Conservation Biology
Biodiversity
Trophic LevelsPrimary ProducersPrimary ConsumersSecondary ConsumersTertiary ConsumersQuaternary Consumers
Trophic LevelsPrimary ProducersPrimary ConsumersSecondary ConsumersTertiary ConsumersQuaternary Consumers
Keystone Species
Keystone Species
Keystone SpeciesCoyote –Keystone species in Walnut
Killing coyotes means an increase in a few dominant species Residents complain about rodent problems when coyotes disappear
Biodiversity – Number of Species?
Biodiversity Levels
Genetic SpeciesCommunity and Ecosystem
Biodiversity Levels
AlphaNumber of taxa in a local area
GammaNumber of taxa in a region
BetaThe turnover of species from one habitat to another
Geographic Patterns in Species Diversity
Latitude60 degrees N40 degrees N20 degrees N
Ant Species10 species50 – 100 species100 – 200 species
Geographic Patterns in Species Diversity
CountryGreenlandNew YorkGuatemalaColombia
Bird Species56 species105 species469 species1395 species
Bird Diversity in North and Central America
Geographic Patterns in Species Diversity
Location
Arctic WatersTemperate WatersTropical Seas
Marine Species (Tunicates)
100 species400 species600 species
Latitude BeltsTemperate Zone Habitats
MarshGrasslandShrublandDesertConiferous ForestsUpland DeciduousFloodplain Deciduous
# of Bird Species (E. J. Tramer)
661414172124
Foliage Height DiversityAdding new layers adds new habitats for additional species
North American Diversity (MacArthur and MacArthur)
Mammals and Breeding Land Birds
Increase from North to SouthMore in the west
• Increases with heterogeneity
Reptiles and Amphibians
More abundant in East• Reptiles – mountains• Amphibians - water
Island BiogeographyMacArthur and Wilson (1960’s)
Primary ProductivityThe amount of light energy that is converted into chemical energyOften expressed as biomass
Pyramid of Net Productivity
Secondary ProductivityThe rate at which an ecosystem converts the chemical energy of the food they eat into their own biomass10% rule
Biodiversity Crisis
Extinction Rates are increasingToxins (biological magnification)Greenhouse effect / Ozone depletionOverpopulation
Major threats to BiodiversityHabitat DestructionOverexploitationIntroduction of exotics
ConservationEndangered Species
in danger of becoming extinctThreatened Species
likely to become endangered in the near future
Genetic DiversityLosing individuals or populations loses genetic diversity
Habitat Fragmentation
ConservationEdgesCorridorsProtect landscapes not individual speciesSustainable development
Edge Effect
Corridors
Population Viability AnalysisPredicts whether a species will persist in an environment
minimum viable populationeffective population size
ExtinctionBackground
Several species a year just go extinct – They are replaced
MassLarge scale extinction – species replaced due to adaptive radiation of remaining species
AnthropogenicLarge scale extinction – species being replaced by a single species (humans)
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