Unit IX – Global Change

Declining Biodiversity

Sustaining Biodiversity Wild Species are Very Important for Many Reasons: Economic Medical Scientific Ecological Aesthetic Recreational 90% of today’s food crop seeds came from wild tropical plants 80% of today’s medicines came from plants that were wild.

Sustaining Biodiversity Background Extinction Average species lasts ~5-10 million years Background extinction is ~10-100 species/yr Mass Extinction Rate Today ~27,000 species/yr

Declining Biodiversity Earth’s biological diversity is disappearing at an unprecedented rate Threatened Species Species whose population has declined to the point that it may be at risk of extinction Endangered Species Species that faces threats that may cause it to become extinct within a short period.

Characteristics of Endangered Species Extremely small (localized) range Requires a large territory Living on an island Having a low reproductive success Small population size Low reproductive rates Specialized breeding habitats/areas Specialized feeding habitats

Declining Biodiversity Globally Most serious concern in tropical rain forests South & Central America Central Africa Southeast Asia US Most serious concerns in: Hawaii California

Biodiversity Hotspots

Causes of Declining Biodiversity

Causes of Declining Biodiversity - Land Use Change Destruction, degredation, fragmentation of habitats Little habitat remains for many endangered species

Causes of Declining Biodiversity – Invasive Species

Causes of Declining Biodiversity - Overexploitation Illegal Trade in Products made from Endangered Species Illegal Animal Trade

Causes of Declining Biodiversity - Pollution Acid Rain, Ozone Depletion, Global Warming, Excessive Fertilizers, etc.

Conservation Biology Scientific study of how humans impact organisms and the development of ways to protect biodiversity Involves: Protecting habitats Restoring damaged or destroyed habitats Zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens Seed banks

Fragmented Habitats Habitat separated by roads or other human development. Habitat corridors Allow animals to move from one fragment to another safely

Restoring Damaged Habitats Restoration ecology Study of the historical condition of a human-damaged ecosystem Goal is to return it to its former state Benefits Creates biological habitats Regeneration of soil damaged by agriculture or mining Disadvantages Expensive Take a long time to restore an area

Restoring Damaged Habitats (1935) Early stages of prairie restoration (Current Day) Restored prairie

Zoos, Aquariums, Botanical Gardens Save organisms from extinction Artificial insemination Embryo transfer Surrogate mothers Goal is to reintroduce organisms back to their natural habitat

Seed Banks Stored seeds are safe from habitat destruction, climate warming, etc. Can use seed banks to reintroduce extinct plant species Some seeds cannot be stored Global Seed Vault Svarlbard, Norway

Conservation Policies and Laws Endangered Species Act (ESA) Est. 1973 Purpose is to conserve and restore endangered and threatened species and their ecosystems. Enforced by Dept. of Interior through US Fish and Wildlife Service and state govt’s. Requires protection for any listed species and takes precedence over economic concerns. Has been very unpopular with industry, developers, miners, timber ranchers

Conservation Policies and Laws Today’s ESA 1652 Total Listed Species in the US (1586 last year) Plants 733 endangered species 168 threatened species Flowering Plants is by far the most common group (700) Animals 503 endangered species 208 threatened species Fishes is most common group (92) followed by birds (81), clams (75), insects (73), mammals (70) http://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/reports/box-score-report

Conservation Policies and Laws Migratory Bird Treaty Act Est. 1918 Prevents “taking” non-game migratory birds or eggs. CITES Treaty Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species Est. 1975 Bans commercial trade of an agreed list of endangered and threatened species Currently regulates trade of ~5600 species of animals and ~35,000 species of plants Currently 175 countries and territories have ratified the treaty.

Wildlife Management Application of conservation principles to manage wild species and their habitats for human benefit or for the welfare of other species Different priorities than conservation biology Wildlife managers concerned with common species Conservation biologist concerned with threatened or endangered species

Wildlife Management Other Issues… Diversity vs. Density Funding Bird watchers want diversity, hunters want density Funding Increased through sale of hunting and fishing licenses & taxes on hunting and fishing equipment Hunting Over 13 million registered hunters in US alone

Overfishing Aquatic Organisms Freshwater fishes Ocean fishes Must be managed to ensure they are not overexploited Freshwater fishes Laws regulate time of year, size of fish and maximum allowable catch Ocean fishes Ocean fisheries often viewed as common property

Whaling International Whaling Commission Established in 1946 by international community After 8 of 11 major whale species driven to commercial extinction US stopped whaling completely in 1970 Currently 89 nations are members Although participation is completely voluntary Some countries such as Japan continue for “scientific” research Others have restarted limited whaling practices Russia, Iceland Most populations have recovered Right, Humpback, and Blue Whales have yet to show clear signs of recovery though.

Global Warming

Global Climate Change 14 warmest years since mid-1800’s have happened since 1990. Warming is NOT due to natural causes. Human produced greenhouse gases are most plausible explanation Greenhouse Effect Trapping of heat in the troposphere thermal insulation is required for life on Earth

Rising Temperatures

Climate vs. Weather Changes “It’s cold outside, where’s the Global Warming everyone’s always talking about?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBdxDFpDp_k

Major Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse Effect Primarily caused by increasing levels of CO2 Burning fossil fuels Deforestation Burning forests

Greenhouse Effect

Climate Models Climate affected by: winds, clouds, ocean currents, and albedo Used to explore past climate events Advanced models can project future warming events Models are only as good as the data and law used to program them They have limitations

Effects of Climate Change Increased Wildfires Rising Sea Levels Sea level rise caused in 2 ways Thermal Expansion Melting of land ice Melting has positive feedback Increased melting decreases ice, which decreases albedo leading to further warming

Effects of Global Climate Change Glacier National Park 1957 1998

Effects of Global Climate Change Wildlife Displacement Reduced snow cover Thawing permafrost

Effects of Global Climate Change Changing Precipitation Patterns

Effects of Global Climate Change Declining zooplankton levels Disrupts entire foodchain Parts of California current have decreased by 80% since 1951 Declining levels of krill Shifting ranges of species

Effects of Global Climate Change Coral reef bleaching Due to increasing temps Healthy Coral Bleached Coral

Effects of Global Climate Change Difficult to anticipate Productivity will increase in some areas and decrease in others Rise in sea level will inundate flood plains and river valleys (lush farmland) Effect on pests is unknown Warmer temperatures will decrease soil moisture- requiring more irrigation Location (i.e. elevation and altitude) where certain crops can be grown may have to change

Effects of Global Climate Change Developed vs. Developing Nations

Fighting Global Climate Change Two ways to manage climate change Mitigation: Limiting greenhouse gas emissions to moderate global climate change Adaptation: Learning to live with environmental changes and societal consequences brought about by global climate change

Fighting Global Climate Change Mitigation: Locate/invent alternative fuels to fossil fuels Increase efficiency of cars and trucks Carbon Capture and Storage Plant and Maintain trees to naturally sequester carbon

Fighting Global Climate Change Adaptation: Rising sea levels and coastal populations Move inland Construct dikes and levees Adapt to shifting agricultural zones

Fighting Global Climate Change Kyoto Protocol Legally binding Provides operational rules on reducing greenhouse gases 192 countries have signed it!- NOT the US