Conservation Biology

1. Conservation Biology CONSERVATON BIOLOGYLecture02 – Spring 2014 Althoff - reference Chapters 2-5 DEFININGBIODIVERSITY PART I

2. Before defining Biodiversity, revisit what Conservation Biology is...THREE GUIDING PRINCIPLES Principle 1: Evolution is the basic axiom that unites all of biology (the _____________ play) Principle 2: The ecological world is dynamic and largely nonequilibrial (the _________ theater) Principle 3: Human presence must be included in conservation planning (________ are part of the play) Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts.

3. Principle 1: Evolutionary Change “Population geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky once said, ‘_________ in biology makes sense except in light of evolution.’” “Evolution is the only ____________________able to explain the patterns of biodiversity that we see in the world today” A Conservation Biology goal is to not stop genetic change, not to try and conserve status quo …but rather to ensure _______________ may continue to ___________ to environmental change in an adaptive manner Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p17.

4. Principle 2: Dynamic Ecology Classic paradigm in ecology for many years: equilibrium paradigm. The idea that ecological systems are in equilibrium with a definable stable point such as a climax community…..___________ a balance of nature concept. More recently, a paradigm shift… Contemporary dominant paradigm in ecology: ecological systems are ____ typically in dynamic equilibrium, at least ____ indefinitely, and have ____ long-term stable points….and…. Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p17.

5. Principle 2: Dynamic Ecology..con’t Regulation of ecological structure and function is often not internally generated (i.e, within the popn); rather ____________________ in the form of natural disturbances such as fires, floods, droughts, storms, earth movement, and outbreaks of diseases or parasites are frequently of overriding importance But, do not interpret this as communities are chaotic assemblages of species…they do have structure! Yet change at _____________ is universal. Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p18.

6. Principle 3: Human Presence Humans are ______ of natural and degraded ecosystems “Conservation efforts that attempt to wall off nature and safeguard it from humans will ultimately ______.” Even “protected” areas are influenced by the ________________ landscapes…typically used by humans. Consider “_____________ knowledge” Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p19.

7. Conservation Biology isthese subdisciplines: Endangered species mgmt. Reserve design Ecological economics Restoration ecology Ecosystem conservation • Environmental ethics • Environmental law • Environmental business • Conservation journalism • Conservation marketing Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p20.

8. Conservation Biology is not easy, but…. “The world’s biodiversity desperately needs bright, energetic, and imaginative people who will dedicated their work to making a difference. And they certainly can, _____ ______.” Groom, M.J., G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll. 2006. Principles of Conservation Biology. 3rd Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, Massachusetts. p25.

9. Definitions of Biodiversity Diversity of life Diversity of life in all its forms, and at all levels of organization 2a) Sum total of all living things—the immense richness and variation of the living world (Grooms et al. 2005)

10. All its forms…. All levels of organization…. Includes unicellular and multicellular (protista, bacteria, archaea, plants, invertebrates, ______________, fungi and any other “organism” • Diversity of genes as well as ecosystems which means we have 3 levels of biodiversity

11. 1 Biodiversity is at 3 levels(proposed originally by Whittaker 1960s) 2 ____________ -- traditional, everybody understands level _______________– most difficult for majority of people to grasp/visualize/understand ____________ – most obvious but perhaps also easiest to ignore…and to define their boundaries 3 What are the challenges here?

12. Includes unicellular and multicellular (protista, bacteria, archaea, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, fungi and any other “organism” Easiest to “sell” to the public because easiest to identify with…especially the “_______” species and the “__________” species. Thus, “_______________” listing is atthe species level AKA: herbivores (?) panda bear koala giraffe AKA: Carnivores/predators osprey bald eagle wolves bobcat grizzly bear

13. Genetic Biodiversity

14. Genetic Biodiversity Peppered moths England “industrial melanism”

15. Genetic Biodiversity Rat snake (Elapheobsoleta) metapopulations

16. Biodiversity….. • How can we study species management—single species management—and still call it biodiversity management? • Why must we manage at the species level?

17. Definitions of Biodiversity…con’t Diversity of life (Hunter, Jr., and Gibbs 2007) Diversity of life in all its forms, and at all levels of organization (Hunter, Jr., and Gibbs 2007) The richness, abundance, and variability of plant and animal species and communities, and ____________________ that link them with one another and with soil, air, and water The Wildlife Society (1993)

18. The richness, abundance, and variability of plant and animal species and communities, and ecological processes that link them with one another and with soil, air, and water The Wildlife Society (1993) __________ components and the linkage associated with “____________________”… This makes it more complex…right? What’s “new” here?

19. Diversity of Ecological Functions Can be viewed in 2 context: ____________ biodiversity ____________ biodiversity Know the difference !!!!

20. Diversity of Ecological Functions • Enormous • Each species interacts with another species • Each species interacts with its physical environment—including processes that exchange energy and elements between the living and nonliving world such as _________________________________ _________________________________ This is “_________” biodiversity = interactions

21. Diversity of Ecological Structure • ______ is there? • Usually determine through inventories • Usually “fairly” easy to determine, especially compared to describing and understanding functional biodiversity • If we keep the ‘structure’ then it seems ______ that we will keep the function This is “______________” biodiversity

22. In summary…for now • _______ structural and functional biodiversity are important. • “But….if genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity (aka the 3 levels of biodiversity) ARE ____________________ then the diversity of ecological and evolutionary processes will probably be maintained as well.” Malcolm Hunter, Jr. and James Gibbs Hunter, M.L., Jr. and J. Gibbs. 2007. Fundamentals of Conservation Biology. Blackwell Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

23. Noss’ 4 levels of biodiversity organization Genetic Population-species Community-Ecosystem __________________ …..all with __ attributes: composition, structure, and function Matches the Hunter, Jr. and Gibb’s classification Noss, R.F. 1990. Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: a hierarchical approach. Conservation Biology 4:355-364.

