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Lecture 05, 09 Sept 2008Biodiversity

Conservation BiologyECOL 406R/506R

University of ArizonaFall 2008

Kevin BonineMary Jane Epps

Primack Ch2Myers et al. 2000

Lab Fri 1230 Sep 12th west side BSEHat, water, sunscreen, close-toed shoesReadings on Course Website (xx 04 Dec)

506 meet at 1505h today

Upcoming ReadingsThurs 11 Sept: Primack Ch3; Costanza EA 1997; Driessen 2004Tues 16 Sept: see website

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1a. Should conservation planners justify the value of biodiversity using instrumental or intrinsic terms? Why?

1b. How should we respond to the question of “What good is it?” (“it” being some ‘small, unimpressive plant’)

OR

First of Ten Possible Questions:

Q1 due Thursday 11 September by midnight

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Biodiversity (Biological Diversity)

“structural and functional variety of life forms at genetic, population, community, and ecosystem levels”

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3

5Miller 2003

Evolution of Life o

n Earth

6Miller 2003

Major Extinction Events

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Groom et al. 2006

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Miller 2003

Adaptive Radiation

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10http://hawaiiconservation.org/conservationresources.asp (2003)328 as of Sept 2007

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1113513051046Grand Total

744146598Plant Subtotal

202Lichens

26224Ferns and Allies

312Conifers and Cycads

713143570Flowering Plants

607159448Animal Subtotal

220Corals

22319Crustaceans

12012Arachnids

571047Insects

751164Snails

70862Clams

1396574Fishes

231013Amphibians

372413Reptiles

891475Birds

811269Mammals

Total ListingsThreatenedEndangered

United States

Group

http

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Hawaiian Endangered SpeciesUnfortunately, Hawai‘i has the highest number of listed threatened and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of Hawai‘i, of which 294 are plants, 57 invertebrates, and 43 vertebrates.

http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/wesa/endspindex.html#Hawaiian

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What is biodiversity?

Primack 2006, Fig 3.6

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Scientific AmericanNovember 2001

~12-14 milliontotal species(50-90% intropical forests)

~1.7 identified

most

least

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How many species on earth?

Primack 2006, Fig 3.6

16Primack 2006

Research Focus?

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Biodiversity

1. Genetic(nat. sel.)

2. Species

3. Ecologicalforests, deserts, lakes, wetlands, reefs etc.

4. Functionalenergy flownutrient cyclingetc.

Fig 2-13 Miller 2003

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Levels of BiologicalOrganization.

Scaling.

Miller, 2003

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Van Dyke 2003

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21Groom et al. 2006

Biodiversity

1. Genetic

2. Population/Species

3. Community/Ecosystem

4. Landscape

CompositionStructureFunction

22Pimm and Jenkins 2005

Where is biodiversity?One tree in Peru with same ant diversity as Britain

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Species Richness and Latitude

Altitude?Primack 2006

24Van Dyke 2003

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25Primack 2006

TropicalRainforests

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Primack 2006

Coral Reefs

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Lissamphibia

Urodela(salamanders)

10 families, 60 genera, 516 spp.Ambystoma californiense

Ambystoma tigrinum

Unken reflexFig. 13.5

Stebbins and Cohen, 1995

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Urodela families

Pough et al. 2004

Sirenidae Hynobiidae

Salamandridae

(only 1 of 10 not found in U.S.)

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29Pough et al. 2004

Urodela families

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PlethodontidaeProteidae

Pough et al. 2004

Urodela families

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What factors correlated with high diversity?

• Energy• Precipitation• Temperature• Area• Habitat heterogeneity (e.g., foliage height and birds)

• ~Stable environment• Moderate (intermediate) disturbance level

(shifting mosaic, no climax)

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Distribution andAbundance

Other Miller 2003

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33Range of tolerance of abiotic factor(s)

Miller, 2003

Distribution and Abundance

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Terrestrial Biomes

(Forest, Desert, Grassland, Tundra, etc.)Biotic (~Vegetative) Communities

Climate1. Temperature2. Precipitation(3. Soil type)

- Latitude- Altitude

Miller 2003 3-5

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35Groom et al. 2006

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Threats to biodiversity – habitat loss

Thanks to Chuck Price

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Van Dyke 2003

Species-Area Relationship

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Van Dyke 2003

Woodlots vs. contiguous forest

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Species-Area Relationship

3 step loss of biodiversity (Rosenzweig)

1. Endemics2. Sink populations3. Stochasticity

Therefore end up with lower steady state species richnessand loss of biodiversity

S = cAZ

S = species richnessc = taxon-specific constantA = areaZ = extinction coefficient for taxon

40Van Dyke 2003

3 step loss of biodiversity (Rosenzweig)

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41Van Dyke 2003

EndemicsHabitat SizeHabitat Loss

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Myers et al. 2000, Nature

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25 Hotspots

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Criteria for Hotspots?How decide if threatened?

Why so many Islands?

Invertebrates?Microbes?

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Leading Hotspots (Endemics)

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Endemics per unit area

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Congruence

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Eight Hottest Hotspots

Paper Parks?

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Conservation Costs?$500 million annually to protect 25 hotspots$40 million annually in past decade$250 million to go to Mars (biodiversity!)$1.5 trillion in anti-biodiversity subsidies

$War

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What is a species?

Is ‘species’ a useful designation?

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Species = ?

Biological Species Concept (Mayr)“a group of interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups”

2-morphological/typological species concept (plants)3-evolutionary species concept4-genetic species concept5-paleontological species concept6-cladistic species concept

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Biological Species Concept1. Testable and operational2. Definition compatible with established

legal concepts3. Focus on level of biodiversity that agrees

with tradition of conservation

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Campbell 1993

Ernst Mayr (1904-2005)Published papers for > 80 years

54Ernst Mayr interviewed in Campbell 1993