wild species and biodiversity

1. Wild Species and Biodiversity Chapter 10 A.P. Environmental Science

3. 10.1 The Value of Wild Species Ecosystem capital- sum of all goods provided by ecosystems. The integrity of the ecosystem must be maintained We must maintain resilience and biodiversity In order for ecosystem capital to remain valuable, natural systems must be sustained Done by not abusing resources Different values must be reconciled.

4. Biological Wealth About 1.75 million species of plants, animals, and microbes have been classified. There are about 13 million species that have not yet been discovered All species together make up a biota and are responsible for the structure and maintenance of all ecosystems Represent biological wealth-ecosystem capital Humans have always exploited wild species for food and materials Forests, savannas and plains became fields and pastures At least 500 plant and animal species have become extinct in the U.S. alone

5. Two Kinds of Value Instrumental value: a species has instrumental value if its existence or use benefits some other entity Anthropocentric- beneficial to human needs Intrinsic value- species have intrinsic value when it has value for its own sake.

6. continued The value of natural species can be categorized as: Value as sources for agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and animal husbandry Value as sources for medicines Recreational value Intrinsic value

7. Sources for agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry In nature, both plants and animals are continuously subjected to the rigors of natural selection. Only the fittest survive Wild populations have resistance to parasites and tolerance to adverse conditions. They exhibit vigor. Populations grown under the conditions of agriculture lose traits. They are selected for production, not resilience. If a plant is not drought tolerant, it is irrigated. This population is known as a cultivar Minimum genetic variation Produce high yields Cannot adapt to other conditions

8. continued To maintain vigor in cultivars and to adapt them to various climatic conditions, plant breeders comb wild populations of related species for the desired traits. Example: corn crop in the 1970s was saved from blight by genes from a wild strain of maize.

9. continued If natural biota is lost, improving and developing new food plants will greatly reduce. Wheat, maize, and rice fulfill about 50% of global food demands. Growth can be affected by environment Wild genes can be used to help enhance development in arid regions Some pests come from natural biota and should not be depleted. Control them using natural enemies Natural biota are referred to as a genetic bank Deposit species and withdraw them

10. Sources for Medicine Plant species are used for medicine People of Madagascar use the rosy periwinkle In the 1960s, scientists extracted two chemicals from this flower: vincristine and vinblastine Used to treat leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease

11. continued More drugs Capoten- taken from a Brazilian pit viper (snake) Controls high blood pressure Taxol- taken from the bark of the English yew tree Treats ovarian, breast, and small cell cancers

12. Ethnobotany The study of relationships between plants and people 3,000 plants have been identified as having anticancer properties Drug companies finance field studies to find more. There may be promising drugs being tested now but announcement will wait until approval by FDA.

13. Recreation, Aesthetic, and Scientific Value Recreational and aesthetic values constitute a very important source of support for maintaining wild species. Ecotourism- tourists visit a place in order to observe wild species or unique ecological sites

14. Value for their own sake Some people believe that the most important strategy for preserving all wild species is to emphasize the intrinsic value of species There is much debate about the right for humans to terminate a species Some say one living thing is no better than another living thing. All religions have different viewpoints Jewish and Christian- all wild things deserve moral consideration and care Islamic- environment is the creation of Allah and must be protected Native American religions- wildlife and humans should interact like members of a large family

15. 10.2 Saving Wild Species Game animals are animals that are hunted Some are hunted to extinction Some have been provided with complete protection by the government Wild turkey After WWII state and federal programs stressed the need to protect turkey habitats The birds have made a great comeback, now in 49 states. Special protection areas are funded by hunting fees

16. Positive aspects of hunting Many hunters belong to organizations dedicated to the game they are hunting Raise funds that are used for the restoration and maintenance of natural ecosystems Some animals cause major damage Deer and kangaroos Kangaroos are culled each year for use as pet food and for their leather.

