BIOL 115 Environmental Science

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BIOL 115Environmental Science

• Professor
• Dr. E. Binney Girdler

To keep every cog and wheel is the first
precaution of intelligent tinkering. -Aldo
Leopold
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What can we do about it?
The Species Approach
The Ecosystem Approach
Goal
Goal
Protect species from premature extinction
Protect populations of species in their natural
habitats
after Miller, Fig. 17-5, p.414
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What can we do about it?

• Managing species
• In the wild
• In captivity
• Manage ecosystems
• Protected areas
• Outside protected areas

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Characteristics of vulnerable species
Examples
Low reproductive rate
Blue whale, giant panda, rhinoceros
Specialized niche
Blue whale, giant panda, Everglades kite
Narrow distribution
Many island species, elephant seal, desert pupfish
Feeds at high trophic level
Bengal tiger, bald eagle, grizzly bear
Fixed migratory patterns
Blue whale, whooping crane, sea turtles
Rare
Many island species, African violet, some orchids
Commercially valuable
Snow leopard, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, rare
plants and birds
Large territories
California condor, grizzly bear, Florida panther
after Miller, Fig. 18-4, p.452
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Conservation at the species level

• Importance of natural history
• Demographic studies
• Long-term monitoring
• Managing populations in the field (in situ)
• Managing populations in captivity (ex situ)

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Important aspects of natural history

• Environment

The host plant of the Karners blue butterfly is
fire-adapted
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Important aspects of natural history

• Environment
• Distribution

Many salamander species require temporary spring
pools for breeding
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Important aspects of natural history

• Environment
• Distribution
• Physiology

Scarlet macaws require salt licks for adequate
nutrition
Photo by Allan Matheson
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Important aspects of natural history

• Environment
• Distribution
• Physiology
• Demography

Britains early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
is unusually short-lived
Photo by Tony Bates
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Important aspects of natural history

• Environment
• Distribution
• Physiology
• Demography
• Behavior

Pandas in the wild leave their offspring while
foraging. We didnt know this for some time, and
we would save these orphan pandas by bringing
them into captivity.
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Demographic studies

• Used to identify critical stages in the life cycle

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Long-term monitoring

• May reveal processes hidden from our short term
  perspective, e.g. global climate change,
  vegetation succession, invasion of exotic species

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Managing populations in the field
Fish ladders help salmon get past barriers

• Controlling threats
• Ending overexploitation
• Removing dispersal/migration barriers
• Controlling non-human consumers (predators,
  grazers, parasites)
• Controlling competitors

Controlled fire prevents trees from taking over
prairie habitats
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Managing populations in the field

• Providing resources
• Food (game species endangered species)
• Habitat (cover, nesting sites, disturbance
  regimes)
• Biotic interactions (mutualisms, intraspecific
  interactions)

Bat houses provide roosting sites when there is a
lack of large dead trees
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When are captive breeding strategies appropriate?

• Systematic stress cannot be relieved
• Remnant populations are too small to maintain the
  species
• Remaining individuals are found outside of
  protected areas

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Reintroductions Keys to Success
Captive-born individuals released into historic
range 16 out of 145 projects judged successful
(self-maintaining populations of greater than 500
individuals) The Key Factor Release large
numbers of individuals over many years
Beck et al. ( 1994)
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Success stories

• Wild turkey, white-tailed deer

Game species do particularly well
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Success stories

• White-tailed deer, wild turkey
• Golden lion tamarin

Charismatic cuddly species garner lots of public
support and money
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Techniques vary depending on species

• hand-rearing with puppets (cranes)
• soft versus hard release (lynx, ferrets)
• release with tutor wild-caught animals
  (tamarins)
• intervention if animals unable to survive (lynx,
  ferrets)

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Plant reintroductions

• Philosophy and practice is fundamentally
  different than with animals
• Adults introduced rather than juveniles
• (plants dont need to learn about environment)
• Use of cuttings

Knowltons cactus
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Limitations of ex situ strategies

• Population size

Just how many rhinos can we fit in a zoo?
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Limitations of ex situ strategies

• Population size
• Adaptation to captivity

These polar bears wouldnt know how to catch a
seal if it bit them on the nose here they are
waiting for fish to be thrown to them at their
zoo home.
Photo by Tony Vecchio
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Limitations of ex situ strategies

• Population size
• Adaptation to captivity
• Learning skills

Cranes will imprint on whatever they see first as
very young chicks. We must teach a chick how to
be a crane.
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Limitations of ex situ strategies

• Population size
• Adaptation to captivity
• Learning skills
• Genetic variability

It becomes hard to avoid inbreeding when captive
populations are small. We must maintain detailed
pedigrees.
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Limitations of ex situ strategies

• Population size
• Adaptation to captivity
• Learning skills
• Genetic variability
• Continuity

?
Who knows when Congress will cut funding?
What happens when frozen seed banks lose power?
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The other side of the coinecosystem conservation

• Potentially conserves not just target species and
  immediate habitats, but important ecosystem
  linkages and processes

Wetlands provide many services to humans and
wildlife
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Ecosystem conservation

• Potentially conserves not just target species and
  immediate habitats, but important ecosystem
  linkages and processes
• Preemptively protect resources before they become
  critically endangered

Coho Salmon runs in Pacific Northwest would not
be as endangered if we took a whole ecosystem
perspective
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Ecosystem conservation

• Potentially conserves not just target species and
  immediate habitats, but important ecosystem
  linkages and processes
• Preemptively protect resources before they become
  critically endangered
• Can incorporate a broader range of human needs

Humans are a part of ecosystems
Yanomami children, Brazilian Amazon
Photo by Dennis Besseler
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Where can we put preserves?

• Ideally determined by the location of
  biodiversity
• In reality determined by
• location of people (e.g. Western U.S.)
• land values
• political efforts of conservation minded citizens
• history

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Where can we put preserves?
Miller, Fig. 17-9
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Ecosystem management integrates scientific
knowledge of ecological relationships within a
complex sociopolitical and values framework
toward the general goal of protecting native
ecosystem integrity over the long term.
Grumbine (1994)
This will necessitate managing OUTSIDE of
protected areas, to include whole ecosystems,
watersheds,etc.
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Networks of protected areas
Costa Rica has consolidated its parks and
reserves into eight mega-reserves designed to
sustain about 80 of the countrys rich
biodiversity
Miller, Fig. 17-24
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Biosphere reserves
recognize peoples needs for access to
sustainable use of various resources in parts of
the reserve.
Miller, Fig. 17-25
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Biodiversity hotspots
Miller, Fig. 17-27