Transcript Biodiversity - Miami University

Biodiversity
What is it?
Where is it?
Is it important?
Should we worry about losing it?
and Conservation
Biodiversity – What is it?
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Genetic
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Species
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Number of different versions of the same
genes within individual species
Number of different kinds of organisms
within communities or ecosystems
Landscape
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Number of different types of environments –
ecosystems, habitats, associations,
communities
So what’s a species?
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“all organisms of the same kind able to
breed in nature and produce live, fertile
offspring”
And how many are there?
Group
Identified
Bacteria and viruses
5,800
Protozoa and algae
100,000
Fungi
80,000
Invertebrates
1,500,000
Amphibians and reptiles
12,000
Fish
20,000
Birds
9,100
Mammals
4,200
Vascular plants
250,000
Nonvascular plants
150,000
Total
2,125,300
Estimated
10,000(?)
250,000
1,500,000
7-50 million
13,000
23,000
9,200
4,300
300,000
200,000
9-52 million
Where is most biodiversity?
Major trend
- as move from poles toward equator, species
diversity increases
- so tropical rainforests and coral reefs,
found in the tropics, are the most diverse
habitats in the world perhaps partially
because they are in the tropics
Why?
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Possible explanations
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High primary productivity
Year-round growth of plants
 High rainfall
 More solar energy
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High habitat diversity (lots of “structure”)
Few extremes in climate
Is Biodiversity Important?
Or . . .What did other species
ever do for us?
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Biological values
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Social and cultural values
Biological values
– ecosystem services
Atmospheric/climate
Composition of atmosphere
Moderation of local and regional
weather, esp. temp and rainfall
Hydrological
Water quality and quantity
Stream-bank stability
Control of severity of floods
Stability of coastal zones
Economic and social
Support of human cultures
Aesthetic value and ecotourism
Biological and chemical
Biotransformation, detoxification,
dispersal of wastes
Cycling of elements
Moderation of hydrological cycle
Control of parasites and diseases
Maintenance of genetic library
Habitat and food-chain support
Agricultural
Crop production, timber and
biomass energy production,
pollination
Stabilization of soils
Biological values – drugs and medicines
Product
Penicilllin
Bacitrain
Tetracycline
Digitalis
Quinine
Diosgenin
Cortisone
Cytarabine
Vinblastine
Reserpine
Bee venom
Allantoin
Morphine
Curare
Source
fungus
bacterium
bacterium
foxglove
Chincona bark
Mexican yam
Mexican yam
sponge
Rosy periwinkle
Rauwolfia
bee
blowfly larva
Oriental poppy
frog skin
Use
antibiotic
antibiotic
antibiotic
heart stimulant
malaria
birth control
inflammation
leukemia cure
cancer
hypertension
arthritis
wound healer
analgesic
anesthetic
Biological values – food
Many more edible foods
ex. Indonesia
– 250 edible fruits
– 43 widely cultivated
Source of desirable genetic
qualities – raw material
for plant breeding
- 1930-1980 - new
varieties helped:
- double yield of rice,
barley, soybeans, wheat,
cotton, sugarcane
- triple tomato yields
- quadruple maize,
sorghum, and potato
yields
Social/cultural values
Biophilia?
Aesthetics
Sense of place
Wallace Stegner 1962 – “Our migratoriness has hindered
us from becoming a people of communities and traditions
.. . It has robbed us of the gods who make places holy. It
has cut off individuals and families and communities from
memory and the continuum of time.”
Religion?
Social/cultural values - the obvious

– all resources come from the environment, and
so most jobs are ultimately connected to
biodiversity
Should we worry about losing
biodiversity?
Extinction of species is a natural
process, so why should we be
concerned?
Aldo Leopold
“The first rule of intelligent tinkering
is to save all the pieces.”
Things to consider:
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Value of species to ecosystem function
Monetary value of ecosystem services
Rights of species to exist
Rights of humans to exist
Main causes of biodiversity loss
Habitat destruction
Invasive species
Pollution
Population increase (human)
Overconsumption
Also and including: diseases,
genetic assimilation, pet and
garden trade, predator and pest
control, hunting and fishing,
wetland draining, coastal
development, erosional silt,
habitat fragmentation, those damn
dams!
Habitat destruction
Invasive species
Population increase
Pollution
Overconsumption
Just a few examples – habitat loss
Decrease in
wooded
area of
Cadiz
Township
in southern
Wisconsin
during
European
settlement
This is the (reversed E to W . . . Oops!) area of virgin forest in 1600 (right below)
and 1985 (left below). Notice that that means “old growth” – no cutting in the
last 400 years since Europeans have arrived. The point brought up in class about
forests in KY – those are not virgin, but second or third growth forests. However,
I don’t know why there is not more decrease in Canada.
Just a few examples - overconsumption
World catch of whales
- notice series of peaks as each species
was hunted until no longer
commercially profitable
- since moratorium on whale hunting
some have come back
Originally 2.5 mil
Now may be 1 mil minke whales –
twice original number
24,000 CA gray whales – twice
number of 20 years ago
3400 humpbacks in Hawaii – triple
number in mid-80s
Conservation – what’s being done?
Legislation
Hunting and fishing laws
Endangered Species Act
HCPs – habitat conservation plans
CITES
National, state, and local reserves and preserves
Zoos, botanical gardens, and captive breeding
Private organizations (NGOs)
Past and current status of ESA
1973 – ESA enacted
- 3 levels of protection – endangered, threatened, and vulnerable (of special
concern)
- important shift in thinking – not just game animals, but all species
- regulated wide range of activities – anything that harmed habitat
1992 – ESA officially expired – have been debating since then
- issues include:
rights of private property owner
economic losses to developers and individuals
effectiveness of ESA for protection of species and habitats
cost effectiveness of “cures”
“no surprises” in future
1996 - 2 species removed from ESA list – bald eagle and American alligator
National, state and local preserves
Difficult issues:
funding
service to variety of groups
enforcement
habitat fragmentation
(island biogeography)
Zoos, botanical gardens, captive breeding
Major switch in zoo priorities in last 50 years
- Karl Haugenbeck – realistic, “barless” cages
- improved living co dition for animals
- few wild-caught animals
- captive breeding programs – for rerelease and
production of zoo animals
Today:
education
conservation
entertainment
NGOs - Conservation organizations
Participate in all parts of the conservation movement:
- preservation
- activism
- education
- legal action
- lobbying for policy change
Vary in power, type of actions taken, reknown
And what about individuals?
- What can you (I) do?