17. PETA actively campaign to end hunting and trapping. Some traps are especially cruel Some animals have adapted to urban and suburban environments. Squirrels Backyard birds Rabbits Some predators

18. Problems The following are serious problems that have emerged from an increase in certain animal populations: The number of animals killed on roadways now far exceeds the number killed by hunters Many nuisance animals are thriving in urbanized areas Some animals reach high population densities because they lack predators. People in suburban areas have been attacked by cougars, bears, alligators, and other wild life. Coyote populations are increasing Parks and lawns have become home to flocks of geese

19. Wildlife services? In 1998, the agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed its name from Animal Damage Control to Wildlife Services Responds to requests from livestock owners, farmers, homeowners, and others concerned with economic damage, human health, and safety to remove nuisance animals

20. Acts protecting endangered species Florida and Texas were the first states to pass laws protecting plumed birds. Lacey Act Forbids interstate commerce in illegally killed wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services can bring federal charges against anyone who violates this law

21. Endangered Species Act Passed in 1973 Protects endangered and threatened species Endangered- brink of extinction Threatened- populations fall drastically, but not near extinction

22. continued There are three crucial elements in the process of designating a species as endangered or threatened: Listing- species is listed by the appropriate agency or by petition Critical Habitat- agency must designate the habitat areas where the species is found Recovery Plans- plan to help the species survive and thrive

23. Impact on species Some people believe that the act does not go far enough Others oppose 13 species have been removed from the list because they recovered (American Peregrine Falcon) 7 have become extinct

24. Fly Away Home People have made efforts to help the whooping cranes migrate from Wisconsin to Florida This includes, using eggs from captive breeding flocks and teaching birds its migratory path following an ultralight.

25. The Spotted Owl This species lives in old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest Its population was down to between 4 and 6 K The original plan called for 7.4 million acres to be set aside and logging prohibited in stands of trees older than 80 years.

26. Controversy The Klamath River provides irrigated water for 250,000 acres of farmland. In 2001, because of an extended drought, the government allocated almost all the water to prevent the extinction of salmon. Upset many farmers Problem is still not resolved

27. 10.3 Biodiversity and its decline No one knows how much biodiversity there is 1.75 million species that have been described Many more exist Groups rich in species are the flowering plants and insects Estimates in the number of species on Earth today are based on recent work in the tropical rain forests Costa Rica makes up 5% of biota

28. The Decline in Biodiversity At least 500 species native to the U.S. are known to have become extinct The species populations are a more important element of biodiversity than just the species’ existence. It is the populations that contribute to biological wealth Populations of birds in North America are dramatically declining

29. Global Outlook At least 726 animal species and 90 plant species have become extinct since1500. Most extinctions occur on oceanic islands 24% of mammal and 12% of bird species are globally threatened. Biodiversity is richest in tropical forests 300 species of trees in a single ha plot 10,000 species of insects on a single tree in Peru 43 species of ants on a single tree in Peru

30. Reasons for the Decline One of the greatest sources of loss is the physical alteration of habitats through the processes of conversion, fragmentation, and simplification. Responsible for 36% of extinctions

31. Conversions Natural areas are converted to farms, housing subdivisions, shopping malls, marinas, and industrial centers. Any loss of natural habitat can result in only one thing: a proportional reduction in all populations that require the habitat.

32. Fragmentation Natural landscapes generally have large patches of habitat Human-dominated areas have small patches- fragmented Plowed fields House lots highway Can cause populations to fall below their critical number Kirtland’s warbler

33. Simplification and Intrusion Human use of habitats often simplifies them Channelized streams Tree farming Intrusion of habitats also causes a decline in biodiversity Television towers Attract birds Kills 5-50 million a year

34. The Population Connection Loss of biodiversity can be attributed to the expansion of the human population over the globe. Loss is greatest in the developing world Africa and Asia have lost almost 2/3 of their natural habitat

35. Pollution Can directly kill many plants and animals Ex) The “dead zone” of the Mississippi River Oil spills, acid deposition, human wastes, and pesticides also affect biodiversity Increase in temperature Melting of polar icecaps Decrease in polar bear population These problems can be traced to the industrialized world.

