HB CB Flashcards
three main central goals to conservation biology:
- study global biodiversity and its decline.
- how human populations impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health
- develop practical solutions to reduce these threats and restore biological diversity.
The Core Principles of Conservation Biology (5)
Protection of Biodiversity
Science Focused
Multi-disciplinary
Responsive
Value Driven
SCB
Society for Conservation Biology
When was the Convention on Biodiversity at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro signed?
1992
Genetic diversity is
diversity within an individual species,
different configurations of features, that can be seen on individuals of the same species of plant or animal
less genetic diversity within a population can lead to inferior offspring leading to further population declines
Inbreeding depression
Species Diversity. Two main measurements:
- Species richness (how many different individual species)
- species evenness (the variance in population size between species within the community.)
An Ecosystem Diversity is made up of
the habitats, different communities and ecological processes and the variety of ecosystems in an area
Sixth major extinction episode
Holocene Extinction
IPBES
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Exponentially increasing biodiversity losses were being driven by human impact on the planet and identified 5 main drivers of change:
- Changes in land and sea use
- Direct exploitation of organisms and resources
- Climate change
- Pollution
- Alien invasive species
Why is it Important to Protect Biodiversity? (5)
Natural Resource Value
Ecosystem Service Value
Recreational and Cultural Value
Economic Value
Intrinsic value
The global value of ecosystem services has been valued at:
$33 trillion
the living components of an ecosystem. They are sorted into three groups: consumers, producers, and decomposers
Biotic factors
the non-living components of an ecosystem e.g. light, water, soil, minerals etc.
Abiotic factors
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The large majority of conservation research often focuses on
identifying the impact of habitat destruction on individual species, or a collective group of species from certain habitats.
A positive interaction for one species but has a negative on the other
Predation / Parasitism / Herbivory interaction
A negative interaction for both species
Competition interaction
A positive interaction for both species
Mutualism or Symbiosis interaction
An interaction between two species where one species will gain benefits, whereas the other species will neither be positively nor negatively affected
Commensalism
Interactions between species, similar to competition where the outcome is positive for one species and negative for the other
Amensalism
A form of competition between members of the same species
Intra-specific competition
A form of competition between members of the different species
Inter-specific competition
A form of competition wherein organisms directly vie for resources, such as by aggression
Interference competition
A form of competition wherein organisms indirectly compete with other organisms for resources by exploiting resources to limit the resources availability to other organisms
Exploitation competition
Occurs in species that have or can establish hierarchies through aggressive behaviour, causing some individuals to hold a dominant status over the others ultimately resulting in a more successful reproductive output
Interference intraspecific competition
Occurs between the same species, however, it is a result of individuals exploiting the same resources such as food or habitat availability, thus reducing the amount available to others. Through either interference or exploitation, over time a superior competitor can eliminate an inferior one from the area, resulting in competitive exclusion.
Exploitation intraspecific competition
In order to deter predators, many prey organisms have evolved various adaptations
behavioural, physiological, as well as chemical defences.
Prey - Mimicry
Predator - sharp teeth, possession of poison, camouflage colouration and enhanced olfactory or visual senses
The relationship between two dissimilar organisms, which benefits both
Symbiosis or mutualism
An interaction in which one organism inflicts harm to another organism without obtaining any costs or benefits, thus no effect - people walking on grass
Amensalism
An intraspecific relationship in which one species obtains benefits such as food or shelter from another species (a host) without inducing adverse or negative effects - birds on cows
Commensalism
Comprises the entire space occupied by organisms on earth.
71% of marine waters.
Biosphere
How are forests used? (3 Goods & 5 Services)
Goods:
1. Timber and other wood products
2. Fuelwood and charcoal
3. Non-wood forest products (honey, medicines)
Services:
1.Climate enriching
2. Regulation of hydrological cycles
3. Carbon sinks
4. Soil stabilisation
5. Cultural values
Major impacts humans have on forest… (7)
- Fragmentation
- Invasive species
- Pollutants including acid
- Logging
- Climate change
- Altering fire regimes, non-optimal land management techniques
- Extracting non-timber products
Major impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems (5)
- The operation of fisheries
- Invasive species
- Climate change
- Changes to and destruction of viable habitats
- Chemical pollution, namely eutrophication
Conservation Education: (6)
- Explaining the necessity of environmental conservation and protection through press releases and announcements on TV and radio.
