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U of A BIOL 1543 - Conservation Biology
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BIOL 1543 1st Edition Lecture 20Outline of Last LectureI. COMMUNITY ECOLOGYII. PREDATIONIII.PREDATION / MIMICRYIV. PREDATION & COMMUNITY DIVERSITYV. HERBIVORYVI.TROPHIC STRUCTUREVII.ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGYVIII.CHEMICAL CYCLING - CARBON AND WATEROutline of Current LectureI. THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS: OVERVIEW II. CURRENT THREATS to biodiversityIII.PHOTOSYNTHESIS, SOLAR RADIATION, AND EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE IV.Global warming could alter the biosphereV. Greatest FUTURE threat to biodiversity VI.What about the ozone layer?VII.What can we do? VIII.What can YOU do? IX.What SHOULD we do?X. “One planet, one experiment.” - E.O. WilsonCurrent LectureI. THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS: OVERVIEW A. We are now presiding over a biodiversity crisis - a rapiddecrease in Earth’s great variety of organism.Conservation biology is a goal-driven science that seeks to counterB. the biodiversity crisis. C. There are over 1.5 million species “known to science” andbetween 10-200 million total D. What is happening and why should we care? E. Biodiversity includes 1. Genetic diversity, within and betweenpopulations 2. Species diversity iii.Ecosystem diversityA. Biodiversity, while valuable for its own sake, also provides food, fiber, medicines, and ecosystem services. B. Human activities threaten diversity at alllevels. II. CURRENT THREATS to biodiversity a. Habitat destruction, introduced species, and overexploitation arethe major threats to biodiversity. b. Three primary threats i. Habitat destruction is the single greatest currentthreat to biodiversity.ii. Introduced species (AKA naturalized species, AKA exotic species) can disrupt communities by competing with or preying on native species. 1. an organism not normally occurring in anarea that has been accidentally orintentionally introduced to the are iii.Overexploitation of wildlife by harvesting has threatened various animal and plant species (world wide consumption)III.PHOTOSYNTHESIS, SOLAR RADIATION, AND EARTH’S ATMOSPHEREa. Photosynthesis moderates global warming i. Greenhouses used to grow plants trap solarradiation, raising the temperature inside b. Excess CO2 in the atmosphere is contributing to global warming. Photosynthesis (which removes CO2 from the atmosphere) moderates this warming.a. The burning of fossil fuels is increasing the amount of CO2and other greenhouse gases in the air. b. The increase of these gases in the atmosphere leads to globalwarming. i. solve the problem by either producing less CO2 orincrease photosynthesis V. Greatest FUTURE threat to biodiversity a. Global warming may change climate patterns, melt polar icecaps, flood coastal regions. b. More importantly, it may increase the rate of species loss. VI.What about the ozone layer?a. Solar radiation converts O2 high in the atmosphere to ozone (O3), which shields organisms on the Earth’s surface from the damaging UV radiation. b. Industrial chemicals called CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) have caused dangerous thinning of the ozone layer, but international restrictions on CFC use are allowing recovery. i. Excessive UV exposure leads to increased incidence ofgenetic mutation and thus: cancer!VII.What can we do?a. Protected areas can be established to slow the loss of biodiversity. i. Biodiversity hot spots (areas around the globe that must have at least 15 hundred vascular plant species as endemics and have lost 70% of the original habitiat) have large concentrations of endemic species. They provide an opportunity to protect many species in very limited areas. (purple areas)b. Migratory species, both terrestrial and aquatic may requireinternational protection. c. Sustainable development is an ultimate goal i. Sustainable development seeks to improve the human condition while conserving biodiversity. (development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs) ii. It depends on increasing and applying ecologicalknowledge as well as valuing our linkages to thebiosphere. iii.Resources:1. http://www.wwf.org2. http://www.nature.org 3. http://www.airnow.govVIII.What can YOU do?a. Be educated b. Be active c. Conserve energy and water d. Contact your representatives e. Recycle f. Walk/bike/carpool/bus more often g. THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE! IX.What SHOULD we do?a. Cloning and other genetic work raises new possibilities for conservation biology. b. Should we bring them back? c. New ecosystems, new interactionsd. Lessons from “science fiction” X.“One planet, one experiment.” - E.O. Wilson “Don’t goof it


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