Conservation Flashcards
Define biological conservation
“Maintain the diversity of living organisms, their habitats and the inter-relationships between organisms and their environment”.
What does the state of the worlds plants report warn?
The report warns that 21% of plants are at risk of extinction, with threats including climate change, habitat loss, disease and invasive species.
What is CITES?
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
International agreement between governments.
To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
5,600 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade
How biodiversity is responding to these changes?
1) Extinction
2) Phenological changes (Behavioural changes)
3) Migration
4) Acclimation of physiology
5) Rapid evolutionary adaptation
Evaluated the magnitude of phenological response to climate change
What happens if you are timing is off?
The gap between arrival/emergence and when food is available has increased.
This will increase mortality and reduce clutch/litter size.
Conservation United Nations Conference Convention on Biological Diversity (1992, CBD).
2 basic approaches:
Ex situ- Conservation of biological diversity outside of natural habitats.
In situ- Conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats.
What is in situ conservation?
1) Maintain genetic variation on site
2) Conservation of species in their natural habitat: natural parks, nature reserves
Case study: National Parks. In situ conservation strategies
New forest National Park
Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Heathlands vs forest
Without grazing and Scots pine clearing, heathlands might revert to woodland
Ex situ strategies
Animal resources: Eggs, embryo, semen
Plant resources: Seed and pollen storage
What are seed backs?
1) Dry seeds to low moisture content
2) Store at sub-zero temperatures
3) Most cereals and major crops can be stored in this way + 100 yrs
Case study: The Millennium Seed bank. Ex situ conservation strategies
60,000 to 100,000 species of plant are faced
with the threat of extinction.
4th August 2015 Kew has in total:
36,333 plant species 2,115,847,290 seeds in storage
Case study: Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Ex situ conservation strategies
The Seed Vault has the capacity to store 2.5 billion seeds.
A temperature of -18oC is required for op2mal storage of the seeds, which are stored and sealed in custom made three- ply foil packages.
Advantages of seed storage
Cheap, efficient, small space needed
Disadvantages of seed storage
Recalcitrant seed (do not survive drying and freezing during ex-situ conservation) plants or plants with no seeds (e.g. banana) Plants are no longer free to evolve
What are Botanic gardens/zoos?
Living collections of plants, to maintain a living store of genetic diversity that can support many activities in conservation and research.