Biodiversity and Conservation

1. Biodiversity and Conservation 7 CHAPTER

2. Lesson 7.1 Our Planet of Life Biodiversity • Bio – Life Diversity – Variety • Includes three types: • Genetic diversity: Differences in DNA among individuals • Species diversity: Variety of species in a given area • Ecosystem diversity: Variety of habitats, ecosystems, communities Genetic Diversity Species Diversity Ecosystem Diversity

3. Species Diversity • Currently 1.8 million different species • 9,700 Birds • 10,500 Reptiles and Amphibian • 1 million Insects!!! • Species – group of organisms that can breed with each other to produce fertile offspring

4. Lesson 7.1 Our Planet of Life Classification • Taxonomists classify species based on 2 criteria: • 1.Physical appearance • 2. Genetic makeup. • Species are given a two-part name Ex. Homo sapien • Organisms are placed into taxa based on shared similarities: • Kingdom King • Phylum Phyl • Class Came • Order Over • Family For • Genus Great • Species Soup

5. Subspecies—populations with genetically based characteristics that differ area to area but can interbreed

6. Speciation • Population may be separated by physical barriers (water, mountains, roads) and no longer be able to interbreed. • Somehow be exposed to different environmental conditions that exerts evolutionary pressure to develop in different ways. • Result is 1 species evolves into 2 distinct species Ex. Kaibab squirrel – Grand Canyon White tail deer vs. Florida key deer

7. Lesson 7.1 Our Planet of Life Biodiversity is Not Fully Measured • There are likely between 5 and 30 million species on Earth that have been undiscovered. • Species can be difficult to find and identify. Possibly many have been driven to extinction without ever being first discovered. Did You Know?In general, biodiversity increases toward the equator. Orangutan in an Indonesian rain forest

8. Genetic Diversity • Diversity in the genetic information that determines traits • Found among organisms in the same species which is necessary to help the population survive • Ex. A gene that provides protection against a disease. • This variety makes it more likely that at least some individuals will survive an environmental change and pass the trait to their offspring. - Process of Natural Selection • “Survival of the Fittest” drives evolutionary change

9. Ecosystem Diversity • Mud puddles to Oceans….. • Ecosystems come in all sizes • Provide different living conditions to support the needs of different species • Ecosystem diversity is necessary for supporting species diversity

10. Benefits of Biodiversity

11. Lesson 7.1 Our Planet of Life Biodiversity provides “Free” Ecosystem Services • Food, Fuel, Fiber, Fun! • Provides oxygen and nutrient recycling (decomposition, N2 fixing) • Captures sunlight and converts it into usable energy • Controls Pests • Purifies air and water • Controls floods

12. Other Benefits of Biodiversity Lesson 7.1 Our Planet of Life • Agriculture: Wild strains are cross-bred with related crops to transfer beneficial traits. • Medicine: Organisms contain compounds that are useful for treating disease. • Ecotourism: Environmentally responsible tourism is a source of income for many nations. The yew tree, an original source of Taxol, a cancer-fighting drug Did You Know?Of the 150 most prescribed drugs in the United States, 118 originated in nature.

13. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Biodiversity losses caused by humans are common in our history. Hunting and forest cutting drove the passenger pigeon—once North America’s most numerous bird—into extinction.

14. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Natural Biodiversity Loss • Background extinctions: • Extinction is a natural phenomena • Mass extinctions: • When extinction rates far exceed the normal background rate • There have been five mass extinctions in Earth’s historywhich caused 1/2 of all species to go extinct. Dinosaur extinctions were part of a mass extinction.

15. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Biodiversity at Risk • The current extinction rate is 100 to 1000 times greater than the natural background rate. • Presently over 1300 species in the U.S. are classified endangered or threatened • Endangered: At serious risk of extinction • Threatened:Likely to become endangered soon through all or part of its range • Extirpated: Loss of population from a given area but not of entire species worldwide Giant panda, an endangered species

16. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Major Causes of Biodiversity Loss • #1 Habitat changes (Loss, degradation, fragmentation) • Invasive species • Pollution • Overharvesting Siberian tiger

17. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Habitat Change and Loss • Greatest cause of biodiversity loss • Organisms, adapted to their habitat, decline in population when the habitat changes. • Habitat fragmentation: Patches of suitable habitat surrounded by unsuitable habitat • In general, larger habitat fragments can support greater biodiversity than smaller fragments. Did You Know?Habitat change or destruction is the primary cause of population decline in more than 80% of threatened birds and mammals.

18. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity Env. EngineeringWildlife Corridors • Connect habitat fragments enabling once-isolated populations to interbreed • Interbreeding increases genetic diversity.

19. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Invasive Species • Invasive species can out-compete and displace native species. May be introduced and have no natural predators or competitors -- “Species Gone Wild!!” • .Threats in PA – • Stink bug – decimating apple crop in southcentral PA • Hemlock Wooly Adelgid – this sucks! • Fluid sucking aphid insect which creates a protective • wooly “cocoon”killing our state tree • * Spotted Lanternfly Moth – newest invasive to Berks Co. 2014 .

20. Brown Marmoted Stink Bug

21. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

22. Spotted Lanternfly Moth • September 22, 2014 – Invasive species first identified appearance in the United States in Berks County, PA • November 1, 2014 Quarantined movement of materials

23. Destructive Pest to our Economy • Potential Effects to PA economy : • $20.5 million grape • $134 million apple • $24 million stone fruit industries • $12 billion Pine and hardwood

24. Egg masses can also be found on trees, especially Ailanthus alitissima (Tree of Heaven) and other smooth bark trees. • Smooth surfaces outdoors such as • lawn furniture, • stone and brick work, and • outdoor recreational vehicles • These masses pose a great risk for the accidental transport of this pest to new areas. • Egg masses are present in October and • will hatch in the spring starting as early as April.

25. Any living stage of the Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula. This includes egg masses, nymphs, and adults. Brush, debris, bark, or yard waste Landscaping, remodeling or construction waste Logs, stumps, or any tree parts Firewood of any species Grapevines for decorative purposes or as nursery stock Nursery stock Crated materials Outdoor household articles including recreational vehicles, lawn tractors and mowers, mower decks, grills, grill and furniture covers, tarps, mobile homes, tile, stone, deck boards, mobile fire pits, any associated equipment and trucks or vehicles not stored indoors.

26. Pollution • Harmful chemicals and materials that make their way into habitats can poison people and wildlife. • Ex. DDT concentrated in reproductive organs of top carnivorous birds of prey and prevented hardening of the eggshell

27. Overharvesting , species can be driven toward extinction by hunting or overharvesting by humans Ex. Passenger pigeons

28. Lesson 7.2 Extinction and Biodiversity Loss Climate Change • Increasingly becoming a factor in biodiversity loss • Unlike the other factors, climate change will have a potentially global effect on biodiversity. Did You Know?Scientists predict that a 1.5–2.5C global temperature increase could put 20–30% of plant and animal species at increased risk of extinction.

29. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity Just 2.3% of the planet’s land surface is home to 50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of its vertebrate animal species.

30. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity The Endangered Species Act • U.S. law that protects biodiversity, passed in 1973 • Has three major parts: • Forbids governments and citizens from harming listed species and habitats • Forbids trade in products made from listed species • Requires U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain official list of endangered and threatened species, and to develop recovery plan for each listed species Did You Know?In part because of the Endangered Species Act, 40% of populations that were once declining in the U.S. are now stable.

31. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity International Cooperation • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, 1975): Bans international trade in body parts of endangered species. • Convention on Biological Diversity (1992): International treaty to conserve biodiversity and ensure its responsible use and distribution Ivory products, made from elephant tusks

32. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity Single-Species Approaches to Conservation • Captive breeding programs: Raising and breeding organisms in controlled conditions, such as zoos or aquariums • Species Survival Plan: Program to save individual species, includes captive breeding, education, and research • Cloning: Inserting DNA from an endangered species into a cultured egg cell; process involves implanting eggs into mothers of closely related species Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi Did You Know? The Species Survival Plan for the golden lion tamarin started with only 91 individuals. As of 2007, there were nearly 500 tamarins in zoos, and 150 reintroduced into the wild.

33. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity Biodiversity Hotspots • The “hotspot approach” focuses attention on areas where the greatest number of species can be protected with the least effort. • Hotspots have: • At least 1500 plant species found nowhere else in the world • Already lost 70% of their habitat as a result of human activity • The 34 biodiversity hotspots are home to 50% of Earth’s plant species and 42% of terrestrial vertebrate species. Northern Pintail ducks, Honshu, JapanJapan is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

34. Lesson 7.3 Protecting Biodiversity Economic Approaches to Conservation • Many conservation efforts today attempt to balance protection of land and wildlife with the economic interests of local people: • Debt-for-nature swap:Conservation organizations raise money to pay off a nation’s debt in return for improved conservation measures. • Conservation concession: Conservation organizations buy the rights to conserve resources, instead of harvesting them. • “Clean and Green” in PA