Sustaining Biodiversity the Species Approach Chapter 9 Sustaining Biodiversity the Species Approach

Background Extinction 1/106 (or .0001%) until humans came along Now .1 – 1%

Mass Extinction 50 – 95% of species go extinct 5 mass extinctions Last on 65 million years ago Cause?

Levels of Extinction Local Ecological Biological

Animal Species Prematurely Extinct Due to Human Activities

Endangered vs Threatened Endangered Species So few survivors may become extinct soon Threatened Species Population is dropping rapidly Endangered Species Act

Characteristics of Vulnerable Species Low reproductive rate Specialized niche Narrow distribution Feed at high trophic level Commercially valuable Large territory

Use Value of Species Ecotourism Pharmaceuticals (62% of cancer drugs) Rosy Periwinkle + Hodgkin’s Disease Genetic information GMOs

Hodgkin's disease, lymphocytic leukemia Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, Rosy periwinkle Cathranthus roseus, Madagascar Hodgkin's disease, lymphocytic leukemia Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, Pacific Northwest Ovarian cancer Rauvolfia Rauvolfia sepentina, Southeast Asia Anxiety, high blood pressure Figure 9.8 Natural capital: nature’s pharmacy. Parts of these and a number of other plant and animal species (many of them found in tropical forests) are used to treat a variety of human ailments and diseases. Nine of the ten leading prescription drugs originally came from wild organisms. About 2,100 of the 3,000 plants identified by the National Cancer Institute as sources of cancer-fighting chemicals come from tropical forests. Despite their economic and health potential, fewer than 1% of the estimated 125,000 flowering plant species in tropical forests (and a mere 1,100 of the world’s 260,000 known plant species) have been examined for their medicinal properties. Once the active ingredients in the plants have been identified, they can usually be produced synthetically. Many of these tropical plant species are likely to become extinct before we can study them. Neem tree Azadirachta indica, India Treatment of many diseases, insecticide, spermicide Foxglove Digitalis purpurea, Europe Digitalis for heart failure Cinchona Cinchona ledogeriana, South America Quinine for malaria treatment Fig. 9-8, p. 190

Intrinsic value Species have an right to survive We have an ethical duty to try to preserve species

Biophilia Inherent connection with nature Biophobia

Grizzly bear Kirkland’s warbler Knowlton cactus Florida manatee African elephant Utah prairie dog Swallowtail butterfly Humpback chub Golden lion tamarin Siberian tiger Figure 9.4 Endangered natural capital: some species that are endangered or threatened with premature extinction largely because of human activities. Almost 30,000 of the world’s species and roughly 1,300 of those in the United States are officially listed as being in danger of becoming extinct. Most biologists believe the actual number of species at risk is much larger. Giant panda Black-footed ferret Whooping crane Northern spotted owl Blue whale Mountain gorilla Florida panther California condor Hawksbill sea turtle Black rhinoceros Fig. 9-4, p. 187

HIPPCO Habitat alteration Island species Habitat island Habitat fragmentation Theory of Island Biogeography

Asian or Indian Elephant Indian Tiger Range 100 years ago Range today Black Rhino Range in 1700 Range today African Elephant Probable range 1600 Range today Asian or Indian Elephant Former range Range today Figure 9.11 Natural capital degradation: reductions in the ranges of four wildlife species, mostly as the result of habitat loss and hunting. What will happen to these and millions of other species when the world’s human population doubles and per capita resource consumption rises sharply in the next few decades? See an animation based on this figure at CengageNOW. Question: Would you support expanding these ranges even though this would reduce the land available for people to grow food and live on? Explain. (Data from International Union for the Conservation of Nature and World Wildlife Fund) Stepped Art Fig. 9-11, p. 194

NATURAL CAPITAL DEGRADATION Causes of Depletion and Premature Extinction of Wild Species Underlying Causes • Population growth • Rising resource use • Undervaluing natural capital • Poverty Figure 9.10 Underlying and direct causes of depletion and premature extinction of wild species (Concept 9-3). The major direct causes of wildlife depletion and premature extinction are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. This is followed by the deliberate or accidental introduction of harmful invasive (nonnative) species into ecosystems. Question: What are two direct causes that are related to each of the underlying causes? Direct Causes • Habitat loss • Pollution • Commercial hunting and poaching • Habitat degradation and fragmentation • Climate change • Sale of exotic pets and decorative plants • Overfishing • Introduction of nonnative species • Predator and pest control Fig. 9-10, p. 193

Birds 1/8 of world’s birds are endangered Kirtland’s warbler Habitat loss, wetlands 1 billion fly into windows Climate change Birds are good environmental indicators Live in every climate and biome Respond quickly to environmental changes Easy to track and count

Deliberately introduced species Nonnative species Deliberately introduced species 98% of food supply (corn, wheat, rice, cattle, chickens) Kudzu Meant to control erosion Afflicts the South Food, paper, pharmaceutical?

