Conservation Biology - Key Concepts

Concept: Services provided by natural processes that yield economic benefits for people.
Direct & Indirect Services: Humans rely on both direct services (like food) and indirect services (like nutrient cycling).
Types of Ecosystem Services:
- Provisioning Services: Food, water, raw materials, medicinal resources, and fresh water.
- Cultural Services: Recreation, ecotourism, aesthetic values, spiritual and religious values.
- Supporting Services: Photosynthesis, soil formation, pest regulation, disease regulation, moderation of extreme events, pollination.
- Regulating Services: Nutrient cycling, water regulation, air quality regulation, climate regulation, and erosion regulation.
Example of Ecosystem Services:
- Mangroves provide coastal protection, carbon storage, water filtration, recreation, and fisheries production.

Definition: The variety of species in an ecosystem, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Species Diversity: Number of different species in a community and their relative abundance.
- Example Communities:
  - A community with an even distribution (A: 25%, B: 25%, C: 25%, D: 25%) is more biodiverse than a community with unequal distribution (A: 80%, B: 5%, C: 5%, D: 10%).

Coral Reefs: Occupy only 0.1% of ocean area but support 25% of all marine species on the planet.
Economic Implication: Example: $1 billion investment in maintaining the ecosystem services that filter New York City’s water; without it, a $10 billion investment in treatment plants would be needed, plus $100 million annually.

Definition: Changes in the frequency of alleles in a population from one generation to the next.
Importance: Microevolution and adaptation to environmental changes.
Consequences of Low Diversity: Populations with low genetic variation are more vulnerable to environmental fluctuations than diverse populations.

Definition: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
Implications of Removal: Removal of a keystone species can lead to decreased biodiversity in a community or ecosystem.

Definition: Indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems.
Types:
- Numerical Trophic Cascades: Involve changes in abundance or biomass across trophic levels.
- Behavioural Trophic Cascades: Involve changes in prey behavior (e.g., feeding rates and activity).
Research Sources: Estes & Palmisano (1974), Ripple et al. (2001).

Historical Context: Extinction is a constant theme in Earth's history. Most species that have ever lived are now extinct; extinctions are usually countered by speciation.
Present Rates of Extinction: Current extinction rates are approximately 1000 times the background rate, potentially marking the 6th mass extinction event.

Large Carnivores: Declines in large carnivores lead to significant changes in the abundance and prey species.

Methods:
- Removal of pollutants or invasive species.
- Revegetation.
- Reintroduction of native species.
- Reestablishment of hydrological processes or natural disturbances.
Example: Grassland restoration project in Montana.

Human-nature interactions: Examples of species adapting to human-influenced environments, such as peregrine falcons thriving in urban settings.

Concept: Wildlife has value simply by existing, often linked to cultural and spiritual significance.

Main Pressures:
- Human-caused habitat loss and degradation.
- Overharvesting of biological resources.
- Species invasions, disease emergence, pollution, and climate alteration.
- Habitat Loss Statistics:
  - Approximately 50%–60% of land has been transformed for agriculture, timber, and livestock grazing.
  - 2%–3% altered by urban development.

Classification:
- Native Species: Naturally occurring in an area.
- Non-native Species: Do not occur naturally but do not harm ecosystem.
- Invasive Species: Introduced species harmful to ecosystem functions.
Example of Invasive Species Impact: The damage caused by the American bullfrog and brown tree snake, costing $16.3 billion since 1986.

Toxic Pollutants: Significant concentrations of pollutants, measured in parts per million (ppm).
Biological Magnification: Concentration of toxins increases as you move up the food chain.

Global Warming Trends: Rapid warming of the Arctic, with temperature anomalies documented since the late 1970s.
Driving Questions:
- Impacts of climate change on ecosystems.
- The greenhouse effect mechanism and its relevance to global warming.
- Effects on carbon cycling and anthropogenic impacts.

Animal-borne Diseases: Increase in diseases like Lyme disease linked to rising temperatures, with expanding ranges of vectors.

Weather: Short-term atmospheric conditions.
Climate: Long-term averages of atmospheric conditions, requiring careful statistical calculations to understand shifts.
Climate Change: Refers to significant alterations in average climate conditions over time, primarily due to human actions.

Altered phenology: Shifts in natural events like flowering and animal reproduction due to climate warming.
Increased frequency of severe weather events such as wildfires and droughts.
Species survival jeopardized by timing mismatches between breeding and food availability.

Mechanism: Sunlight warms Earth, but greenhouse gases trap heat, leading to an imbalance in temperature regulation.
Rising CO2 Levels: Attributed to human activities, significantly impacting global temperatures.

Overview: Carbon is cycled through plants and animals; human activities disrupt the balance, resulting in increased atmospheric CO2.
Measurement Techniques: Historical carbon levels from ice cores, modern measurements from air samples.
Human Impact: Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning contribute heavily to climate change.

Nonrenewable Resources: Cheap, abundant but environmentally damaging due to extraction and emissions.
Renewable Resources: More sustainable options available, though production can be damaging.

Denial: Climate change denial often influenced by industries reliant on fossil fuels.
Individual Actions: Simple steps can be taken to reduce carbon footprints.

Documentary Viewing: Discussion and insights from "Kiss the Ground" about climate solutions.
Summary Points:
- Climate change effects on ecosystems.
- Understanding the greenhouse effect.
- Anthropogenic impact on carbon cycling.
Call to Action: Awareness of environmental effects spurs personal and communal action for sustainability.