3/27What group of organisms makes up the largest group on earth?
Today:Start conservation biology / biodiversity
An AP Environmental Medley
CH 11Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
Some groups contain more species than othersSpecies are not evenly
distributed among taxonomic groups
Insects predominate over all other life-forms40% of all insects are beetlesGod must have had “an inordinate fondness for beetles”
Brit biologist JB Haldaine
Groups accumulate species by:
Adaptive radiationAllopatric speciationLow rates of extinction
Measuring biodiversity is not easy
Out of the estimated 3 - 100 million species on Earth, only 1.7 - 2 million species have been successfully catalogued
Very difficult to identify speciesMany remote spots on Earth remain unexploredSmall organisms are easily overlookedMany species look identical until thoroughly examined
Entomologist Terry Erwin found 163 beetle species specialized on one tree species
Insects outnumber all other species
Biodiversity is unevenly distributed
Living things are distributed unevenly across Earth
Latitudinal gradient = species richness increases towards the equator
Canada has 30 - 100 species of breeding birds, while Costa Rica has more than 600 species
Latitudinal gradient has many causes
Climate stability, high plant productivity, and no glaciation
Tropical biomes support more species and show more species evenness
Diverse habitats increase species diversity
Human disturbance can increase habitat diversityBut only at the local level
Latitudinal gradient has many causes
3/28 aTBWhat is extirpation?
Today:Continue with extinctionTurn in your labs
Biodiversity losses and species extinction
Extinction = occurs when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist
Extirpation = the disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globallyCan lead to extinction
Extinction is a natural process
What % of species all ever to live are extinct?
Paleontologists estimate 99%Background rate of extinction =
natural extinctions for a variety of reasons
1 extinction per 1 to 10 million species for mammals and marine species1 species out of 1,000 mammal and marine species would go extinct every 1,000 to 10,000 years
Earth has experienced five mass extinctions
In the past 440 million years, mass extinctions have eliminated at least 50% of all species
After every mass extinction the biodiversity returned to or exceeded its original state
Asteroid?End of dinosaurs
3/29 ATBWhat is the background rate of extinction?
Today:Discuss biodiversity lossFinish the mini-chapterMini-chapter quiz -- Monday
Current extinction rates are higher than normal
The Red List = an updated list of species facing high risks of extinctions
23% of mammal species 12% of bird species31 - 86% of all other species
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Since 1970, 58 fish species, 9 bird species, and 1 mammal species has gone extinct
In the U.S., in the last 500 years, 236 animal and 17 plant species are confirmed extinctActual numbers are undoubtedly higher
Species Listings
Episode: Frogs: The Thin Green
LineNature
It is the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs. Population by population, species by species, amphibians are vanishing off the face of the Earth. Scientists are taking desperate measures to try to save those frogs they can, even bathing frogs in Clorox solutions and keeping them in Tupperware boxes under carefully controlled conditions to prevent the spread of a deadly fungus.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1117923308/
People have hunted species to extinction for millennia
Extinctions followed human arrival on islands and continents
Biodiversity loss has many causesReasons for biodiversity losses are multifaceted,
complex, and hard to determineFactors may interact synergistically
Synergy is two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.
Four primary causes of population decline are (+ an extra one):
Habitat alterationFarming, urbanization, damsSome species thrive – rats, pigeons others extirpated
Invasive speciesIsland species particularly vulnerable
PollutionAir, water, land, etc (not as bad as habitat alt though)
OverharvestingEspecially affects K-selected species
Global climate change now is the fifth cause
Biodiversity loss has a variety of causes
Biodiversity provides free ecosystem services
What are some examples of ecosystem services?Provides food, shelter, fuelPurifies air and water, and detoxifies wastesStabilizes climate, moderates floods, droughts, wind, temperatureGenerates and renews soil fertility and cycles nutrientsPollinates plants and controls pests and diseaseMaintains genetic resourcesProvides cultural and aesthetic benefitsMedicinesAllows us to adapt to change
The annual value of just 17 ecosystem services = $16 - 54 trillion per year
3/30 ATBWhat is NDD (nature deficit disorder). Have you ever felt affected by this? Should we develop medication for treatment???
Today:Discuss island biogeographyBook assignment Monday – bring you book if neededQuest -- Tuesday
People value and seek out natureBiophilia =
connections that humans subconsciously seek with lifeOur affinity for parks and wildlifeKeeping of petsHigh value of real estate with views of natural lands
Nature deficit disorder = alienation from the natural environmentMay be behind the emotional and physical problems of the young
Weighing the Issues – p314Biophila and Nature-Deficit Disorder
What do you think of the concepts of biophilia and “nature-deficit disorder”? Have you ever felt a connection to other living things that you couldn’t explain in scientific or economic terms? Do you think that an affinity for other living things makes is innately human?
Pets?Camping?Laying on ground and looking up?
Do we have ethical obligations to other species?
