1. 18
Biological Resources

2. Overview of Chapter 18 Biological Diversity
Extinction and Species Endangerment
Endangered and Threatened Species
What causes species endangerment
Conservation Biology
Conservation Policies and Laws
Wildlife Management

3. Biological Diversity Biological Diversity
Number, variety and variability of Earth’s organisms
Consists of three components:
Genetic diversity (below)
Species richness
Ecosystem diversity

4. Why We Need Organisms Example contributions to human life:
Food
Clothing
Shelter
Pollination of crops
Antibiotics and medicines
Biological processes (nitrogen fixation)
Biological Diversity represents an untapped resource for future uses

5. Ecosystem Services and Species Richness
All organisms are interrelated
Ecosystem services
Important environmental benefits that ecosystems provide to people
Removal of a species from a community can decrease ecosystem services

6. Scientific Importance of Genetic Diversity
Genetic Engineering
Incorporation of genes from one organism into a different species
Provided:
New vaccines
More productive farm animals
Agricultural plants with desirable characteristics
Depends on genetic diversity (cannot create genes)
Important to protect this diversity

7. Medical Importance of Organisms
Genetic Resources are important to pharmaceutical industry
Examples
Rosy Periwinkle – Cancer drug (right)
Aquatic sponge – AIDS drug

8. Importance of Organisms
Agricultural Importance
Numerous species that are nutritionally superior to the food we eat
Industrial Importance
Industry depends on products from organisms
Oils and lubricants
Paper and lumber
Ethical and Aesthetic Importance

9. Extinction Elimination of species from earth Background extinction
Irreversible
Eventual fate of all species
Background extinction
Continuous, low level extinction of species
Mass extinction
Numerous species disappear in a relatively short period of geologic history
5-6 in history, most scientists….

10. Endangered & Extinct Species

11. Endangered & Extinct Species

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

13. Characteristic of Endangered Species
Extremely small (localized) range
Requiring a large territory
Living on an island
Having a low reproductive success
Small population size
Low reproductive rates
Requiring specialized breeding areas
Having specialized feeding habitats

14. California Condor Scavenger bird Requires large, undisturbed territory
only 22 birds
1987– no longer found in nature
reintroduced to nature from zoos
Currently – as of October 2014, there are 439 condors in nature, about 237 in the southwest.

15. Where is Declining Biological Diversity the Greatest Problem?
Concern throughout the US
US - Most serious in:
Hawaii (63% of species at risk)
California (29% of species at risk)
Globally- Most serious in tropical rain forests
South and Central America
Central Africa
SE Asia

16. Causes of Declining Biodiversity

17. Human Cause - Land Use Change
Destruction
Fragmentation
Degradation
Little habitat remains in an its original form for endangered species (right)

18. 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.

19. Human Cause - Overexploitation
Left: Illegal Trade in Products Made From Endangered Species
Right: Illegal Animal Trade- Green Parrots from the Amazon Rainforest

20. Human Cause - Pollution
Examples: Acid rain, ozone depletion, climate warming, excessive fertilizer, industrial wastes

21. Case-In-Point Disappearing Frogs
Amphibians are indicator species
168 Amphibian species have gone extinct in last 2 decades
No single cause has been identified
Deformities have also been identified (right)

22. Restoring Damaged Habitats
Left: (1935) Early stages of prairie restoration
Right: (current day) restored prairie

23. Zoos, Aquaria and Botanical Garden
Save organisms from extinction
Artificial insemination
Embryo transfer
Surrogate mothers
Goal is to reintroduce organisms back to their natural habitat

24. 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
Svalbard Global Seed Vault (right)

25. Conservation Policies and Laws- ESA
Endangered Species Act (ESA) 1973
Authorized protection of endangered and threatened species
Makes it illegal to sell or buy any product made from an endangered species
Currently 1430 species are listed in US
Species are designated as endangered or threatened based on biological grounds

26. Conservation Policies and Laws- ESA
Endangered Species Act (continued)
Controversial Legislation
No compensation for private property owners who suffer financial loss
Was not reauthorized in as scheduled
Private property rights vs. conservation

