Lecture 1 Flashcards
Define biodiversity
Means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species (the genes), between species and of ecosystems
What is meant by background rates of extinction?
How many species would go extinct if we weren’t here: how many you lose naturally
From fossil records, phylogenies and data on net diversification what is the estimated background rate of extinction?
0.1 E/MSY (extinctions per million species- years) (this is expected as part of dynamic nature)
What percentage of species most go extinct for it to be classed as a mass extinction event?
75%
How many mass extinction events have there been?
5
What are the two dates for the beginning of the Antropocene?
1610 and 1964
What is the reasoning for the beginning of the Anthropocene being either 1610 or 1964?
1610: the CO2 concentrations were very low at this time and since then they have been increasing
1964: peak date of radio activity, a lot of nuclear tests and since then that number is increasing
Why does data suggest climate change has a small affect/ threat on species?
Because it is hard to say when a species is threatened by climate change. So, it is difficult for us to tell when it’s a big threat and it is still changing so will have effects we don’t know about yet
Give 4 examples of species that are thought to have gone extinct recently (hard to say for sure when they have gone extinct because you may just not be looking in the right place at the right time)
. Golden toad (1989)
. Baiji / Yangtze River dolphin (2006)
. Western black rhino (2011)- actually a subspecies
. Pyrenean ibex (2000)- actually a subspecies (extinct from hunting)
What is conservation biology?
A vision of a new discipline that addresses the dynamics and problems of perturbed species, communities and ecosystems (- Michael Soule)
What is conservation science?
A broader framework recognising that ecological dynamics cannot be separated from human dynamics (- Peter Kareiva and Michelle Marvier)
Define conservation biology
Conservation biology is the application of biological science to address the problems of species, communities and ecosystems perturbed by humans
Give 3 examples of good things for conservation biology
- High diversity of organisms is good
- Ecological complexity is good: placing value on habitat diversity and complexity of ecological processes
- Evolution is good- genetic diversity is good
Give examples of conservation biology tools
. Designing protected areas- SLOSS (single large or several small)
. Estimating minimum population sizes for conservation- MVP (minimum viable population concept)
. CITIES (the convention of international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora/ animals and plants
Describe SLOSS/ the debate
Should we conserve many small (might be able to protect more species) or one large habitat (beneficial for a species with a large range) area within a protected area to minimise los of biodiversity in a human-modified landscape? Area will be the same overall (all theoretical)
What are the with SLOSS?
Who owns the land?
How much can we actually conserve?
Doesn’t address the threats to migratory species
Define minimum viable population (MVP)
The smallest number of individuals required for an isolated population to persist at a predefined probability (90-95%) for a predefined time (e.g. 100 years) into the future
What is meta-analysis?
When someone tries to bring together all of the information into one study, so they look at scientific literature and bring together what people have found
What are the 3 appendices in the CITIES?
. Appendix 1: threatened species cannot just be traded across borders expect for good reason e.g. scientific purpose
. Appendix 2: some species that are already threatened but there is some trade allowed but it is regulated, to make sure that, that trade does not threatened that species any further
. Appendix 3: agreement between two countries e.g. a species could be threatened in one country but not globally so they want trade to be regulated
Give an example of a appendix 1 and a appendix 2 species according to CITIES
. Appendix 1: Oryx dammah (Scimitar horned Oryx) (extinct in the wild from overhunting and habitat loss)
. Appendix 2: Bradypus pygmaeus (Pygmy three-toed sloth) (critically endangered)
What is conservation sciences new value statements?
. ‘Pristine nature’, untouched by human influences, does not exist
. The fate of nature and that of people are deeply intertwined
. Nature can be surprisingly resilient
. Humans can avoid the ‘tragedy of commons’
. Local conservation efforts are deeply connected to global forces
What were conservation sciences original value statements?
. Human well-being is integral to the conservation concept
. Jointly maximise benefits to people and biodiversity through the application of social and natural sciences
. It is still a crisis discipline, but evidence based: develop a body of quantitative evidence for best practice
—> instrumental value of biodiversity
Define intrinsic value
Nature should be protected for its own sake (conservation biology)
Define instrumental value
We must save nature to help ourselves (conservation science)
