BIO516 Conservation Biology Lecture 1: Introduction to Conservation and Biodiversity

This flashcard set covers the introductory lecture on conservation biology, including historical human migration, population growth statistics, environmental impact measures like the I=PAT formula, and definitions of conservation-related disciplines.

Melanie Massaro

The Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University and subject coordinator for BIO516: Conservation Biology.

Critically Endangered Australian Species

Include the Tasmanian devil, orange bellied parrot, a spider orchid, the corroboree frog, and the Lord Howe Island phasmid.

Homo sapiens migration

Modern humans began their movement out of Africa some 60,000 years ago, spreading across the globe based on climate, population pressures, and technological developments like boats.

Human settlement of Australia

The lecture suggests that the first people arrived in Australia approximately 50,000 years ago.

Settlement of New Zealand

One of the last few islands to be settled by people, specifically by Polynesians, due to the difficulty of reaching the location.

Global population in 2050

Human population is projected to reach over 9,400,000,000 people by the year 2050.

Black Death (1350)

A period when the world population was approximately 370 million people.

1963 Population Growth

The year the global population growth rate peaked at 2.2%.

Factors of Human Population Growth

Domestication of animals (allowing more frequent pregnancy), increased life expectancy, and decreased infant mortality.

Biodiversity Loss

The most pervasive environmental change in recent history, often accepted as a normal byproduct to facilitate human life.

Threats to Biodiversity

Activities involving habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, overexploitation of resources, introduction of invasive species and diseases, and climate change.

Human Influence Index

A measure of direct human influence on terrestrial ecosystems using data on population density, built-up areas, access roads, landscape transformation, and electric power influences.

US Resource Consumption

While making up only 5% of the global population, the United States uses over 25% of the world's natural resources.

US vs. India Energy/Paper Consumption

An average US citizen uses 23 times more energy and 79 times more paper products than the average citizen of India.

I = PAT Formula

A formula quantifying human impact ($I$) on the environment, calculated as $I = P \times A \times T$, where $P$ is the number of people, $A$ is average income (affluence), and $T$ is the level of technology.

Ecological Footprint

The influence of a group of people on the environment, defined as the number of global hectares needed to support an average citizen.

Preservation

The protection of an area, animal, or plant, often linked to cultural or religious values of a society.

Environmentalism

The activism that demands solutions to environmental problems.

Ecology

The scientific discipline that strives to understand the relationship between organisms and their environment.

Conservation Biology

A crisis discipline that integrates pure and applied sciences to maintain the earth's biodiversity, often requiring action before full scientific evidence is available.