Grace Fricke

Ecology
E period
With the current technology I believe that either bringing back an extinct species or
cloning endangered species are both good solutions if used thoughtfully. That is as long as the
species that are chosen for this process are carefully selected and have a positive function in their
ecosystems. With the process of cloning, scientists are able to restore genetic variability to tiny
populations. Through this cloning process they are also able to fix any genetic Achilles heels
in order to help that specific species prosper. (National Geographic) Some people may ask why
do we take spend so much time protecting and inventing new cloning process in order to prevent
these animals from going totally extinct. The same reasons for protecting endangered animals
apply to the species brought back from extinction. The reasons are to preserve biodiversity, to
restore depleted ecosystems, and ultimately try to undo the damage humans have done to the
environment. (National Geographic)
The reintroduction of either extinct animals or almost extinct animals has proven to be
highly beneficial to the ecosystem. However, there is a fine line with reintroduction of extinct
animals. To make this process work the scientists involved have to be conscious about their
choices of animals that they decide to bring back. They have to make sure that they focus on
bringing back the important Keystone animals in their region that have previously held
important roles in the trophic cascade. By restoring these species properly, we could help restore
a great deal of ecological richness. An example of this reintroduction that proved a positive
impact on the ecosystem was the reintroduction of wolves in the Yellowstone Forest. Due to the
wolves being reintroduced into the forest everything in the forests ecosystem began to flourish,
such as the aspen tree growth. The wolves also helped to maintain the elk populations and
prevent their populations from overgrazing the lands and ultimately depleting their food
resources. As for the wooly mammoth, an extinct animal, the de-extinction of this animal seems

Grace Fricke
Ecology
E period
kind of impractical from a general standpoint, however many scientists have discussed the wooly
mammoths previous benefit to the ecosystem. With the de-extinction of this species, ecological
benefits include the return of carbon- fixing grasses as well as the reduction of greenhouse-gasreleasing tundra. (National Geographic) With the de-extinction of the wooly mammoth, it would
help to once again keep the forests across all of Europe and Asia biodiverse. (National
Geographic) As long as animals such as the wooly mammoth are being brought back for
beneficial purposes to the environment I believe this idea of de- extinction is a fascinating and
concrete one that provides many good solutions for our environment.
As for cloning or reintroducing a species to a population I also think this process needs to
be a conscious one to ensure its benefit to the environment. The negative repercussions of
cloning include the idea of overpopulation. The process of extreme conservatism involves the
incorporation of new or similar animals to hopefully fill the void of the animals that have gone
extinct. This is an idea that was proposed in the article Fact of Fiction?: The Sixth Mass
Extinction Can Be Stopped which is most commonly associated with the process of
reintroduction or re-wilding. This idea has been tried in the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius
where the local tortoises had been killed off by sailors. With the importation of closely related
tortoises from nearby islands, they have helped to restore the islands crippled ecosystem by using
these similar tortoises to fulfill all of the same duties of the previous tortoises. These tortoises
also helped to not only restore the ecosystem but also bring back the endangered ebony trees.
These positive results to the ecosystem give scientists hope that with careful management this
could be a very useful tool to help depleted ecosystems recover and prosper in the future.

Grace Fricke
Ecology
E period
The process of cloning would be my preferred method to help combat extinction of
endangered species. Although bringing back an extinct animal would be really amazing, I think
the cloning process would be easier to manage and maintain since you would not have to worry
about the complete disruption of an ecosystem since the animals still do contribute and serve a
purpose in their ecosystems. The species I would choice to clone would be the bird. Birds are so
important to our ecosystem and provide many different services to not only us but also the earth.
For example, some of the ecologic roles include forest decomposing, insect pest control, nutrient
recycling, bio-indication of ecosystem health, plant pollination, and seed dispersal. (One Green
Planet) All of these roles are very important to our ecosystem and help our planet and the people
and animals around us survive and thrive. Think about this; what if one day all the bird just
disappeared? What animal would fill that void of a) plant pollination and b) seed dispersal and
what would that mean for our agriculture and flowers? Although people may not see birds as a
very important aspect of their lives, birds do much more than they are given credit for and
without them our ecosystems trophic cascade would be negatively impacted.
In conclusion, I support the de-extinction and cloning of animals and think both are very
good options to help reestablish ecosystems and ultimately the well-being of our environment.
However, I believe that these two processes can be ultimately very dangerous and not productive
if used unwisely. With that being said I think regulations and a lot of research should be required
in order to make sure that the animals being chosen to either bring back or clone are going to be
beneficial to the rest of the ecosystem and ultimately contribute to the repair of the trophic
cascade.

Grace Fricke
Ecology
E period
Bibliography:
"Humans Would Not Exist Without These 5 Animals." One Green Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 18
Sept. 2015.

Brand, Stewart. "Opinion: The Case for Reviving Extinct Species." National Geographic. N.p.,
Mar.-Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

Biello, David. "Fact or Fiction?: The Sixth Mass Extinction Can Be Stopped. Scientific
American. N.p, 25 July 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.