Introduction to Biodiversity & Conservation Biology

The Main issues

Extinction of species and habitats

worldwide Rate of extinction and destruction of ecosystems like nothing seen in the past (not even asteroid collisions with the earth)

The Cause of Current Extinctions?

A primate (Homo sapiens) that

evolved & appeared 150,000 years ago

ULTIMATE CAUSE? : too many

people on the planet (6 billion), growing at ~90 million/year (3 every second!!!)

The Problem
Loss of habitat

Disruption of entire ecosystems,

or parts of
Loss of genetic diversity
Habitat fragmentation

Entire climate changes

All caused by mans activities

Definitions
Biosphere: ALL of the ecosystems on planet earth some

believe in the Gaia hypothesis, that the earth itself is a SUPERORGANISM: each species plays a vital role
Genetic diversity: the number of alleles in a population-

the more, the better for the population

Gene: segment of DNA that codes for a protein Allele: alternative form of a gene (one allele from the male

and one from the female) usually, one is dominant one is recessive
Loss of Genetic Diversity
Biodiversity: basically, the number of species in a

particular habitat or ecosystem

Loss of Biodiversity

Definitions, cont.
Conservation Biology: the discipline developed to

deal with the loss of habitat, species, genetic diversity, and damage to ecosystems, and what we can do to reduce, prevent and reverse these impacts

Value of Biodiversity
Agricultural Value Genetic resources Biological control Many insects are pollinators of

flowering plants Source of Food Food from wild animals, fishes, plants, & algae Medicinal Value

Indirect Value of Biodiversity

Biogeochemical value

Waste disposal
Provision of fresh water Prevention of soil erosion Regulation of climate Ecotourism

Causes of Extinction
Habitat loss due to human activities Brazilian rain forest loses 2 million

hectare/year 60% of coral reefs have been destroyed 45% of mangrove ecosystems were lost Accidental introduction of alien species (rats and domestic mice) Pollution (acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming) Over exploitation (overfishing, hunting, illegal collection of decorative plants)

Study case: in U.S. 1880 spp. were threatened and endangered because of habitat loss, invasion, pollution, & diseases

Agents of Habitat Loss

Importance of various forms of habitat loss. (Stein, et al, 2000, pg. 245)

See next slide for the effect of invasive species

Effect of Invasive Species

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) after 10 years

www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1999/loosstrf/loosstrf.ht