1. SUSTAINING WILD SPECIES
Chapter 22

2. Factors affecting Biodiversity
Increasing biodiversity:
Physically diverse habitat
Moderate environmental disturbance
Small variations in environmental conditions
Middle stages of succession
evolution
Decreasing biodiversity:
Environmental stress
Large environmental disturbance
Extreme environmental conditions
Severe limitations of resources
Introduction of exotics
Geographic isolation

3. How have human activities affected global biodiversity?
Taken over or degraded 40-50% of earth’s surface
Waste or destroy 27% of total net primary productivity
Losing our wetlands
Deforestation
Coral reefs
Threatening many organisms with premature extinction

4. According to E.O. Wilson “The natural world in 2001 is everywhere disappearing before our eyes – cut into pieces, mowed down, plowed under, gobbled up, replaced by human artifacts.”

5. Goals for reducing loss of biodiversity:
To prevent premature extinction of species
To preserve and restore ecosystems and aquatic systems that provide habitats and resources for species.

6. TYPES OF EXTINCTION
LOCAL - NOT FOUND IN AN AREA IT ONCE INHABITED BUT STILL FOUND IN THE WORLD.
ECOLOGICAL - SO FEW LEFT THAT IS CAN NO LONGER PLAY ITS ECOLOGICAL ROLE
BIOLOGICAL - GONE FROM THE EARTH

7. Endangered
Has so few individual survivors that the species could become extinct over all or most of its natural range.

9. THREATENED OR VULNERABLE
STILL ABUNDANT IN ITS NATURAL RANGE BUT IS DECLINING IN NUMBERS AND IS LIKELY TO BECOME ENDANGERED

10. RARE
NATURALLY SMALL NUMBERS WITH LIMITED GEOGRAPHIC RANGE OR LOW POPULATION DENSITIES
HAVE BEEN LOCALLY DEPLETED

12. HOW DO BIOLOGISTS EXTIMATE EXTINCTION RATES?

13. Evolutionary biologists estimate that 99
Evolutionary biologists estimate that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct due to:
Mass extinctions
Background extinctions
These take place over thousands to several million years
Extinction spasms – large numbers of species are lost over a period of a few centuries of at most 1000 years.

14. SPECIES -AREA RELATIONSHIP
Scientists observe:
# SPECIES INCREASES WITH AREA -
ASSUME THAT AN AVERAGE OF 90% LOSS OF HABITAT CAUSES THE EXTINCTION OF ABOUT 50% OF THE SPECIES LIVING IN THAT HABITAT
BUT DESTRUCTION OF 10% OF THE HABITAT CAN WIPE OUT ALL OF THE REMAINING SPECIES IF THEY CANNOT MOVE!

15. Do a RISK ASSESSMENT
Use mathematic and statistical methods to predict the probability that a population will persist for a certain number of generation
Look at: current and projected habitat conditions and resources
Genetic viability
Interactions with other species

16. SCIENTISTS ALSO USE MODELS
TO STUDY TRENDS
TO DETERMINE HABITAT AVAILABILITY
TO ANALYZE CHANGES IN GENETIC VARIABILITY
THEORY OFISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY

17. MINIMUM DYNAMIC AREA HOW MUCH HABITAT IS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN MVP STUDY:
HOME RANGE SIZE
COLONIES OF ENDANGERED SPECIES
AVAILABILITY OF NEARBY INDIVIDUALS FOR REBUILDING DEPLETED POPULATIONS
SQUARE MILES NEEDED TO MAINTAIN POPULATIONS

18. CHARACTERISTICS OF SPECIES THAT ARE PRONE TO EXTINCTION:

21. WHY DO BIOLOGISTS BELIEVE THERE IS A CRISIS?
EXTINCTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE OVER A FEW DECADES NOT THOUSANDS OR MILLIONS OR YEARS
MAN IS ELIMINATING BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS

22. WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT LOSING BIODIVERSITY?

23. INSTRUMENTAL VALUE UTILITARIAN OR USEFULNESS TO US:
ECONOMIC - FOOD, FUEL, FIBER, LUMBER, PAPER, MEDICINE, ETC.
FOOD CROPS COME FROM WILD SPECIES
MEDICINES

25. ECOLOGICAL SERVICES PHOTOSYNTHESIS POLLINATION OF CROPS & PLANTS
NUTRIENT RECYCLING
PEST CONTROL
SOIL MAINTENANCE
MODERATION OF WEATHER
FLOOD CONTROL
WATER PURICFICATION, ETC

26. INFORMATION
GENETIC INFORMATION FOR ADAPTATION, GENETIC ENGINEERING, ETC.

27. RECREATION BIRDWATCHING, NATURE WALKS ECOTOURISM
SHOULD NOT CAUSE ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE
SHOULD PROVIDE LOCAL INCOMES
SHOULD PROVIDE FUNDS FOR PRESERVES

