Zoology 101 – McIntyre – Conservation Biology - 9 May 2012Problem statement for modern conservation biologya) More humans on Earth than ever beforeb) Higher per capita resource use than ever beforec) Greater technological capacity to transformstructure & chemistry of the environment than everbeforeAnthropocene: new epoch of human impacts Perspectives on Priorities – what do we care about?Biodiversity – genes, species, ecosystemsFor its own sake (Biophilia & existence value)For human benefit (Rosy Periwinkle in Madagascar – anti-cancer drug)Ecosystem services – natural processes that contribute to sustaining human life (i.e., wetlands support fisheries, purify water, & trap silt particles/sediments)Approaches to conservationBiodiversityEndangered species – reduced to the point offacing extinction, so assess remaining geographicrange & population size (i.e. African cheetah)Biodiversity hotspots – regions with unusuallyhigh endemic species & threat levels shouldbe prioritizedEcosystem servicesEcosystem service hot spots – regions with unusually high ecosystem service levels, should be prioritized; (light blue – low service value; purple – high service value)Millennium ecosystem assessment – biologist inventoried all ecosystem services that ecosystems provideBOTTOM LINE: 60% of Ecosystem Services are degradedMain Findings:1) Humans have radically altered ecosystems in last 50 years2) Changes have brought gains but at growing costs that threaten achievement of development goals3) Degradation of ecosystems could grow worse but can be reversed4) Workable solutions will require significant changes in policy Key threats- Habitat loss – Land conversion, fragmentation (Fragmentation – taking habitats and breaking them up into smaller pieces). Ex: California (valleys are fragmentedwith homes; species can live on hillside, but dispersal is cut off for species. Maryland has fragmented forests, and dispersal for species is difficult-Introduced species – accidental & deliberate. Ex: Brown tree snake in Guam wasaccidental. It was a stow-away and it has decimated the fauna (i.e., birds & other reptiles in Guam and nearby islands (it has not reached Hawaii yet). The invasion of the Kudzu plant in SE United States was deliberate, because it stabilized hillsides and prevented soil erosion. It has gotten out of control. Zebra mussels were also accidental. -Overharvesting – timber, fish, wildlife. Clear-cut forest in Washington has caused the brown-spotted owl to be placed on the endangered species list. It depends on old growth trees, and they’re being but down. Industrial tune fishing in decimating the amount of tuna & other fish in the sea. This process has become very efficient at catching them, but the population of tuna are drastically going down.-Global change – climate change, atmospheric chemistry. CO2 and temperature hae increased together (causalinterpretation). It is caused byHUMANS! 20% increase in CO2 concentration in atmosphere in50-year gap! Squiggles meansseasonality! Dominate of 20%increase in Northern Hemisphere(more land mass in NorthernHemisphere than in SouthernHemisphere) high points arewinter; low points are summer(trees take up CO2) to knock itdown.Thinking Like a Mountain! By: Aldo Leopold (founder of wildlife & forest ecology)“A deep chesty brave echoes from rimrock to rimrock”“My own conviction on this score dates from the day I saw a wolf die…a fierce green fire dying inher eyes…”In wilderness is the salvation of the world…”Global Energy Use PatternUSA & Canada uses the most energy in the world (>300 gigajoules)Sub-Saharan Africa uses the least amount of energy (<10 gigajoules)Solar panels can help lower energy use; unplug appliances Water (American average 2000 gal/day) [1800-2200 gal/day]Meat – high rate of water useLinking Bushmeat & Climate Change Indirect linkage to climate change Mediated by seed of tropical forestsDispersal strategy Wood Density (g C/cm3) [a lot of carbon per cubic centimeterAnimals will defecate these seedsBush meat harvest means trees with high wood density have high numbers; shifts towards low density tree speciesEvolution of antibiotic resistanceHorizontal gene transfer – plasmids & bacteriophages transfers genes between bacteria River in Japan – antibiotics being flushed down the toilet and this is creating superbugs; up-stream (normal E. coli), tributary (multiple resistance E. coli), midstream (normal E. coli), and downstream (multiple resistance E. coli)PRE-LECTURE QUIZZES1) How many species have been named to date? 1.8 million2) What is the concept of biophilia? An innate sense of connection to nature and all of life3) Which of the following is not an ecosystem service? Access to fossil fuels(The rest are examples of an ecosystem service)a. Crop pollinationb. Control of pest insects in agriculturec. Reducing the impacts of floodsd. Water purification by wetlands and other natural habitats4) In southern Wisconsin, fragmentation and land conversion for agricultural has resulted in loss of what proportion of prairie habitat? Over 99.9%Wind Bird Rodent Large mammalLOWHIGH5) Acid precipitation has been a major environmental problem for decades. Have we solved this problem around the world? Partially; gradual reductions in parts of North America & Europe have been achieved, but some acidifying emissions continue on both continents6) Small populations are subject to which of the following conservation problems?a. Loss of genetic diversity due to inbreeding b. Loss of genetic diversity due to genetic driftc. Loss of a large proportion of the population in single natural catastrophed. Trouble finding matese. All of the above 7) Which of the following is not a reason why corridors are a helpful conservation strategy? They can enable diseases to spread more easily (this does happen, but it is not why the corridors are helpful)(The rest are reasons why corridors are a helpful conservation strategy)a. They can enable animals to cross highways without risk of getting hitb. They can help lower rats of inbreeding within declining populationsc. They can enable seasonal migrations to occur more safelyd. They can facilitate dispersal of individuals between isolated populations 8) The biodiversity hotspot concept refers to which of the following? A restricted area with both endemic biodiversity and high threat levels 9) In the Great Lakes, PCB contamination is a
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