- Using factual pamphlets and educational posters to explain the importance of protecting endangered species.
- Ask teachers and children to conduct plays at schools with the message revolving around conservation.
- Educational field trips to wildlife reserves and unique biology classes on local wildlife for respective schools.
- Implementing training courses for local teachers and lectures for local authorities regarding local wildlife particularly threatened by human stressors.
- Wildlife events for the public.
Conserving biodiversity and using natural services sustainably will enable (4)
- Better health
- Greater food security
- Less poverty
- A greater capacity to cope with, and adapt to, environmental change.
The present data from the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species suggests a rate of how many extinctions per year?
34 extinctions per million species - Considering that the current natural rate is 0.1 to 2 extinctions per million species per year
The IUCN Red List documents at least 680 extinctions and a further possible 750 extinctions out of 112,400 species in the past 500 years.
Why are amphibians are statistically the group most threatened with extinction? (3)
a combination of habitat modification, changes in climate and the fungal disease chytridiomycosis which is occurring globally
Coral species have experienced the most severe extinction risk recently…
largely due to the mass bleaching event in 1998, a year of exceptionally high sea temperatures.
Conservation – what is it and what is the overall aim?
Conservation aims to integrate various conservation policies, field ecology, demography, taxonomy and genetics, ultimately directly impacting how species and ecosystems will be managed. It mostly involves the preservation of biodiversity, which typically incorporates the conservation of all wildlife and their associated habitats due to the fragile network of species interaction.
Conservation has two central goals:
- Evaluate human impacts upon biological diversity.
- Develop practical approaches to prevent the extinction of species.
How and what will be achieved through conserving biodiversity and accessing services sustainably… (6)
- Education and raising awareness to ensure the value of biodiversity is understood and how to protect it
- Benefits of biodiversity, and the costs of its loss, need to be reflected within economics and markets
- Efficiency in the use of resources (land, energy, water) to meet the growing human population
- Gaining traditional knowledge by collaborating with indigenous communities.
- Economic intensives to capitalise on the use of sustainable farming and resources
- Strategic planning of using marine resources ensuring the conservation of biodiversity
IPCC
Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change
Comprise less than 5% of the world’s population, protecting 80% of global biodiversity
Indigenous people
Current key conservation research initiatives (4)
- Identification of species most at threat from extinction (e.g., the IUCN Red List).
- Identification of areas with extremely low or high biodiversity.
- Modelling and estimation of species distributional responses to the impacts of climate change.
- Reporting and combatting species invasions.
Current conservation techniques (4)
- Captive breeding and reintroduction
- Genetic analyses e.g. eDNA
- Habitat restoration
- Rewilding
Coral reefs are primarily damaged due to (6)
- changing water temperatures
- ocean acidification
- pollution
- invasive species
- changing weather patterns
- physical destruction from fishing vessels or shipwrecks
Globally, approximately 30-50% of coral reefs have already been lost
a species that is native to where it is found
Endemic
The diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems
Biodiversity
A form of competition wherein organisms indirectly compete with other organisms for resources by exploiting resources to limit the resources availability to other organisms
Exploitation competition
The birth rate, which is the ratio of total live births to total population in a particular area over a specified period of time; expressed as childbirths per 1000 people (or population) per year
Natality
Relationship or interaction between two dissimilar organisms, each of which may receive benefits from their partners that they did not have while living alone
Symbiosis
Two species cannot coexist in the same ecological niche for very long without one becoming extinct or being driven out because of competition for limited resources.
Competitive exclusion
A term that encompasses all the ecosystems on Earth. It, therefore, includes both non-living elements (like sunlight and water) and living organisms
Biosphere
Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life
Eutrophication
Genetic material obtained directly from environmental samples (soil, sediment, water, etc.) without any obvious signs of biological source material
eDNA
Several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, consisting of organisms sharing the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy
Trophic levels