28. NONUTILITARIAN ( NONUSE) VALUES
EXISTENCE - JUST KNOWING THEY ARE THERE (REDWOODS)
AESTHETIC - BEAUTY
BEQUEST - WILLINGNESS TO PAY TO PROTECT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO DESTROY LIFE

29. CAUSES OF DEPLETION AND EXTINCTIONS
POPULATION GROWTH
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS FAIL TO VALUE ENVIRONMENT
GREATER PER CAPITA RESOURSE USE AS AFFLUENCE INCREASES
MORE USE OF EARTH’S NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY
POVERTY

30. GREATEST THREAT TO WILD SPECIES:
HABITAT LOSS, DEGREDATION, AND FRAGMENTATION
ENDEMIC SPECIES - FOUND NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
HABITAT ISLANDS

31. OTHER THREATS: NONNATIVE SPECIES - COME IN ON AIRCRAFTS
Brown tree snake
BILGE WATER IN TANKERS
Zebra messels
HITCHHIKERS ON IMPORTED PRODUCTS
Asianlong horned beetles
SEE P. 576 IN TEXT

32. What can be done? Identify characteristics of successful invaders
Do better inspections
Identify invader species and pass laws
Require ships to discharge ballast waters in the ocean not in port

33. Commercial Hunting and Poaching
ILLEGAL TRADE - gorillas, chimpanzees, macaws, rhinoceros horn
BUSH MEAT - protein
As scarcity increases, demand increases

34. Predator and pest control
ELIMINATE THOSE WE FEAR OR THAT ANNOY US
WOLVES, ELEPHANTS, COYOTES

35. EXOTIC PETS & DECORATIVE PLANTS
ILLEGAL TRADE IN WILD SPECIES FOR PETS - BIRDS, TROPICAL FISH,
PLANTS - ORCHIDS, CACTI

36. CLIMATE CHANGE LONG TERM GIVES TIME TO ADAPT
RAPID CHANGE - DO NOT HAVE TIME TO ADAPT OR MIGRAGE

37. ROLE OF LOSS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY
LIMITS ABILITY TO SURVIVE
HOW LOST:
FOUNDER EFFECT - SUCH A SMALL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THEY CANNOT SUSTAIN THE POPULATION
INBREEDING
DEMOGRAPHIC BOTTLENECK - TOO FEW INDIVIDUALS TO PERPETUATE POPULATION
GENETIC DRIFT - UNEQUAL REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS -SOME INDIVIDUALS BREED AND DOMINATE THE GENE POOL

38. PROTECTING WILD SPECIES
BIOINFORMATICS - BUILD DATA BASES AND COMMUNICATE INFORMATION

39. INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
CITES - CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES
152 COUNTRIES
800 SPECIES CANNOTE BE COMMERCIALLY TRADED LIVE OR AS PRODUCTS
29,000 SPECIES MONITORED AND REGULATED BECAUSE THEY ARE THREATENED
LIMITED ENFORCMENT
SMALL FINES
MUCH GOES ON IN COUNTRIES WHO DID NOT SIGN

40. CONVENTION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD)
172 COUNTRIES - NOT U.S
HELP PROTECT GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY
VERY COMPREHENSIVE TREATY

41. NATIONAL LAWS
LACEY ACT PROHIBITS TRANSPORTING LIVE OR DEAD WILDLIFE PRODUCTS ACROSS STATE BORDERS WITHOUT A FEDERAL PERMIT
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) - CANNOT IMPORT OR TRADE IN ANY PRODUCT FROM ENDANGERED OR THREATENED SPECIES EXCEPT FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES
MUST BE ON THE LIST
MUST HAVE A PLAN FOR RECOVERY

42. BIODIVERSITY HOT SPOTS

43. WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE? WILDLIFE REFUGES - MOST ARE WETLANDS
ENCOURAGE PRIVATE LANDOWNERS
HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS
SAFE HARBOR AGREEMENTS - RESTORE HABITATS
CANDIDATE CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS -
WILDLIFE REFUGES - MOST ARE WETLANDS
GENE BANKS, BOTANICAL GARDENS AND FARMS
SEED BANKS
KEW GARDENS

44. IMPORTANCE OF ZOOS USE TWO TECHNIQUES:
EGG PULLING - COLLECT EGGS AND HATCH IN ZOOS
CAPTIVE BREEDING - REINTRODUCE INTO THE WILD
ARTIFICIAL INSIMINATION
EMBRYO TRANSFER
INCUBATORS
CROSS FOSTERING WITH SIMILAR SPECIES
USE DATABASES TO MATCH INDIVIDUALS FOR MATING

45. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
MANIPULATING WILDLIFE POPULATIONS ( ESPECIALLY GAME ANIMALS) AND THEIR HABITATS FOR THEIR WELFARE AND HUMAN BENEFITS
HUNTING REGULATIONS
HARVEST QUOTAS
POPULATION MANAGEMENT PLANS
IMPROVING HABITATS
USING INTERNATIONAL TREATIES TO PROTECT MIGRATING GAME SPECIES