Today

finish biodiversity (Chapter 23)

start conservation biology (Chapter 25)

Wednesday
conservation biology

Friday
quiz!
conservation biology

Monday
historical biogeography (Chapter 24)

Wednesday
ecosystem management (outside reading)

Conservation Biology - a missionoriented science that focuses on

protecting and restoring biodiversity
Biodiversity
1. All forms of life
2. All levels of organization
(subpopulation to biosphere)
3. All interactions among forms of life
and the environment

Where is the biodiversity?

Endemic species restricted to a
small region
isolated areas (islands, mountain ranges)
product of unique habitat, climate features

Biodiversity hotspots - areas with a

high concentration of endemic species,
experiencing rapid habitat loss

 Hotspots:
1.4% of the land area
44% of vascular plant species
35% of terrestrial vertebrate species

But
20% of the human population, which is
growing at 1.8% per year (vs. 1.3%
worldwide)
each hotspot has already lost 70% of its
vegetation

Current Status of Biodiversity

1.4 million described species, possibly
10 million in total
Background extinction rate rate of
species loss in the absence of human
activities
fossil record: species survive 1-10 million
years
one year: one species has a 1 in 1-10
million chance of going extinct
total: 1 extinction per year

 Mass extinction loss of large number

of species
usually due to catastrophic volcano or
meteor impact
very rare (5 times in 3 billion years)

Current rate of extinction???

 Some estimates for current rate:

1 species per hour
1 million species total, so far
10% of all species so far
8.8% of all species
27,000 species per year
20% of neotropical plant species
100 to 10,000 times the background rate

 Numbers of threatened/endagered
species:
5,188 vertebrates (9%)
1,992 invertebrates (0.17%)
8,321 plants (2.89%)
2 lichens (0.02%)

Since 1600, ~1000 species have gone

extinct (probably many more)

Why do species go extinct?

2 separate processes:
1. Something causes a large population
to decline.
2. Small populations go extinct.

Causes of species declines

1. Habitat destruction and fragmentation
2. Introduced species
3. Exploitation and overharvesting
4. Pollution
5. Climate change

USA

1. Habitat destruction and

fragmentation
Fragmentation disruption of extensive
habitats into small, isolated patches

Relaxation loss of species from

isolated habitats over time

Area

 Edge effects negative impacts

adjacent to habitat boundaries
Forest edges:
more sunlight
drying
high winds
tree mortality
invasive species
more predators

Edge area

Core area

Core area part of a patch not impacted by

edge effects
Patch size is not always the best predictor of
patch quality

2. Introduced species
Humans are constantly moving
species between continents, islands
deliberate or accidental

Most serious impacts on islands

low species diversity
few native predators
animals lack anti-predator defenses,
resistance to diseases

 Characteristics of invasive species

pioneer species
high dispersal rates
found in disturbed habitats, but
some can invade undisturbed communities

Why are invasives successful?

no diseases, herbivores, parasites,
predators
better competitors than native species

 Introduced diseases exploit lack of

evolved resistance
Dutch elm disease American elm
Chestnut blight American chestnut
avian malaria Hawaiian birds
Rinderpest African ungulates
chytrid fungus amphibians

Net result of invasive species

homogenize ecological communities
around the world
drive native, endemic species extinct

3. Exploitation and overharvest

Direct exploitation for food
overfishing
bycatch in fisheries killing non-target
species (birds, marine mammals)
bush meat harvest of wild animals for
food

can be sustainable, but often not

threatens many large mammals, primates

 Global trade in wildlife

birds, orchids, cactus, primates
captured for gardens, pets, zoos, etc.

Many species driven extinct before

hunting/harvest regulations were in
place
passenger pigeon, island tortoises, marine
mammals

Exam
Definitions, compare-contrast 5 points
each (20 points per page)
5 questions 12 points per question
bonuses 3 points each
dropped the question with the lowest
score
Average grade = 86

Causes of species declines

1. Habitat destruction and fragmentation
2. Introduced species
3. Exploitation and overharvesting
4. Pollution
5. Climate change

4. Pollution
Most important for aquatic systems
chemical pollutants
acid precipitation

Bioaccumulation process by which

toxin concentrations increase in living
tissues
concentrations increase through the food
chain

5. Climate change

Why do small populations go

extinct?
Demographic stochasticity chance
events that occur at small populations
size
failure to breed or survive
failure to find a mate
skewed sex ratio

Dusky Seaside Sparrow

 Environmental effects unpredictable

events that reduce survival or
reproduction
droughts, floods, fires, storms

Genetic effects at small population

size
inbreeding
genetic drift
random mutations

 Extinction vortex combination of

genetic, environmental and
demographic factors that drive a small
population to extinction

Heath hen
1700 throughout the northeast coast
1907 50 left on Marthas Vineyard
1915 2000 birds
1916 fire
1917 goshawk invasion
1920s poultry disease
1927 13 birds, mostly males
March 11, 1932 last known sighting

 Minimum viable population smallest

population has a specified probability of
surviving for a certain time
usually 95% chance of surviving for 100
years

How big?
at least 50 individuals to avoid
demographic stochasticity
at least 500 individuals to avoid genetic
effects
realistically > 1000 but varies by species

Reasons for protecting biodiversity

1. Intrinsic valuable for its own sake
2. Instrumental beneficial to humans

Instrumental Reasons for Protecting

Biodiversity
1. Economic benefits

food
drugs
cultivated crops
ecotourism

2. Ecosystem services quantifiable

services that an ecosystem provides
to humans
often very valuable economically

Examples:

moderating climates
mitigating floods and droughts
eliminating waste and toxins
pest control
pollination

Pollinators
Insects pollinate 2/3 of crop species
~25% of foods consumed

U.S.: $20 to 40 billion in agriculture

Evidence that many pollinators are
declining
bats
honeybees
hummingbirds

3. Maintenance of ecosystem function

How many species can you safely
remove?
How do you ensure maximum
productivity in managed or natural
ecosystems?

More diverse ecosystems are more stable

Diversity-productivity relationship
How are plant species richness and
primary productivity related?
3 possibilities:

Why would productivity increase with

richness?
Greater odds of encountering a superproductive species
Complementarity use of different
resources by different species