ENSC 320- Midterm

Wildlife and Biodiversity: What (and where is it?)

...

Wildlife

Any living, non-human, undomesticated organism in Animalia. It can live in natural or human-made habitats.

Domesticated Animals

Species whose appearance and behaviour have been altered through artificial selection

Are Tame Wildlife Domesticated?

No

Wildlife Issues?

Disputes or controversies involving different viewpoints or interests, where the solution itself may be the issue.

Biodiversity

The variety of organisms considered at all levels

Region/Landscape

A large area made up of interdependent ecosystems, such as a watershed.

Ecosystem

Grouping of plants, animals and microbes, etc.., interacting with each other and their physical environment.

Community

all plants and animals inhabiting an area.

Population

a group of individuals of the same species in an area

Genes

Segments of DNA that carry inherited traits.

Species

A group of organisms where all members do, or have the potential to, interbreed and produce viable offspring

Taxonomy

The branch of biology concerned with naming and classifying the diversity of life

What are the taxonomic levels from broadest to most specific?

Domain → Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species.

What are the three domains of life?

1. Bacteria

2. Archaea

3. Eukayra

Bacteria

Single-celled organisms without a nucleus.

Archaea

Single-celled organisms without a nucleus, distinct from bacteria.

Eukarya

Organisms whose cells contain a nucleus.

5 kingdoms

Animalia, Fungi, Plantae, Protista, Monera

Protista

mostly single-celled eukaryotes

Monera

bacteria and other prokaryotes

What is scientific nomenclature?

A binomial (two-name) system using the genus and species name.

What are examples of scientific nomenclature?

Homo sapiens = human; Panthera leo = lion.

How many species

There are bout 1.8 million described and named species of organisms

What are the estimates of undescribed species?

range from 5-30 million

How many new species are described each year?

About 10,000, mostly insects and other smaller species.

How many new bird and mammal species are discovered each year?

About 1-5 new bird species and 1-5 new mammal species per year.

What are biodiversity hotspots?

Areas with unusually high species richness. Species richness is not evenly distributed across the world.

What did Myers and colleagues find about biodiversity hotspots?

25 hotspots contained a large share of species on only 1.4% of Earth's land.

What is extinction?

A natural phenomenon where species die out, but today's extinction rate is much higher than expected, while speciation is low.

Wildlife and Human Values

...

Values

Judgments about the worth, importance, or usefulness of something.

Ethics

A set of values and principles that guide behaviour and conduct.

What are intrinsic values?

Non-anthropocentric values where worth exists in wildlife itself, not because of its use to humans.

What are the two types of intrinsic value?

Moral Value and Existence Value

Existence value

value from simply knowing it exists.

Moral value

Value because it embodies or is associated with something good.

What are instrumental values?

Anthropocentric values based on the usefulness or economic value of wildlife/resources.

What are the two types of instrumental value?

Use value and Nonuse value

Use Value

Comes from actually using the resource.

Nonuse value

Comes from valuing the resource without using it.

What are the three types of nonuse values?

Option, quasi-option, and bequest values.

What is option value?

The value of a resource's expected future use.

What is quasi-option value?

The value of preserving a resource because it may be useful in the future.

What is bequest value?

The value of knowing something is preserved for future generations.

What is direct use value?

Value gained directly from using wildlife, including enjoyment, satisfaction, or other benefits.

What is indirect use value?

Value wildlife provides to society through ecological services rather than direct use, like pollination.

What are direct use values easier to measure?

They can be measured through things like price or user hours.

What types of uses are included in direct value?

Both consumptive and nonconsumptive uses.

Comsumptive

animal's value is based on removal from its habitat (dead or alive)

Nonconsumptive

value is placed on the animal in its natural habitat

Consumptive uses of wildlife

Hunting and products

Non-Consumptive uses of wildlife

recreation, education and science/research

How does McNeely (1988) classify wildlife values?

Direct: consumptive and productive use. Indirect: non-consumptive, option, and existence values.

How does Macmillan (2008) classify wildlife values?

Direct: consumptive and non-consumptive use. Indirect: functional, option, and existence values.

What are value conflicts in wildlife issues?

When different people hold different values toward the same elements of nature, creating conflict.

What is economic valuation?

A monetary framework used to compare and weigh different wildlife values.

How can non-market wildlife values be economically measured?

Through contingent valuation or choice experiments using WTP or WTA surveys.

What are WTP and WTA?

WTP: what people are willing to pay. WTA: what compensation they would accept to give something up.

What are Kellert's (1996) wildlife value orientations?

Different ways people value or relate to nature and wildlife.

What are the 9 wildlife value orientations?

Utilitarian, Naturalistic, Ecologistic-Scientific, Aesthetic, Symbolic, Humanistic, Moralistic, Dominionistic, and Negativistic.