Humans are part of nature and need resources to survive
But, we also have conscious reasoning ability and can control our actions
Our ethics have developed from our intelligence and our ability to make choices
Many people feel that other organisms have intrinsic value and an inherent right to exist
Conservation biology responds to biodiversity loss
Conservation biology = devoted to understanding the factors that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversityArose as scientists became alarmed at the degradation of natural systemsAn applied and goal-oriented science
4/2 ATBWhat is the minimum viable population?
Today:Finish the chapterBring your book tomorrow (book assignment)52 point quiz or test -- Wednesday
Conservation scientists work at multiple levelsConservation biologists integrate evolution
and extinction with ecology and environmental systems
Design, test, and implement ways to mitigate human impacts
Conservation geneticists = study genetic attributes of organisms to infer the status of their population
Minimum viable population = how small a population can become before it runs into problems
Metapopulations = a network of subpopulations
Small populations are most vulnerable to extinction and need special attention
Island biogeography
Equilibrium theory of island biogeography = explains how species come to be distributed among oceanic islandsAlso applies to “habitat islands” – patches of one habitat type isolated within a “sea” of others
Ex high elevations, habitat scatter around development
Explains how the number of species on an island results from an equilibrium between immigration and extirpationPredicts an island’s species richness based on the island’s size and distance from the mainland
Island biogeography Affects
Biodiversity -- distance from mainland if both islands are same size.
Biodiversity -- Island size.
Extirpation / Extinction rates – large vs. small?
Species richness results from island size and distance
• Fewer species colonize an island far from the mainland• Large islands have higher immigration rates• Large islands have lower extinction rates
The species-area curve
Large islands contain more species than small islandsThey are easier to find and have lower extinction ratesThey possess more habitats
Should conservation focus on endangered species?
Endangered Species Act (1973) (ESA) = forbids the government and private citizens from taking actions that destroy endangered species or their habitatsTo prevent extinctionStabilize declining populationsEnable populations to recover
As of 2007, the U.S. had 1,312 species listed as endangered or threatened
The ESA is controversialMany Americans support protection of endangered
species
Opponents feel that the ESA values endangered organisms more than the livelihood of people
Private land use will be restricted if an endangered species is present“Shoot, shovel, and shut up” = landowners conceal the presence of endangered species on their land
But, the ESA has stopped few development projects
Habitat conservation plans and safe harbor agreements = landowners can harm species if they improve habitat for the species in other places
Biodiversity hotspotsBiodiversity hotspots –
prioritizes regions most important globally for biodiversitySupport a great number of endemic species
=species found nowhere else in the world
The area must have at least 1,500 endemic plant species (0.5% of the world total)It must have lost 70% of its habitat due to human impacthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqUdcW_uNMo
Golden Lion TamarinOne of the world’s most endangered primates (Brazil)
There are 34 global biodiversity hotspots
2.3% of the planet’s land surface contains 50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species
4/3 ATBWhat are biodiversity hotspots?
Today:Book assignment
End of Chapter Book Questions:Pg324#1,2,4,5,7,10
Tomorrow: Quiz
The End
4/4Quiz
Turn in your assignment
Yesterday:
Me to Sodl: So I want to take the canoe trip.
Sodl: No.
Me: Let me explain.
Sodl: Ok.
Me: Explain explain explain
Sodl: You can go as long as they have not reached their limit of educational trips.
Me: Ok, sweet.
Skipping CH 12Resource Management, Forestry, Land Use and Protected Areas
CH 13Urbanization and Creating Livable Cities
Urban sprawl
CH 14Environmental Health and Toxicology
Ch 15Freshwater Resources
P 411
Treating wastewater
Wastewater = water that has been used by people in some waySewage, showers, sinks, manufacturing, storm water runoff
Septic systems = the most popular method of wastewater disposal in rural areasUnderground septic tanks separate solids and oils from wastewaterThe water drains into a drain field, where microbes decompose the waterSolid waste needs to be periodically pumped and landfilled
Municipal sewer systemsIn populated areas, sewer systems carry wastewater
Physical, chemical, and biological water treatment
Primary treatment = the physical removal of contaminants in settling tanks (clarifiers)
Secondary treatment = water is stirred and aerated so aerobic bacteria degrade organic pollutantsWater treated with chlorine is piped into rivers or the oceanSome reclaimed water is used for irrigation, lawns, or industry
A typical wastewater treatment facility
Artificial wetlandsNatural and artificial wetlands can cleanse wastewater
After primary treatment at a conventional facility, water is pumped into the wetlandMicrobes decompose the remaining pollutantsCleansed water is released into waterways or percolated underground
Constructed wetlands serve as havens for wildlife and areas for human recreation
More than 500 artificially constructed or restored wetlands exist in the U.S.
Next Chapter…?Ch 16 - Marine and Coastal Systems: Resources, Impacts and Conservation (p442)
Ch 17 – Atmospheric Science and Air Pollution (p472)
Ch 13Urbanization and Creating Livable Cities
p357