BIOLOGY 1C

INTRODUCTION TO CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

What is Conservation Biology?

Conservation, preservation and Management. Has changed from an idealistic philosophy to a serious technology. There is undoubtedly no community of organisms on earth not disturbed by humans. Our advances that have led to destruction are being called to treat them. Using herbicides to keill invading plants to protect native or endemic ones.

  • Started w/birds
  • Michael Soule books in the 1980s
  • Differs from env. science(= application of sci. principles to understanding and solving human perturbations to nature)
  • Field where scientific insights are directed at conservation and management problems. Seem basic, it isn't! wide gap between fundamental science and conservation biology is wide.

•Science directed at protecting and sustaining species

•Applied Biology (medicine and Ag as applied to meet human needs, Cons. Bio to protect species.)

•Strategic approach - research directed at protection

Why Conservation Biology?

  • •Earth is changing rapidly: we can see that now
  • human caused/natural caused disturbance
  • Human and natural phenomena: differences etc. Intr. Species and Habitat destruction.
  • •Loss of Biodiversity
  • •Effects on humans and Earth
  • Ecosystem breakdown
  • Monocultures
  • Diseases
  • •Evolution: can living things keep up with the pace we are setting?

History of Conservation Biology:

  • 1872 2 mill acres in Wyoming and Montana as Yellowstone
  • 1891- first federal forest reserves
  • 1900 Lacey act-made it illegal to transport animals or parts accross state boarders w/o a permit: begining of regulation of hunting
  • 1911-first int'l conservation related legislation: Fur seal treaty
  • 1930s-60s series of federal acts to protect nations wildlife, wildlands and natr'l resources: clean water act in 1972, Nat'l forest management act 1976

1980s Soule provied a catalyst to coalesce the field.

Ways of approaching Conservation Biology

  • Population approach – looking at declines in populations and why

Species Approach

  • Ecosystem Approach
  • Conservation Genetics (emerging field) EXAMPLES: pop dispersal,
  • bottlenecks. **genetic diversity becomes less of a focus in crisis management. Individuals become more important (eg. Zoo breeding programs)

Early detection is key–preserve habitat

Fields in Conservation Biology

  • Species richness: Biodiversity
  • Patterns of change: evolution and extinctions
  • Population biology (minimum pops?, isolation, maintenance and monitoring: long term studies? What factors determine population sizes?
  • Preservation and management

Conservation Biology and Management: science and socio-economics

  • identifying problems and scope of management needs
  • resources ($)
  • regulations
  • protected areas
  • sustainable use

Ed Ricketts park

Threats to biodiversity
  • Habitat destruction
  • Over exploitation
  • Introduced species competition
  • Human use of animal and plant species
  • Human population increase

*biodiversity hotspots: high levels of endemism

Endangered vrs. threatened species

Habitat fragmentation
  • Meta populations vrs. subpopulations (subdivided populations of a single species)
  • Species level
  • Leads to population separations which impedes gene flow
  • Importance of corridors in management

Is gene flow possible??

Metapopulations: reproductive success (birth rates) vary by habitat w/in subpopulations

Source habitat b>d

Sink habitat d>b

Conservation biologists need to determine the best places to protect and designing nature reserves.

Population Viability Analysis

Chances of a population or species persisting or becoming extinct

Take into accout things such as:

Habitat disturbances

Genetic variability

Life history characteristics

Sex ration

Fertility

Birth rate/death rate

Etc.

  • Minimum viable population size
  • Minimum habitat needed
  • Effective population size – sex ratios of breeding individuals

Species approach

Ecosystem approach

Ecosystem level:

Landscape ecology: land use patterns

Many species use more than one type of ecosystem and/or boarders

Ecosystem edges. Edge adapted species can both create (speciation) and inhibit diversity (competition)

Management
  • Restoration/mitigation–restoration ecology
  • Bioremediation-use living organisms to detoxify
  • Augmentation of ecosystem processes-what factors have been removed (biogeochemical cycles), and what are the limiting factors – restore those.

How do we do it?

  • Collaborative research
  • Understand interconnectivity
  • Sustainable development

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