Biodiversity

Biodiversity preserves three ecological systems:

  1. Genetic Diversity: the measure of the variety of different versions of the _______ genes with individual species
  2. Species diversity: the number of different kinds of ________ (richness)
  3. __________ diversity: the richness and __________ of a biological community

Only 1.4 ________ species are known- a fraction of the total no doubt. 100 million?

70% known species are ____________, only 10-15% species live in North America and Europe.

Hot Spots of the World: The centers of greatest biodiversity tend to be in the tropics, especially tropical ______ ________ and ______ ________.

How do we benefit from Biodiversity?

  1. Food- 80,000 _______ are edible to humans
  2. Drugs and ___________- more than half of ____________ drugs come from ________ products. ex. Madagascar periwinkle and Pacific yew inhibits cancer growth! Asprin came from willow bark, echinacea is a natural immune system booster as is garlic (poor man's penicillin), clove oil good for gum infection.
  3. Ecological Benefits- ________ formation, waste disposal, air and water purification, oxygen source, nutrient cycling, etc. ______% of pests are controlled by other species that prey on them- better than chemicals! ex. Parasitic wasp
  4. Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits- nature as "church" for spiritual empowerment. Provides __________ and __________ rejuvenation. Ecotourism is growing quickly.

Loss of Biodiversity:

  • Extinction: the elimination of a species forever.
    • ________ % of all species that have ever existed are now extinct! Wow!
    • ex. Dodo, Woolly mammoth, Sabertooth Tiger.
  • _________ Causes of Extinction: in an undisturbed ecosystem is one every decade. ______ mass extinctions in last 500 million years. (Dinosaurs wiped out at the end of the __________ period 65 million years ago and 75 to ____% of all species died at the end of the __________ period 240 million years ago) Caused by climate changes, perhaps triggered when large _________ struck the earth. Takes ___ - ____ million years to restore biodiversity after a mass extinction.
  • Unnatural Causes of Extinction: Now we are losing species at __________ of times the natural background rate of extinction (40 to 250 species/day). Considered to be in our 6th mass extinction.
    • 1/3 to __/3 of all current species could go extinct by the MIDDLE of this century. :(
    • This is the first mass extinction that includes _______.
    • Concern with global warming is that plants can't migrate fast enough to shift towards the poles in time. ______ km/100 years needed. Spruce moves at __ - ___ km/100 years. What about arctic and mountain top species- where will they go?

    Why are we losing so many species?

    HIPPO- Habitat Loss, Invasive Species, Pollution, Population growth (human), Overharvesting

  • Habitat Destruction: The biggest reason for the current increase in extinction is ________ loss. Jungle is ____ % of the land surface and contains more than _____ of world's species. 300 trees in one hectare in Amazon, 700 in all of North America! We are cutting a _______ size field of jungle every _________.
  • Habitat Fragmentation: Habitat fragmentation divides contiguous populations into _________ groups that are vulnerable to catastrophic events.
    • Size matters! 160 square feet = 3000 species, 16 square feet = 30 species.
    • More edge= less core
    • Need ________ individuals to maintain genetic variation.
  • Over harvesting (hunting and fishing) is responsible for depletion or extinction of many species.
    1. Killed for sport/food- ex. passenger pigeon: 3 to 5 ________ birds lived 200 years ago! _____ fishery collapse off of George's bank. 85 million tons of fish and marine invertebrates caught/year. Advancement in fishing technology is the culprit- sonar, drift nets, ____-mile long baited hook lines, bottom trawling and suction devices. Agggghhh!
    2. Killed for commercial value- ex. rhino horns and tiger genitals soup ($_____/ bowl). Wildlife trade most lucrative form of international crime behind drugs and ____ smuggling.
    3. Killed for control of predation of _________- ex. coyotes and _________.

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Exotic Species Introduction

  • Exotic organisms are invasive aliens introduced into habitats where they are not ________ and they are one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity.
  • There are now more than _________ alien species in the United States.

Why are they so successful?

  • They have no natural ________ in their new home
  • Food source was underutilized (until they came)
  • Produce many, many, many _______

Examples

  1. 10' long Brown tree snake in Guam.
  2. Snakehead fish- walks on land!
  3. Water Hyacinth- devil's heads are viable up to 12 years!
  4. Zebra Mussels- covers everything
  5. Cane toad! Nothing can stop their 17 cubic mile spread/day!
  6. Kudzu vine- you can almost see it grow
  7. Asian Carp- jumps right into your boat!

Invasive Species at New Paltz High School- aggghhh!

Endangered Species Management

The ___________ Species Act- ESA of 1973 prohibits the killing of a endangered species (regardless of their use to humans).

  • Endangered: considered in __________ danger of extinction
    • manatee, bison, blue whale, elephant, tiger, panther, snow leopard
  • Threatened: those that are likely to become __________
    • alligator, grizzly bear
  • Vulnerable species: naturally rare or have become so because of ________ activities. Problems arose with lawsuits. What about saving Mrs. Furbisher's lousewort vs a flagship (charismatic) species???

Characteristics of endangered species:

  1. _______ body size
  2. large or very small _______ requirement
  3. long-lived, specialist species
  4. low ________ rate.

Successful Comebacks:

Some people want the ________ cost of recovery to be included in the decision making process. ex. Snail darter and Northern Spotted Owl.

ESA expired in 1992. Perhaps protecting habitat is better than single species.

Minimum Viable Populations: the least number of individuals needed to maintain a healthy population. _______ numbers of surviving species are more vulnerable to extinction. Island Biogeography: The smaller and farther away an "island" is from a continent, the faster the extinction rate. An analogy to this is:

Captive Breeding: Zoo breeding esp. artificial ____________ can reintroduce endangered species back into the wild. Takes a LOT of effort. ex. Peregrine falcon. Saving species in the wild is more economical.

 

International Wildlife Treaties

Convention on _________ Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

  • Prohibits the international trade of ____________ species as live specimens, wildlife products, dried herbarium samples. ex. Orchids