27. Conservation Policies and Laws
Habitat Conservation Plans
1982 Amendment to ESA
Resolved conflicts between development interests and species protection
International Conservation:
World Conservation Strategy (1980)
Convention on Biological Diversity
Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) (1975)

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

29. Living Sustainably Environmental Sustainability
Ability to meet humanity’s current needs without compromising the needs to future generations
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

30. Living Sustainably Consumption
Human use of materials and energy
World does not have enough resources to sustain everyone at level enjoyed by US
Countries like China are rapidly catching up (right)
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

32. Economics Law of Supply:
When the price of a good rises, the quantity supplied of that good will rise and when the price of a good falls, the quantity of the good supplied will also fall.
Law of Demand:
When the price of a good rises, the quantity demanded falls and when the price falls, demand rises.
Law of Supply and Demand:
Economists study this intersection between the two.

33. Microlending
The practice of loaning small amounts of money to people who intend to start a small business in less developed countries.

34. Environmental Worldviews
Anthropocentric- human-centered, considers that human beings have intrinsic value and nature should provide for our needs.
Biocentric- life-centered, says humans are just one of many species on Earth, all of which have equal value.
Ecocentric- Earth-centered, places equal value on all living organisms and the ecosystems in which they live, and it demands that we consider nature free of any associations with our own existence.

35. World Agencies United Nations (UN)
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
The World Bank
The World Health Organization (WHO)
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

36. United States Agencies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
The Department of Energy (DOE)

37. Five Recommendations For Sustainable Living
1. Eliminating poverty and stabilizing the human population
2. Protecting and restoring Earth’s resources
3. Providing adequate food for all people
4. Mitigating climate change
5. Designing sustainable cities
From Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, Published in 2006 by Lester R. Brown
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

38. Recommendation 1 - Eliminating Poverty and Stabilizing Human Population
Improving quality of life in lower-income countries will require increasing economic growth
Must address issues of: health, nutrition and education
Role of women requires attention (right)
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

39. Recommendation 1 - Eliminating Poverty and Stabilizing Human Population
Need more trained professionals in developing countries
Debts to poorest countries should be forgiven
Population
Must devote necessary resources to family planning
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

40. Recommendation 2 - Protecting and Restoring Earth’s Resources
The world’s forests
Lost for two reasons
Converted to cash
Pressure from rapid population growth and widespread poverty
Need to protect forests
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

41. Recommendation 2 - Protecting and Restoring Earth’s Resources
Loss of biodiversity
Need to protect
biodiversity
Food, medicine, clothing
Ecosystem services
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

42. Recommendation 2 - Protecting and Restoring Earth’s Resources
Economic development cannot ignore functions of biological and physical systems
Depends on attitudes and practices based on scientific information
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

43. Recommendation 3 - Providing Adequate Food For All People
Link between poverty and food insecurity
Agriculture must be improved to achieve more global sustainability
Manage farmlands and grazing lands efficiently (precision farming and IPM)
Reduce loss of soil fertility, erosion, aquifer depletion, etc
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

44. Recommendation 4 - Mitigating Climate Change
Human activities are causing the increase in global temperature
Must address climate change in aggressive coordinated fashion
Cannot wait until scientific knowledge is complete- earth is too complex
Stabilizing climate requires a comprehensive energy plan
Phase out of fossil fuels in both developed AND developing countries
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

45. Recommendation 4 - Mitigating Climate Change
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

46. Recommendation 5 - Designing Sustainable Cities
Almost 50% of world’s population now lives in cities
Need to design sustainable cities
Urban transportation systems
Parks and open spaces
Innovative approaches to handle water scarcity and sewage treatment
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

47. Case-In-Point Jakarta, Indonesia
Megacity in a developing country
Badly polluted air
95% of human waste dumped into rivers
2009 Green Hope
Education program
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

48. Changing Personal Attitudes and Practices
Role of Education
Accurate information must be made widely available
People’s concerns
for the environment
do not translate into
action
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

49. What Kind of World Do We Want?
Those who live in developed countries are the source of most of the problems facing the global environment
Assumption made that environment will take care of itself
This view needs to be changed radically
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.