Kudzu Taking Over an Abandoned House in Mississippi, U.S.

Deliberately Introduced Species Purple loosestrife European starling African honeybee (“Killer bee”) Nutria Salt cedar (Tamarisk) Figure 9.14 Some of the more than 7,100 harmful invasive (nonnative) species that have been deliberately or accidentally introduced into the United States. Marine toad (Giant toad) Water hyacinth Japanese beetle Hydrilla European wild boar (Feral pig) Fig. 9-14a, p. 199

Accidentally Introduced Species Argentina fire ant Mobile Alabama, 1930’s Burmese python Pets dumped in Everglades Zebra mussel In ballast water from Europe Plagues the great lakes

Accidentally Introduced Species Sea lamprey (attached to lake trout) Argentina fire ant Brown tree snake Eurasian ruffe Common pigeon (Rock dove) Figure 9.14 Some of the more than 7,100 harmful invasive (nonnative) species that have been deliberately or accidentally introduced into the United States. Formosan termite Zebra mussel Asian long-horned beetle Asian tiger mosquito Gypsy moth larvae Fig. 9-14b, p. 199

Pollution Pesticides DDT Kill 1/5 of honeybee colonies Banned in 1972 (Silent Spring) Health risk? Bald eagle recovery (417  10,000 breeding pairs) Success for ESA

DDT is Fat Soluble therefore it can undergo bioaccumulation and biomagnification Bioaccumulation Ingested fat soluble chemicals are absorbed into tissue and accumulate over time Biomagnificiation Higher level consumers ingest chemicals stored in all organisms lower on its food chain

DDT in fish-eating birds (ospreys) 25 ppm DDT in large fish (needle fish) 2 ppm DDT in small fish (minnows) 0.5 ppm DDT in zooplankton 0.04 ppm Figure 9.19 Bioaccumulation and biomagnification. DDT is a fat-soluble chemical that can accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals. In a food chain or web, the accumulated DDT can be biologically magnified in the bodies of animals at each higher trophic level. The concentration of DDT in the fatty tissues of organisms was biomagnified about 10 million times in this food chain in an estuary near Long Island Sound in the U.S. state of New York. If each phytoplankton organism takes up from the water and retains one unit of DDT, a small fish eating thousands of zooplankton (which feed on the phytoplankton) will store thousands of units of DDT in its fatty tissue. Each large fish that eats 10 of the smaller fish will ingest and store tens of thousands of units, and each bird (or human) that eats several large fish will ingest hundreds of thousands of units. Dots represent DDT. Question: How does this story demonstrate the value of pollution prevention? DDT in water 0.000003 ppm, or 3 ppt Stepped Art Fig. 9-19, p. 202

Bees Important pollinators of ornamental and food crops 1/3 of crops are pollinated by insects worldwide In US, 98% of honeybees are commercially owned Bee colony collapse disorder

Polar Bears Winter vs summer feeding Global warming Population declines by 1/3 by 2050 PCBs, DDT accumulates in fat Russian poachers kill 200 a year Threatened under ESA

Poaching Globally, $10 billion business Mountain gorilla = $150,000 Jane Goodall Panda pelt = $100,000 Tigers 100,000 in 1900; now 3500 Tropical fish Poachers rarely get caught

International Treaties CITES Signed by 172 countries Has been effective, but member countries can exempt themselves CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) 190 countries (not US, so not very effective) Protects ecosystems rather than individual species

ESA First passed in 1973 National Marine Fisheries Service identifies and lists ocean species US Fish and Wildlife Species land based species Endangered and threatened 92 in 1973 - 1350 in 2007 Shipments of wildlife must enter one of nine ports

Legal Consequences Northern Spotted Owl (jobs vs Nature) Eminent Domain? Regulatory takings Takings legislation Habitat Conservation Plans

National Wildlife Refuge System Established in 1903 Pelican Island Theodore Roosevelt 540 refuges (3/4 are wetland refuges) 1/5 of endangered and threatened species have habitats in NWRS

Seed Banks, Zoos, etc Seed (gene) banks Arboreta, Botanical Gardens 100 worldwide, 3 million samples Arboreta, Botanical Gardens 1600 worldwide (Tyler, Morris arboreta) Zoos, aquaria Egg pulling Captive breeding Reintroduction into the wild is rarely successful

California Condor Has been successfully reintroduced Population declined to 22 in 60’s 135 now in the wild Lead in hunter ammunition led to poisoning