BESC 201 10 30 2013 Lecture 25 Outline of Last Lecture I Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Outline of Current Lecture II Benefits of Biodiversity III Conservation Biology The Search for Solutions Current Lecture 10 30 2013 Benefits of Biodiversity Biodiversity loss matters from an ethical perspective because many people feel that organisms have an intrinsic right to exist Biodiversity helps maintain ecosystem function Biodiversity tends to enhance the stability of communities and ecosystems Biodiversity tends to increase resilience of ecological systems Research suggests removing a top predator can have a strong impact because top predators are often keystone species Ecosystem engineers such as ants and earthworms can be every bit as influential as keystone species and the loss of an ecosystem engineer from a system can likewise set major changes in motion Biodiversity enhances food security Today nutritional experts worry that industrial agriculture has narrowed our diet Lack of diversity leaves us vulnerable to failures of particular crops Crop relatives and ancestors of crops hold reservoirs of genetic diversity that can help save our monocultural crops from catastrophe when we transfer helpful genes by crossbreeding or genetic engineering Organisms provide drugs and medicines Many of today s pharmaceuticals are derived from chemical compound from wild plants With every species that goes extinct we lose one more opportunity to find cures for cancer AIDS or other maladies Biodiversity boosts economies through tourism and recreation These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Ecotourism tourists observe wildlife and explore natural areas and in doing so they create economic opportunities for residents living near protected natural areas People value and seek out connections with nature Biophilia asserting that human beings have an instinctive love for nature and feel an emotional bond with other living things Evidence o Affinity for parks and wildlife o Love for pets o High value of real estate with a view of natural landscapes o Interest in outdoor pursuits Children are increasingly deprived of outdoor experiences and direct contact with wild organisms called nature deficit disorder Do we have ethical obligations toward other species Living organisms have an inherent right to exist Biodiversity conservation is justified on ethical grounds alone Conservation Biology The Search for Solutions Conservation biology arose in response to biodiversity loss Conservation Biology scientific discipline devoted to understanding the factors forces and processes the influence the loss protection and restoration of biological diversity An applied and goal oriented science with implicit values and ethical standards Conservation Geneticists ask how small a population can become and how much genetic variation it can lose before running into problems such as inbreeding depression minimum viable population size Conservation biologists try to learn how likely a population is to persist or succumb in the face of habitat change or other threats Endangered species are a focus of conservation efforts Endangered Species Act the primary legislation for protecting biodiversity in the United States Some opponents feel that the ESA places more value on the life of an endangered organism than it does on the livelihood of a person Many landowners worry that federal officials will restrict the use of private land on which threatened or endangered species are found This has led to a practice described as shoot shovel and shut up among landowners who want to conceal the presence of such species on their land Habitat Conservation Plans Safe Harbor Agreements arrangements that allow landowners to harm species in some ways if they improve habitat for them in others Conservation efforts include international treaties Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES protects endangered species by banning the international transport of their body parts Convention on Biological Diversity three goals 1 To conserve biodiversity 2 To use biodiversity in a sustainable manner 3 To ensure the fair distribution of biodiversity s benefits Captive breeding reintroduction and cloning are being pursued Captive Breeding individuals are bred and raised in controlled conditions with the intent of reintroducing them into the wild Even if cloning can succeed from a technical standpoint such efforts are not an adequate response to biodiversity loss Forensics is being used to protect species Forensic Science Forensics the scientific analysis of evidence to make an identification or answer a question relating to a crime or an accident Conservation biologists are now employing forensics to protect species at risk from illegal harvesting By analyzing DNA from organisms or their tissues from at market researchers can often determine the species or subspecies and its geographic origin Some species act as umbrellas protecting habitat and communities Umbrella Species animals that require large areas Meeting their habitat needs helps meet those of thousands of less charismatic species that might never elicit as much public interest Protected areas conserve biodiversity at the ecosystem level A major challenge is to provide linkages among protected areas across the landscape so that isolated populations of wide ranging species can intermix Biodiversity hotspots pinpoint regions of high diversity Biodiversity Hotspots an area that supports an especially great number of species that are endemic to the region found nowhere else in the world The hotspot concept gives incentive to focus on these areas where the greatest number of unique species can be protected per unit effort We can restore degraded ecosystems Ecological Restoration restoring degraded natural systems to some semblance of their former condition Community based conservation is growing Community Based Conservation conservation biologists actively engage local people in efforts to protect land and wildlife