Conservation Biology Module 1

biodiversity crisis

pops of many species are declining; extinction rate is accel, biodiversity is rapidly dec

conservation bio

interdis field that studies the neg impacts humans have on species

provides tools for protecting and restoring those parts of nature that humanity values

human activities are central to soln bc we neg affect pops and species most

drivers of earth system trends decline due to consumption of humans

growth of pop and wealth/economy —> inc cost from earth

where is human pop most inc

in most biodiverse regions (African and tropics)

also poorest pops (being exploited for this reason)

distribution of mammals:

4%

34%

62%

wild mammals

humans

livestock and pets

pattern: most carbon (fixed amt avail) is in humans and their needs)

what is basis of co/affiliate extinctions

symbiotic relationships where one species relies on another so if we lose one, the other will disappear too

changes in ecology of species left behind too

conservationist vs preservationist vs enviromentalist

C: someone who advocates or practices the sustainable and careful USE of natural RESOURCES

• foresters who manage forests, hunters, fishers who hunt, farmers

P: advocates allowing some PLACES and CREATURES to exists w out sig human INTERFERENCE

• protecting parks and species

• economical use like increased fish catches at edge of protected marine zone

E: concerned ab the IMPACT of ppl on env quality in GENERAL

• air and water pollution

• overpop

• overlap w other two categories

romantic-transcendental preservation ethic

• and who is main spokesperson

john muir

believed that communion w nature brings ppl closer to God (thereby providing a transcendent experience and that visiting ancient forests and alpine meadows for this purpose is morally superior to using them to cut timber or graze livestock

resource conservation ethic

• and who is main spokesperson

pinchot believed that nature consisted soley of natural resources that should be used to provide the greatest good for the greatest number of ppl for the longest time

advocates wise, judicious use of natural resources so that future gens would not be shortchanged

natural resources should be owned or reg by gov

evolutionary-ecological land ethic

• and who is main spokesperson

leopold questioned the utilitarian view of species

thought of ppl as citizen members of the biotic sys

his ideas gave ppl the right to use and manage nature and the repsponsibility of doing so in a manner that recog the intrinsic value of other species and whole ecosystems

traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)

knowledge and practices of indigenous communities around the world dev from experience gained over centuries (evolves w market forces) of direct human contact w the env—agri, hunting, foraging, living, outside, etc

is “species” a level of biological organization

is it important in ecology and conservation?

no

yes—>endangered species/ threatened species

morphospecies concept

phylogenetic species concept

biological species concept—>one we generally think ab

*what does this mean in larger context

look alike so must be same species, but male female variation

species defined as smallest clades in phylogeny, but new info and splitters/lumpers

indivs from same species can produce viable offspring, but many diff species produce hybrids

*speciation is a continuous process

individuals

populations

species

subspecies

communities

individuals —males, females, juveniles, etc

populations —of indivs

species— can have many pops

subspecies—-incipient species in distinct pops: enough time and isolation for differences to dev but still not reproductively isolated

communities— have many different species

biodiversity

species richness

biodiversity—diversity of and within species over some defined area: species and their genetic variation

species richness—total number of species in an area (common metric for biodiversity)

ESA act and why is it important for subspecies/species to be defined

protects both species and subspecies

important distinction for legislation — protects against poaching if produce same product

philosophical reasons to save species (2)

inherent/intrinsic value—ppl value them bc they exist, charismatic species, biased towards ones we like

have utilitarian value—benefit ppl directly (economical and medical) and indirectly (ecosystem services like pollination, water purification, erosion reg, pest reg, soil formation, climate reg)

ecological reasons to save species and how does it occur

diverse ecosystems function better: more biomass (more productive), retained more soil nutrients, resilient, resistant to disease, fewer invader species, healthier

more species=niche complementarity (more out of the matter and energy in the system), portfolio effect (better overall increase in return, not all eggs in one basket if one goes extinct to keep system going) and less chance one single species will take over

dominant species—definition and another name

example

comprise a large portion of the biomass of an ecosystem, sometimes called “controller species”, which implies that they have major roles in controlling the movement of energy and nutrients

-ex: humans

keystone species

a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance

high trophic status—top predator (not always true)

if removed, significantly decrease diversity and complexity of ecosystem

flagship species

a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation in a given place or social context

umbrella species (and describe the “umbrella effect”)

are species selected for making conservation-related decisions, typically bc protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat (“umbrella effect”)

• might be wide ranging species across lots of habitats

landscape species

biological species that use large, ecologically diverse areas and often have significant impacts on the structure and function of natural ecosystems

how many species are there approx (of euk)

8.7 million species of eukaryotes

• don’t really know, but know number of phylum