24. COMPOSITIONAL Landscape types STRUCTURAL Landscape pattern Communities, ecosystems Physiognomy, Habitat structure Noss, R.F. 1990. Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: a hierarchical approach. Conservation Biology 4:355-364. Species populations Population structure Genetic structure genes Genetic processes Demographic processes, life histories Interspecific interactions, ecosystem processes Landscape processes and disturbances, land-use trends FUNCTIONAL

25. Noss’ attributes(see handout) • _____________________—includes genetic composition of populations, identity and relative abundances of species in a natural community, and kinds of habitats and communities distributed across the landscape • _______________—includes sequence of pools and riffles in a stream, downed logs and snags in a forest, and the vertical layering and horizontal patchiness of vegetation • _______________—includes the climatic, geologic, hydrologic, ecological, and evolutionary processes that generate biodiversity and keep it forever changing.

26. How Many Species Are There? • Approximately _____ million living and 300,000 fossil species have been described and given scientific names • On average, about 300 new species are formally described and named every day. • _____________ of the total number of living species range from ___ million to as high as ____ million • Interesting, by phylum, relative to percentages described (see handout) • Domains (3): ___________________________ (see handout)

27. How Do We Evaluate & Compare Communities (brief overview? RELATIVE ABUNDANCE ______________________________ ______________________________ SPECIES DIVERSITY ________________ SPECIES DIVERSITY INDICES ______________________________ ______________________________ SPECIES-AREA RELATIONSHIP___________________________

28. Relative Abundance First data analyzed and pattern suggested by Raunkiaer (1934) Plots of data indicate that a few species have high abundance, most something less resulting in reversed “J” curve Few with high abundance denoted as _________________

30. Species Diversity a b _________________ needed over relative abundance measures for 2 reasons: a) total number of species varies with sample size…because more individuals sampled, probability of encountering ___________________ b) _____ all species should contribute _______ to “abundance” because ____________ roles in community vary relative to abundance

31. Species Diversity…con’t b _______________overcome “b” problem Diversity Indices (among several to study) a) Simpson’s index b) Shannon-Weaver index (Shannon-Weiner) Species are ____________ by relative abundance

32. Simpson’s Index 1 D = -------- S pi2 D = measure of diversity pi = proportion of each species i= each species

33. Simpson’s Index ______________ contribute less to the value of the diversity index than do common species _______________ mean greater diversity

34. Shannon-Weaver Index(Shannon-Wiener Index) H = - S piloge pi H = logarithmic measure of diversity pi = proportion of each species i = each species

35. Shannon-Weaver Index(Shannon-Weiner Index) Like Simpson’s index, it gives _____ _____ to rare species than common ones Like Simpson’s index, ______________ mean greater diversity

36. Proportion of sample represented by species A B C D E #1 Hypotheical Community 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.00 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.04 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.001 0.50 0.30 0.10 0.07 0.03 #2 #3 #4 #5

37. Hypothetical Communities #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 5 species, all found in equal abundance 4 species, all found in equal abundance 5 species, 4 in equal abundance…and 1 really rare 5 species, 4 in equal abundance… and 1 species has only 1 individual found/present 5 species, all with different relative abundance

38. Shannon-Weiner Index Simpson’s Index Proportion of sample represented by species H D A B C D E #1 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.00 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.04 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.001 0.50 0.30 0.10 0.07 0.03 Hypotheical Community #2 #3 #4 #5

39. Diversity Indices…. Only of value in ______________2 or more communities ….the number “by itself” (i.e., just measuring one community and calculating D or H or ???) has no meaning or indication Can be heavily influenced by sampling methodology (i.e, technique) and sample size Does _____ put much weight on the presence of a ______ (i.e., endangered/threatened species), therefore we might think a community with a relative low H or D might not be of much value

40. Species-Area Relationships As a rule, more species occur in ______ ______ than within ______________ Using formula and log-transformation, a straight-line relationship (aka __________ ______) emerges (next slide) for island data This “island” observation supported by likelihood of increased _____________ of the landscape with increased island size

41. Species-area curves _______ the island, the _______ the number of species

42. Another way to say this is... “For larger islands, larger populations probably ________________, being endowed with greater genetic diversity, broader distributions over area and habitat, and numbers large enough to prevent chance extinction.” Ricklefs 2008 Economy of Nature

43. Biodiversity “hot spots”

44. Biodiversity Up until 1986, the concept was essential limited to “species” diversity, and hence most just used the term “____________” In 1986, _______________ headed up a symposium on the topic and has largely been given credit for coining the term _________________…which now extends “beyond just species” (again, think 3 levels)

45. Number of species varies, on a regional basis, according to the suitability of…. Physical conditions Heterogeneity of habitats Isolation from centers of dispersal Primary productivity

46. Based on global surveys, the highest species diversity is found in the Tropics 500 500 Hotspots : eastern Pacific Ocean & Indo-West Pacific region Bivalves

47. Within North America, highest mammal diversity toward equator & highest habitat heterogeneity

48. more topographically heterogeneous habitat in West vs. East Mammals 3 1 1 3 ______________

49. more dispersal distance “possibilities” in in West vs. peninsula and Mammals 1 1 4 2 2 4 ________________

50. Number of species varies, on a regional basis, according to the suitability of…. ____________________-more diversity of conditions, more biodiversity _______________________—more types of habitats, more biodiversity ______________________________—less isolation, more biodiversity (think island biogeography) _____________________—more, then more biodiversity