Diversity, biogeography, endemism

Question 1

SE Asia covers 4% of the earths surface but supports 25% of its biodiversity

Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities

spatial/distribution analysis showed:
44% of vascular plant species and 35% of verts (of 4 main groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians)

Based on: endemics to area ratios & habitat loss/threat
Hottest hotspots: Philippines, Madagascar, Sundaland
38% of identifies hotspot area already protected - but many just ‘paper parks’

Silver bullet strategy?
Estimated cost $500m annually to preserve these hotspots (compared to $250m spent on Pathfinder mission to mars, expenditure justified on biodiversity grounds: search for extraterrestrial life!)
Previous worldwide conservation estimate $300b per year

Small cost compared to mass extinction, would take millions of years to recover.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In a similar vein to E. O. Wilson’s ‘half earth’ theory

Answer 1

Myers et al 2000

Question 2

Habitat destruction 2x rate of other tropical areas, average exploitation 6x sustainable limit

Answer 2

Sodhi & Brook 2000

Question 3

$300 trillion given in subsidies to environmentally destructive industries each year

Answer 3

Myers et al 1993

Question 4

For > 90% of last 1m years landmass in SE Asia has been 1.5-2x larger, sea level 62m lower

• Extensive forest and savannah covered Sundlanad
• Current geography v atypical
• Fluctuating sea levels caused expansion/contraction of habitats/biomes has caused biogeographic regionalism
• Historic adaptation will affect how species ability to adapt to climate change
• Ecoregions - fundamental conservation units.
• Priorities can be based on each ecoregions biodiversity distinctiveness index (Captures a measures of endemism, species richness, higher taxonomic uniqueness and presence of rare habitats)

Answer 4

Woodruff 2010

Question 5

Species-area effect: important as sea level rise will have greatest effect on small islands

Answer 5

Okie and Brown 2009

Question 6

Future climate (SE Asia in by 2100)

• Drier dry season (Bickford et al 2010)
• 7% increase in wet season rainfall
• 2.4-2.7 degree increase in mean annual temp
• Sea levels up 1-2m by 2050

Answer 6

Bickford et al 2010 + Ghazoul & Sheil 2010

Question 7

Tropical rainforest adapted to limited geographic geographical and seasonal variation, hence future change in climate is likely to have adverse effects / species may not adapt very well to variability…

Answer 7

Wright et al 2009

Question 8

Species responses to climate change rely on dispersal ability, niche breadth, ecological plasticity

Answer 8

Parmesan 2006

Question 9

Opportunities for range expansion increasingly limited, many birds have already expanded to their upper range limits along elevation gradients.
Tropical species already live near their upper thermal limit, many are isolated from cooler refuge

Answer 9

Peh 2007