conservation bio midterm material

science

the relentless pursuit of TRUTH about how the natural world is structured and operates

the scientific method

the primary tool for discovering the truth

conservation biology

an applied science concerned with preserving and restoring biodiversity

biodiversity

diversity of life at all levels

we will focus on species & ecosystem diversity

steps of the scientific method

ask a question, gather background info, formulate one or more hypotheses, make testable predictions, test predictions using observational data, analyze results

dominant narrative

a story that becomes the only permitted explanation about a topic among most elites and mainstream media, independent of it truthfulness

how gov. agencies & media enforce false dominant narratives

ignore contrary evidence, lie, smear/belittle or falsely label contrary science and its advocates, scare people

how social media enforces false dominant narratives

false/misleading "fact checks", demonetization, banning/removing content/creator, shadow banning

censorship industrial complex

government organizations partner with media to censor americans going against the dominant narrative

reasons to preserve species

medicine, food, ecotourism

red list categories

extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, least concern, data deficient, not evaluated

761 in Northern America and Austrailia and surrounding islands

how many extinctions in the past 500 years

megafauna

general term for the large game animals hunted to extinction by pre-holocene and early holocene humans

passenger pigeon 1914 & carolina parakeet 1918

local species now extinct

71% of species

habitat destruction is the dominant threat for ...

60% of species

terrestrial habitat loss threatens ... of species

1.8% of species

climate change is the least significant threat, only ...

land use

various ways humans use the land such as agricultural, industrial, residential, or recreational

2/3rds of most terrestrial ecosystems are projected to be gone by 2050

1 billion people every 12 years

how many people are we adding to the planet?

environmental sustainability

using resources in a manner that meets the needs of current and future generations while leaving enough for other species and ecosystems to survive and thrive as well

the 2 prongs

prioritize threats, prioritize solutions

"solutions" to lower ranked threats should not make more serious threats worse

80% of all species

terrestrial habitats contain ...

water withdrawal/water footprint

eliminates water habitat by dropping water levels/volume

dams

change hydrology and prevent anadromous fish from migrating upstream to spawn

anadromous fish

fish that migrate from the ocean to freshwater to spawn

hardening shoreline

with rip rap, bulkheads, etc. also alter hydrology

rip rap

large rocks or broken concrete used in erosion control

bulkheads

walls

dredging

making a river deeper or wider by digging up sand and mud from the bottom

water footprint

measures the annual volume of freshwater used by countries, individuals etc

meat production

the raising of cattle, chickens, turkey, pigs, sheep, goats, or any other livestock for consumption by humans

3/4 of our global water footprint is for this

colorado river example

supplies water to large population centers and agricultural lands in several US states

as a result of the 49 dams and massive water diversion, the river regularly fails to reach the sea

this has destroyed the colorado river delta ecosystem in mexico

aral sea example

dropped 59 feet since 1960

left behind polluted waste on seabed

winds blow salty grit and toxic chemicals to croplands

drip irrigation

a method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that literally drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant

reduces evaporation and salt accumulation

benthic zone habitat destruction

trawl bags and other bottom fishing techniques most significant

blast fishing particularly along coral reefs

dredging, anchors

pelagic zone habitat destruction

boats/shipping

fishing debris (nets, fishing line) ... may fall under pollution

intertidal zone habitat destruction

shoreline hardening, recreation

solving marine habitat destruction

create expansive marine protected areas that strictly limit fishing

regulate and reduce global commercial fishing

reduce consumption of commercially caught seafood

half

more than ... of global forests are now gone

mostly tropical rain and dry forests

many species have small distributions in the tropical rainforests and there are thousands of species per hectare

why tropical rainforest deforestation is especially bad

agriculture

85% of permanent tropical deforestation is due to ...

