication/319483512_Genomic_signatures_of_evolution_in_Nautilus-An_endangered_living_fossil/links/59c1b35ca6fdcc69b92bc93f/Genomic-signatures-of-evolution-in-Nautilus-An-endangered-living-fossil.pdf
Saunders, W. Bruce, Emily Greenfest-Allen, and Peter D. Ward. “Demographic disequilibrium in living nautiloids (Nautilus and Allonautilus): Canary in the coal mines?.” PloS one 12.7 (2017): e0179811. From http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0179811
Ward, Peter, Frederick Dooley, and Gregory Jeff Barord. “Nautilus: biology, systematics, and paleobiology as viewed from 2015.” Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 135.1 (2016): 169-185. From http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2016/06/08/1465411354-art_3a10.1007_2fs13358-016-0112-7_2_-2.pdf