Utilitarian

Practical and material exploitation of nature

Naturalistic

Direct experience and exploration of nature

Ecologistic Scientific

Systematic study of the structures, function, and relationship in nature

Aesthetic

Physical appeal and beauty of nature

Symbolic

use of nature for language and thought

Humanistic

strong emotional attachment and 'love' for aspects of nature

Moralistic

spiritual reverence and ethical concern for nature

Dominionistic

mastery, physical control, and dominance of nature

Negativistic

fear, aversion, and alienation from nature

People and Wildlife: An (Americentric) History

...

What is the Pre-European era, and what is known about the peopling of North America?

It spans ~11,500 BC-1500 AD. The timing and migration routes are debated, but lower sea levels exposed the Bering Land Bridge.

What role did fish and wildlife play for Indigenous Peoples?

They were important for food and culture; wildlife was viewed not just as a resource, but as relatives.

What does "All Our Relations" (LaDuke, 1999) describe?

Indigenous teachings view animals, fish, trees, and rocks as relatives—brothers, sisters, uncles, and grandparents.

What happened during the Late Pleistocene extinctions?

At least 200 genera went extinct in the last ~50,000 years, largely involving megafauna.

What may have caused North American megafauna extinctions?

Human activity may have contributed, but climate, vegetation change, and disease may also have played roles.

What is a possible extinction cascade?

The loss of large herbivores may have caused predator declines and extinctions.

What characterized the Era of Abundance (1500-1850)?

A belief in limitless, inexhaustible nature, known as the "myth of overabundance."

How did wildlife exploitation affect North America during the Era of Abundance?

Wildlife was heavily exploited, but lower populations meant less overall impact; depleted areas were often abandoned for new ones.

Why was the fur trade important to Canadian history?

It was a major incentive for westward expansion, making trapping and hunting central to Canada's development.

What happened to the Great Auk?

This flightless seabird was heavily hunted for food and feathers and became extinct; the last breeding pair was killed in 1844.

What characterized the Era of Overexploitation (1850-1900)?

Rapid depletion of wildlife populations due to increased population, westward expansion, railroads, and market hunting.

What factors drove wildlife overexploitation during this era?

European immigration, western expansion after the U.S. Civil War, railway construction, and market hunting.

What happened to the American bison during the Era of Overexploitation?

Bison populations fell from about 30 million to only 200 in a few decades due to intense hunting and deliberate destruction. By 1902, only two wild herds remained: Yellowstone (20) and Wood Buffalo (150).

What happened to the Passenger Pigeon?

It was once the most abundant bird in the world, with flocks that could darken the skies for days. It was hunted to extinction, with the last bird dying in 1914.

How did increasing population and technology affect fisheries?

Population growth increased demand for fish, while improved technology increased the ability to catch, store, and transport fish globally.

What happened to major fisheries in the late 1800s?

Several major fisheries crashed due to overfishing and other impacts, including brook trout, Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, and sperm whales.

What was the result of declining fish stocks?

Many non-native species were introduced to increase fish stocks, such as rainbow trout, striped bass, Chinook and Sockeye salmon, brown trout, and largemouth bass.

What early restrictions and organizations developed during the Era of Overexploitation?

1872: Yellowstone National Park was established. 1885: Banff National Park was established. 1892: The Sierra Club was founded.

Who was Henry David Thoreau?

An American author, naturalist, and philosopher who believed humans are part of nature, not separate from it. Best known for Walden (1854).

Who was John Muir?

An American author and naturalist who promoted wilderness preservation, founded the Sierra Club, and emphasized the intrinsic value of nature.

What characterized the Era of Protection (1900-1930)?

Regulation and preservation, as governments recognized declining resources and began managing them through regulations and dedicated agencies.

Who was Gifford Pinchot?

First chief of the U.S. Forest Service who promoted planned resource use and renewal, focusing on human benefits.

What characterized the Era of Game Management (1930-1965)?

Wildlife was managed as a resource, with maximum sustainable yield used to determine the maximum harvest a population could sustain without reducing its ability to replenish.

Who was Aldo Leopold?

An American ecologist, wildlife biologist, and forester who developed the Land Ethic and co-founded The Wilderness Society.

What characterized the Era of Environmental Management (1965-1980)?

Growing concern about pollution, the rise of environmental groups, changing government policies, and greater recognition of wildlife and the environment as an integrated ecosystem.

Who was Rachel Carson?

An environmental writer whose book Silent Spring exposed the harmful effects of pesticides on birds and helped launch the modern environmental movement.

What is Greenpeace, and how did it begin?

Formed in Vancouver in 1971, initially focused on nuclear disarmament and testing. Its anti-whaling protests in 1975 brought it to the world stage.

What characterized the Era of Conservation Biology (1980-present)?

A shift from managing wildlife as resources to focusing on biodiversity, ecology, and global conservation, with growing concern about extinctions and the limits of maximum sustainable yield.

What is neoenvironmentalism?

The belief that technology, social innovation, and economic development are realistic paths to environmental sustainability, emphasizing ecosystem services over preservation.