36. What is the Dead Zone? Every summer in the Gulf of Mexico an area, sometimes as large as Massachusetts, becomes void of life due to severely depleted levels of oxygen in the Gulf's water, a state known as hypoxia. This condition kills every oxygen-dependent sea creature within its 8,500 square mile zone. The Dead Zone varies in size, but it has been growing steadily since 1993.

37. The Dead Zone is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorous that is washed into the Gulf from the Mississippi River. These nutrients ignite huge algae and phytoplankton blooms. As the blooms die, they drop to the ocean floor and decompose, using up the oxygen of the deeper water.

38. The stratification of the water that occurs during the summer in the Gulf prevents the deepest water from becoming reoxygenated. As a direct result, oxygen levels fall below 2 parts per million, a level that most marine life cannot survive, including all commercial fish, crab and shrimp species. The Dead Zone is now one of the largest hypoxic zones of water in the world.

39. Frog deformities, caused by the larval stage of a flatworm that invades the tadpoles This rapid rise in the incidence of deformities due to habitats that have been altered by human use. High N pollution Leads to large snail populations Which are intermediate hosts of the flatworm

40. Exotic Species Exotic species is a species introduced into an area different from its original habitat. Can become invasive and can eliminate native species by predation and competition Examples of exotic species include: kudzu, autumn olive, multiflora rose, Brazilian pepper and oriental bittersweet Annual cost of invasive species in the U.S. is $137 billion

41. Aquaculture One-third of all seafood consumed worldwide is produced by aquaculture The farming of shellfish, seaweed, and fish Most are not native to the farming locations Parasites and pathogens have been introduced together with the aquaculture species. Escape from farming locations Become invasive

42. Overuse Removing species faster than they can reproduce will lead to ultimate extinction Overuse is responsible for 23% of extinction One form of overuse is the trafficking of wildlife Much of this trade is illegal $12 billion a year is made by this It flourishes because some people are willing to pay large amounts of money for the luxuries provided by the species

43. eBay sting Recently an agent purchased an African leopard skin and a frozen stillborn tiger cub for $1,500 on eBay Poor management is another cause of the loss of biodiversity Without policies, forests and woodlands are overcut and animals are overhunted

44. Consequences of Losing Biodiversity It is possible to lose keystone species Species whose role is absolutely vital to the survival of many other species in an ecosystem Can be a predator that keeps herbivore populations under control It is also possible to introduce species that can become new dominants in ecosystems Can produce undesirable results

45. 10.4 Protecting Biodiversity Serious efforts are being made to preserve biodiversity around the world, especially in the tropics World Conservation Union (IUCN) maintains a “Red List of Threatened Species” Similar to the endangered species list Uses a set of criteria to evaluate the risk of extinction to thousands of species throughout the world There are currently 11,167 species on it

46. C.I.T.E.S. Established in the early 1970s It is an international agreement that focuses on trade in wildlife and wildlife parts. Covers 30,000 species The best-known act of CITES was to ban the international trade in ivory in 1990 in order to stop the rapid decline of the African elephant

47. Convention on Biological Diversity CBD became one of the pillars of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Biodiversity Treaty was ratified in December 1993 Its is a convention that sets goals for participating countries to sustain biodiversity

48. Basic guidelines for the Biodiversity Treaty A concern for the intrinsic value of biodiversity Its significance for human welfare The sovereignty of a nation over its biodiversity The nation’s obligations to protect and conserve biodiversity

49. Stewardship Concerns Four policies that focus on improving biodiversity: Reform policies that lead to declines in biodiversity Address the need of people who live adjacent to or in high-biodiversity areas or whose livelihood is derived from exploiting wild species Practice conservation Promote more research on biodiversity

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