slash and burn agriculture

another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are cleared by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris

meat deforestation

because of the rapid loss of soil fertility, many former rainforests are turned into grazing land for cattle, never to return to forest

biofuel deforestation

the exception to this low soil fertility in the tropics is in forest underlain by peat (accumulation of thousands of years of organic material) as in many of the lush forests of indonesia

forest degradation

decreasing the ecological value and biodiversity of forests by burning, harvesting plants and animals, or other changes to natural forest conditions

old growth (primary) forests

are dominated by enormous trees, hundreds of years old and are more biodiverse and ecologically complex than second growth forests

monoculture

single species of fast growing, easily cut trees like pine or eucalyptus

in many cases the trees aren't even native, they may even use herbicides to kill other plants that could offer more diverse habitat

soil erosion

the loss of top soil by water or wind, this leads to lower soil fertility and desertification in extreme cases

wetlands

a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife

have been shrinking 24,300 acres per year since 1985

habitat fragmentation

chopping original land into fragments

edge effects

a change in species composition physical conditions or other ecological factors at the boundary between two ecosystems

problems with habitat fragmentation

populations lack adequate space for sufficient population size in fragments which places them at risk of inbreeding depression

greater vulnerability to overexploitation, disease, invasive species, domesticated predators

how to combat destruction

create and expand large protected areas

restore degraded habitats and reconnect fragmented habitats

reduce the direct and indirect causes of destruction

restoration ecology

study of the historical condition of a damaged ecosystem, with goal of returning it to its former state

combating habitat fragmentation

have bigger fragments, have more circular fragments, connect fragments with corridors (ex. vegetative overpass so species can cross)

endemic species

species that are native to and found only within a limited area

energy solutions

1. increased energy efficiency and conservation

2. low footprint renewables (solar, geothermals heat pump under existing infrastructure ONLY algae & waste biofuels, NOT crops like corn and soy

3. nuclear power

4. continued but decreasing fossil fuel use, emphasizing natural gas

urban sprawl

urban developments that fan out over the landscape

1. meat/animal products

2. plant-based foods

3. wood, fiber

4. development

5. biofuels

most devastating land footprint categories

monoculture plantation

an agricultural plantation specializing in the large-scale production of a single crop to be sold on the market

wood and paper companies are trying to maximize profits by replacing natural diverse forests with these

devastating to wildlife

use less paper

use reusable and recyclable plastics & synthetic products but REJECT trend replacing plastics with paper

wood & fiber solutions

sustainable forest management

the management of forests as ecosystems wherein the primary objective is to maintain the biodiversity and function of the ecosystem

longer harvest cycles to allow mature forest conditions to emerge

the green revolution

a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties

conventional agriculture

the farming systems that include the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, other continual inputs, mechanization, and genetically modified organisms

organic farming

food produced without synthetic pesticides & fertilizers

yields 75% of conventional yields - meaning more land is needed to grow the same amount of food

organic fertilizer

typically requires fertilizer from other land, which dramatically increases the total amount of land needed to produce the same amount of food

twice

organic farming requires roughly ... as much land to produce the same amount of food as high intensity conventional agriculture

land sharing

farming practice that integrates agriculture with nature conservation and is also known as wildlife-friendly farming

alternative to industrial agriculture

shade grown coffee

coffee grown in the shade of tropical trees

example of land sharing

people claim it is more sustainable but it is not

industrial agriculture

intensive farming practices involving mechanization and mass production

genetic engineering

manipulating the genetic information in a species, often by inserting beneficial genes from one species into another

concerns of genetic engineering

that the inserted genes will spread to wild populations and have unanticipated negative consequences or pose threats to human health

benefits of GM foods

increase crop yields so less land is needed for same amount of food

consume less water, reducing water diversion from aquifers and rivers and preventing crop failures

INCREASE CROP YIELDS BY 22%

REDUCE PESTICIDE USE BY 37%

integrated pest management

holistic, science-based approach that first seeks to determine if a pest problem exists, then uses multiple techniques tailored to eliminating that specific pest while minimizing adverse environmental/health impacts

3/4

meat/animal products make up nearly ... of our footprint

roughly 90% of the energy is lost between each trophic level

the problem with eating meat

30%

... of the earth's ice-free land is used for meat

~10

it takes ... times more land, water, and fossil fuels to produce one pound of meat protein compared to one pound of vegetable protein

vegetable protein

soy products

meat

consume less meat/animal products

food

reject store-bought organic food &/or grow your own food in your yard/home

energy

reject biofuels, emphasize nuclear and low impact renewables

development

fight for smart growth (oppose suburban sprawl)

wood/paper

recycle paper, reject replacing plastics with paper products & reject monoculture wood

virus is NOT from Wuhan lab

masks prevent getting/spreading it

6 feet social distancing

C19 dominant narratives