1. Chapter 18 Conservation of Biodiversity

2. What is biodiversity  Extinction is a process that happens when an entire species permanently disappears from the biosphere due to the death of the species’ last member.  Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area.  Biodiversity increases the stability of an ecosystem and contributes to the health of the biosphere.

3. The 6 th Mass Extinction Extinction- when there are no longer any of the species in the world. We are currently losing approximately 50,000 species per year.  99% of all the species that have ever lived are extinct.  There have been five major mass extinctions in the Earth’s history  25% of our current species may go extinct by 2020.

4. Extinction Rates  The gradual process of species becoming extinct is known as background extinction.  Mass extinction is an event in which a large percentage of all living species become extinct in a relatively short period of time.  Five Most Recent Mass Extinctions 1. Cretaceous Period - about 65 million years ago 2. Triassic Period – about 200 million years ago 3. Permain Period – about 251 million years ago 4. Devonian Period – about 360 million years ago 5. Ordovician Period – about 444 million years ago 50,000 species extinction per year, in the past 50 years we are experiencing a faster rate than at any other time in history.

5. Extinction Rates

6. Aesthetic and Scientific Value  It is difficult to attach a value to something that is beautiful or something that is interesting to study.  Perhaps it is best to consider how life would be if all that was present on Earth was a barren and desolate landscape.  The value of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems would be more obvious to us then.

7. Factors that Threaten Biodiversity  The current high rate of extinction is due to the activities of a single species—Homo sapiens.  Humans are changing conditions on Earth faster than new traits can evolve to cope with the new conditions.  Evolving species might not have the natural resources they need.  Natural resources are all materials and organisms found in the biosphere, including minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, plants, animals, soil, clean water, clean air, and solar energy.

8. A Species is  Species are a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in terms of size, shape, behaviour or biochemical properties and that can interbreed to produce fertile viable offspring.  Organisms are individual life forms.  Populations are groups of the same species living in the same place at the same time.  Communities are populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time and interact with each other.

10. Genetic Diversity Scientists want to conserve genetic diversity so that the species can survive environmental change and inbreeding will not occur. Inbreeding occurs when individuals with similar genotypes, generally relatives, breed with each other.

11. Categories of Endangerment Extinct- no known species exist today Threatened- species with a high risk of extinction in the future Near-threatened- species that are likely to become threatened in the future Least concern- species are widespread and abundant

13. HIPCO H- Habitat Loss I- Invasive Species P- Pollution C- Climate Change O- Overharvested

14. Habitat Loss For most species the greatest cause of decline and extinction is habitat loss. Most habitat loss is due to human development

15. 3. Fragmentation of Habitat  The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces of land is called habitat fragmentation.  The smaller the parcel of land, the fewer species it can support.  Fragmentation reduces the opportunities for individuals in one area to reproduce with individuals from another area. (Genetic diversity decreases over time)  Carving the large ecosystem into small parcels increases the number of edges—creating edge effects.

18. Invasive Species Native species- species that live in their historical range Alien species (exotic species)- species that live outside their historical range. Invasive species- when alien species spread rapidly across large areas. Ex- Kudzu Vine, Zebra Mussel, Silver Carp

20. Pollution Threats to biodiversity can come from toxic contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, acids, and oil spills.

21. Pollution - Biological Magnification  Pollution and atmospheric changes threaten biodiversity and global stability.  Biological magnification is the increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as trophic levels increase in a food chain or food web.  Pesticides - DDT

22. Climate Change The concern is how climate change will affect temperature and precipitation around the world, and how this will impact biodiversity.  Global Climate change will change precipitation and temperature patterns and many species will not be able to adapt.  Especially places where species have no where to travel to that they might survive. Ex. The woodland areas of Australia.

23. Overharvesting When individuals of a species are removed at a rate faster than the population can replace them. Ex- dodo, American bison, passenger pigeon.

24. Lacey Act One of the earliest laws in the U.S. to control the trade of wildlife. First passed in 1900, the act prohibited the transport of illegally harvested game animals, primarily birds and mammals, across state lines.

25. CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Developed in 1973 to control the international trade of threatened plants and animals. Today, CITIES is an international agreement between 175 countries of the world.

26. Red List The IUCN keeps a list of threatened species, known as the red list. Each country has its own way to monitor and regulate the import and export of animals on the list.

27. Conservation Legislation Marine Mammal Protection Act- prohibits the killing of all marine mammals in the U.S. and prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal body parts.

