Many times one or more species are selected to conserve an entire ecosystem, however, this implies that these species meet certain requirements or aspects. Some of them are that they are charismatic species and that they attract the support of the people, that they fulfill a specific or very important role in a given area or species whose presence is an indication of the he alth of the environment where they live.
In the case of umbrella species, they are generally species with large territories and occupy a wide variety of habitats, so they are often selected for species and ecosystem conservation projects. If you want to continue learning about the umbrella species, continue reading this article on our site and we will tell you all about them.
What are umbrella species? - Characteristic
Umbrella species or umbrella species are all those species selected to conserve an ecosystem or other species, since, in general, by protecting these species, others are also indirectly protected many species that share their habitat.
They are species that generally need large territories for their populations to be viable, their survival is long and in general they are generalists in terms of to the environments it occupies. In addition, the conservation of this indirectly affects its entire ecosystem (and the species that live in it) and this is also conserved, this is called the “umbrella effect”.
These organisms are sometimes used as a reason to design protected areas, although many times their vital area can be very large, as occurs with some species of felines, for example. Thus, they are also usually known and charismatic species by people, which means that their conservation receives more support.
The species considered umbrellas are generally of large size (although this should not always be the case) and with a long generation time. Additionally, although it is not a requirement for these species, they may have other aspects that add value when it comes to their conservation, such as their sensitivity to the transformation of their environment by human activities.
Although not necessary, umbrella species may have other attributes that enhance their effectiveness such as surrogate species, such as being sensitive to human disturbances, species that are the food source of large predators or, on the other hand, to take into account other aspects that have more to do with the habitat where it lives, for example, migratory routes.
How important are umbrella species?
They are of great importance when deciding and selecting potential areas to conserve, such as the creation of natural parks and protected areas under various categories. Due to the rapid transformation of landscapes, the use of umbrella species (as well as key species or other environmental indicators) serve as a natural tool to assess the he alth status of an ecosystem, its composition and thus know and preserve it.
That is why it must be of vital importance in conservation projects to correctly identify these species and thus be able to create efficient protected areas that cover a large number of species.
Examples of umbrella species
Some of the most notable examples of umbrella species are:
Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
It is a large species that is adapted to almost all environments of the Andes Mountains. It was proposed to design biological corridors and protected areas in places where this species is found, making maps of its distribution in each country and of the protected areas that housed it, taking into account into account all the environmental factors to which the Andean bear is accustomed.
Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis)
It is a species that is “near threatened” and uses tree hollows to nest, so it depends on tall trees and older, although it can also nest in abandoned nests of other birds and sometimes in younger trees. Its conservation protects ancient forests and growing trees This has led to the protection of its entire environment and species of salamanders and molluscs that inhabit the same area.
Ñu (Connochaetes taurinus)
This species helped define the boundaries of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, since thanks to its migratory movements of thousands of individuals, conserving the great plainsof this region made up of gramineous grasslands that are the food source of this species. In this case, we are also talking about a key species and ecosystem engineer.
You may also be interested in this other article on Invasive Species - Definition, examples and consequences.
Giant Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus)
It is an umbrella species because it is resident in the area where it lives (Southern Chile and Argentina) and its territory is larger than other bird species that also inhabit the same Andean-Patagonian forests, so the protection of the habitat of this species also helps to protect many other species with lesser territory requirements and, at the same time, benefit theprotection of forests Magallanes subantarctic.
