Introduction to Biodiversity

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Introduction to Biodiversity Conservation
Biology

• Chapter 1 Primacks
• A Primer of Conservation Biology
• And Lecture Notes Week One, 2003

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The Main Problems, Definitions

• Extinction of species and habitats worldwide
• Rate of extinction and destruction of ecosystems
  like nothing seen in the past (not even asteroid
  collisions with the earth)
• Asteroid 60 million years ago, created the Gulf
  of Mexico, dinosaurs vanish, little mammels
  survived eventually primates

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The Cause of Current Extinctions?

• A primate (Homo sapiens) that evolved appeared
  150,000 years ago
• A being that claims REASON, A MORAL SENSE, and
  FREE WILL as their unique defining
  characteristics (Primack, 2003)
• ULTIMATE CAUSE? too many people on the planet
  (6 billion), growing at 90 million/year (3 every
  second!!!)

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The Problems (Nutshell)

• Loss of habitat (defined later)
• Disruption of entire ecosystems, or parts of (ex.
  Disruption of water and chemical cycles)
• LOSS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY
• Habitat fragmentation
• Entire climate changes
• All caused by mans activities

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Definitions

• Habitat the place where a species or group of
  species lives, including the healthy ecosystem
  parts the species needs
• Species group of organisms that breed with one
  another, usually ISOLATED in some way, (a river,
  a valley, an island, etc.)
• Population a group of the same species
• Community group of populations occupying the
  same habitat
• Ecosystem community PLUS the physical parts
  weather, soil, physical cycles, fires, geology,
  (many others)

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Definitions, cont.

• Ecosystem Examples eastern woodlands (SE Ohio),
  coral reefs, rainforests, a pond in your
  backyard, an aquarium
• Biosphere ALL of the ecosystems on planet earth
  some believe in the Gaia hypothesis, that the
  earth itself is a SUPERORGANISM each species
  plays a vital role
• Genetic diversity the number of alleles in a
  population- the more, the better for the
  population
• Gene segment of DNA that codes for a protein
• Allele alternative form of a gene (one allele
  from the male and one from the female) usually,
  one is dominant one is recessive

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Definitions, cont.

• Loss of Genetic Diversity ex. once a population
  gets down to a small number, they no longer may
  have the genes needed to fight off a disease
  (Black-footed ferret, ex.)
• Biodiversity basically, the number of sps. in a
  particular habitat or ecosystem again, the more
  the better greater biodiversity is better for
  man
• Loss of Biodiversity Ex. in many areas of Ohio
  former praries, wetlands (after drainage),
  woodlands, become farmlands of basically corn
  and soybeans (hundreds of species reduced to
  basically two)
• Conservation Biology the discipline developed to
  deal with the tragic loss of habitat, species,
  genetic diversity, and, damaged ecosystems, AND
  what we can do to reverse the damage and future
  losses

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