28. Endangered Species Act Endangered Species Act- first passed in 1973, it authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which species can be listed as threatened or endangered and prohibits the harming of these species, including prohibitions on the trade of listed species, their fur, or body parts. It regulates all activities that involve the species; harassing, hunting, shooting, trapping, collecting, importing, or exporting possessing, or selling. Trading these species is also illegal. The act also authorizes the government to purchase habitat that is critical to the species.

29. Endangered Species Act Works  Species put on the list have proven to do better.  The gray wolf in Yellowstone is no longer endangered(it is in other parts of the country).  One quarter of all plant species are threatened with extinction, we need to maintain the diversity of the species to ensure better food and medicine for humans.  Bald Eagle delisted in 2007 went from appr. 400 to 11,000  Whooping Crane went from 54-400 still listed  Peregrine Falcon went from 300-1700 delisted  While there are some the success rate is still currently only 1%

30. Penalties  No penalty for accidental killing  Criminal charges 50,000 dollars up to one year in prison  Civil 25,000 per animal  Reward are offered

31. Controversies over the act.  In the 1990’s logging companies were logging in old growth forests and the spotted owl went into decline. The act sacrificed jobs for the owl and the loggers got mad. They were able to make some compromises in the end.  Now there are issues over manatees in Florida as home owners are feeling restricted in the waterways of Florida.

32. Endangered Animals in Idaho  Caribou, Wolf, Whooping Crane, Grizzly Bear, Lynx, White Sturgeon, Columbia Spotted Frog, Chinook Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Steelhead Salmon  Worldwide there are over well over 10,000 animals on the endangered species list.

33. Convention on Biological Diversity In 1992, nations came together and made a treaty to protect biodiversity. The treaty had three objectives: conserve biodiversity, sustainably use biodiversity, and equitably share the benefits that emerge from the commercial use of genetic resources such as pharmaceutical drugs.

34. Restoring Ecosystems  Given time, biological communities can recover from natural and human-made disasters.  The length of time for recovery is not related directly to whether the disaster is natural or human- made.  The size of the area affected and the type of disturbance are determining factors for recovery time.  Ecologists use two methods to speed the recovery process of these damaged ecosystems  Bioremediation  Biological Augmentation

35. Bioremediation  The use of living organisms, such as prokaryotes, fungi, or plants, to detoxify a polluted area is called bioremediation.  Microorganisms can be used in ecosystems to remove toxins from soils that are contaminated by accidental oil or fuel spills.  Some species of plants are being used to remove toxic substances such as zinc, lead, nickel, and organic chemicals. From damaged soils.

36. Biological Augmentation  Adding natural predators to a degraded ecosystem is called biological augmentation.  Ladybugs can be introduced into an ecosystem to control aphid populations.

37. Preservation; Global Seed Bank  A vault in Northern Norway stores the diversity of many species in a natural disaster proof storage facility. It now contains 43,000 seed varieties. It could hold up to 14.5 million.

38. Breeding programs  Captive Breeding programs by zoos and aquariums help species by increasing genetic diversity and rereleasing animals to the wild.

39. Protecting Biodiversity through Preserves  Many efforts are underway worldwide to slow the loss of biodiversity and to work toward sustainable use of natural resources.  Protected areas in the United States include national parks and nature reserves. First national park – 1872 – Yellowstone National Park.  National Forests set aside by Teddy Roosevelt.  Currently, about seven percent of the world’s land is set aside as some type of reserve.  The United Nations supports a system of Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage sites.

40. Locating and Protecting Biodiversity Hot Spots  Locations around the world that are characterized by exceptional levels of endemic species – species that are only found in that specific geographic area – and critical levels of habitat loss.  At least 1500 species of vascular plants are endemic.  The region must have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat.  Approximately ½ of all plant and animal species are found in hot spots.  These hot spots originally covered 15.7 percent of Earth’s surface, however, only about a tenth of that habitat remains.

41. Create Corridors between Habitat Fragments  Improve the survival of biodiversity by providing corridors, or passageways, between habitat fragments.  Advantage - creates a larger piece of land that can sustain a wider variety of species and a wider variety of genetic variation.  Disadvantage – Disease can easily pass from one area to the next and the edge effect increases.

42. Size, Shape and Connectedness When designing and managing protected areas we must consider how close to another area they should be, how large the area is, and the amount of edge habitat the area contains. Edge habitat- the area where two different communities come together, typically forming an abrupt transition. Ex. A grassy field meeting a forest.

43. Biosphere Reserves Protected areas consisting of zones that vary in the amount of permissible human impact.