Conservation Bio

3 goals of conservation

• document biodiversity on earth

• evaluate/predict humans effects

• develop solutions to protect and manage biodiversity

Soules postulates (conservation biology)

1. biodiversity is good, so we should prevent extinctions

2. ecological complexity is good, so should be maintained

3. evolution is good, so we should maintain variation necessary for it to occur

4. biodiversity has intrinsic value beyond economics

Kareiva and Marviers postulates (conservation science)

• conservation occurs in human altered landscapes

• conservation only succeeds if we support the goals

• conservationists must work with corporations

• jointly maximize conservation and economic objectives

• conservation must not infringe on human rights

levels of biodiversity

• genetic

• species

• ecosystem

threats to biodiversity

• extinction

• habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation

• overexploitation

• invasive species

• climate change

George Perkins Marsh

proposed that deforestation → decertification → collapse of civilization

Alfred Russell Wallace

concerned about impact of forest clearing on soil erosion in the tropics

John Muir

promoted preservation of wilderness and found intrinsic value of nature (spirituality)

what led to concerns about biodiversity in the 1800s

1. greater awareness of biodiversity among western naturalists (species discovered via colonialism)

2. Europe undergoing rapid population growth (population outgrow food → famine)

3. industrial revolution → increased demands for resources

4. common excessive killing of wildlife

5. 
   

migratory bird treaty act

illegal to hunt, sell, kill, or traffic migratory birds

conservation biology jobs

• environmental education

• monitoring biodiversity for population trends/ecosystem changes

• mitigating/minimizing impacts

• regulation

• regulatory and legislation specialists

• academic conservation biologists

• assessment teams for conservation easement

genetic diversity

genetic variation between individuals and populations

how to measure genetic diversity

• allele frequencies

• polymorphism - proportion of gene loci with more than one allele

• heterozygosity - proportion of individuals heterozygous for a gene locus

challenges with measuring species diversity

• species concept

• cryptic biodiversity

• hybrids

why is species diversity important

• legislation applied to this level

• maintain species diversity can indicate genetic/ecosystem are also maintained

species richness

number of species (S)

detection errors

species richness underestimated due to

• cryptic species

• undiscovered species

• difficult to distinguish species

• different spatial scales

heterogeneity

evenness/dominance of a species within a population

simpson’s dominance index

Ds = ∑(pi)2

pi - proportion of individual (i)

Ds - dominance

Simpson’s index of diversity

1-Ds

ranges from 0-1

Shannon index

HI = - ∑[pi X ln (pi)]

perfect order but no diversity - HI=0

higher index = more evenness

typically between 1.5-3.5

rarely over 4.5

Simpson’s evenness index

evenness independent of species richness

E1/D = 1/Ds * 1/S

1=complete evenness

spatial turnover

differences in ecosystems across a landscape

temporal turnover

differences in a community/ecosystem over time

alpha diversity

species richness, local diversity

gamma diversity

species across a landscape, regional richness

beta diversity

difference between alpha and gamma diversity

Alberta biodiversity monitoring institute (ABMI)

funded by Alberta innovates to try and quantify cumulative effects of Alberta activities on Biodiversity

ABMI’s intactness index

varies from 0-100

0-none of the original species left

what decreases ecosystem intactness

• common species rarer

• non-native species more dominant

• native species starts to dominate

hotspot

areas with high amounts of endemic species

surrogacy

use of one species/taxonomic grouping an areas biodiversity

why are tropics/islands considered hotspots

• more area

• more productivity - more solar energy, more productivity

• more time - more stable climate, more time for specialization

intrinsic values

value biodiversity on its own (religion, moral, ethical)

instrumental values

value biodiversity for its usefulness

Total economic value

calculated by use and non-use values

direct use value

value of market goods/products

indirect use values

value of natures services (flood control, shoreline protection, ect)

option value

value of assets in the future (medicine, genetic library, ect)

existence value

non use value, value of knowing a resources exists (for future generations)

relational value

value nature for the relationships, identity, and personal wellbeing

Anthropocentrism

value humans above all, value nature for our benefit

Biocentrism

all life forms seen as equal, intrinsic value of biodiversity

ecocentrism

value all parts of the ecosphere (living and non-living)

ecosystem service

ecosystem functions that directly benefit humans

3 major developments in history of ecosystem service

1. valuation of ecosystems

2. research mechanisms that link biodiversity and ecosystem processes

3. millennium ecosystem assessment

externalities

economic term for an indirect cost or benefit that impacts an uninvolved third party

negative externality example

1952 great smog of London where coal burning for factories led to 12000+ deaths

positive externality example

farmers leave a shelter belt for wind protection which creates a habitat for beneficial insects and increases crop productivity

wetland mitigation hierarchy

• avoidance

• minimize

• replace

biological mechanisms that make biodiversity increases ecosystems services

1. niche partitioning

2. positive interactions - organisms benefit each others roles

3. selection effect

4. dilution effect

niche partitioning

more niches in more diverse ecosystems → more efficient use of resources

selection effect

more species means higher chance that 1+ will perform their role successfully

dilution effect

higher biodiversity leads to decreased risk of humans becoming infected by zoonotic diseases (ticks, mosquitoes)

4 general categories of ecosystem services

• provisioning - products from nature

• regulating - services that regulate our environment

• cultural - non material benefits'

• supporting - services that support other services to function

3 biological resource zones in a traditional Hawai‘ian
ahupua‘a system

1. upland forests

2. agricultural

3. costal

traditional ecological knowledge

qualitative knowledge passed down from generations

western scientific ecological value

quantitative and statistical data gained from western scientific method

psudoextinction

species disappears from fossil record because it evolved into a new species

threatened categories

critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable

5 criteria to classify species conservation status

• population reduction

• restricted geographic range

• small population size & decline

• very small/restricted population

• extinction probability analysis

critically endangered

species faces extreme risk of extinction in immediate future

endangered

species faces high risk of extinction in near future (+20%)

vulnerable

species has high risk of facing extinction in medium future

mass extinction

when 75% of species go extinct