Human Impacts on Resources and Ecosystems: I

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Human Impacts on Resources and Ecosystems I

• Chapter 12
• Biodiversity

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Series Outline

• Human impacts
• Resources
• Wildlife management, deforestation
• Biodiversity/ecosystem services
• Cane Toad movie ???

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Lecture Outline

• What is biodiversity anyway??
• Variation in biodiversity
• Taxanomic
• Spatial
• General patterns
• Islands
• Benefits
• Causes of biodiversity loss
• Conservation biology/legislation

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What is biodiversity anyway??

• Definitions
• (text) A measure of the variety of kinds of
  organisms present in an ecosystem
• (E. O. Wilson) the variety of organisms
  considered at all levels (genetic to higher
  taxanomic levels), includes ecosystem variety
• The variety of life in all its forms, levels, and
  combinations.

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What is biodiversity anyway??

• Species diversity
• Species richness of species
• Species abundance of individuals
• Eveness
• Skew
• Diversity indices
• Genetic diversity
• The differences in DNA composition among
  individuals within a given species
• Ecosystem diversity
• Number and variety of ecosystems in a specified
  area

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Variation in biodiversity (Taxanomic)

• Global biodiversity
• 1.75 million identified
• 3 100 million estimated (14 million most
  probable)
• Aboreal insects
• Taxanomic
• 260,000 plants
• 50,000 vertebrates
• one million insects
• An inordinate fondness for beetles (40)

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Variation in biodiversity (spatial)

• General patterns
• Latitude
• Productivity
• Islands
• Hot bed of endemic animals
• Disproportionate amount of global biodiversity
• Where species go to die

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Benefits of biodiversity

• Ecosystem services (see page 57!!!!)
• Food security
• Medicines
• Economic benefits (ie. Ecotourism)
• Biophilia
• Ethics

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Loss of biodiversity

• Extinction
• the elimination of all the individuals of a
  particular kind
• Passenger Pigeon, Great Auk, megafauna
• Extirpation (local extinction)
• Historical patterns
• Current trends
• Species at risk
• r- v. K- selected organisms

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Causes of loss of biodiversity or..

• The four blind horsemen of the environmental
  apocalypse (HIPPO)
• Habitat alteration
• Habitat loss
• Habitat fragmentation
• Invasive species
• Pollution
• Population growth
• Overexploitation

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Outline

• Conservation Biology
• Island Biogeography
• Protected Areas
• Laws and Treaties
• Deforestation

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Conservation biology

• An interdisciplinary field
• Definition
• A scientific discipline devoted to understanding
  the factors, forces, and processes that influence
  the loss, protection, and restoration of
  biological diversity within and among ecosystems.

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Island Biogeography

• R. MacArthur and E. O. Wilson
• Area and distance effects
• Extinction and immigration
• As an island gets smaller, there is more
  extinction, and..
• the farther from a continent, the less
  immigration
• fewer species on small, isolated islands
• Conservation implications
• Parks as islands? small populations dont make
  it!!
• Song of the Dodo David Quammen

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Protected areas

• Natural areas, park, wilderness, etc.
• Varying levels of protection
• Biodiversity hotspots
• Endemic species
• Umbrella species
• K-selected,
• Flagship species
• WWF and the Giant Panda - charismatic megafauna

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The Law and treaties

• Species at Risk Act (SARA) - 2003
• COSEWIC (Committee on the Endangered Status of
  Wildlife in Canada)
• 17 extirpated
• 105 endangered
• 68 threatened species
• 43 species of special concern
• Cod?
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered
  Species of Wild Fauna and Flora