1. Biodiversity CENV 110

2. Topics Overview of biodiversity Pattern of biodiversity Origin of biodiversity – evolution Historical changes in biodiversity Recent changes Benefits of biodiversity Causes of loss IUCN classification ESA

3. Biodiversity Diversity of life forms – Originally in morphology – Number of species – Variation within species Races Local adaptation – Genetic variation Convention on Biodiversity – the variability among living organisms from all sources, including, 'inter alia', terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems

4. Definition of species Many definitions – lumpers tend to aggregate similar groups into a single species – Splitters tend to call different groups unique species All members of a species share a common ancestry When mated can produce viable offspring

5. Number of species identified and unidentified bacteria5-10 Million fungi1.5 million mites1 million insects10-30 million

6. Number of identified species Plants321,212Animals1,367,555 Algae10,134Insects1,000,000 Mosses16,236Arachnids102,248 Ferns &Horsetails12,000Mollusks102,248 Gymnosperms1,021Crustaceans47,000 Angiosperms281,821Other Inverts68,827 FungiAbout 100,000Vertebrates62,305 Lichens17,000

7. Number of vertebrates Fish31,000 amphibians6,433 reptiles9,048 birds9,998 mammals5,490

8. video What is biodiversity and why is it important

9. Trends in biodiversity

10. Patterns of biodiversity Land 25 times more species than the ocean Tropics are more diverse than the higher latitudes

11. North American Bird Diversity

13. Hotspots

14. Generation of diversity: evolution Natural selection Mutation Genetic drift Gene Flow Key events – Continental drift – New taxa and life styles – moving to land, insects etc.

15. Trends in biodiversity

16. Loss of species and mass extinctions

17. Mass extinctions caused by humans Arriving in Australia 46,000 years ago America 12,000 ago Madagascar and Polynesia 2,000 years ago

18. Recent extinctions 850 species are known to have become extinct since 1500 The Columbian Exchange – After 500 million years of evolution as the continents drifted apart, man has “remixed” the biota of the earth

20. Extinct mammal species since 1500 in US Antillean Cave Rat Insular Cave Rat Heteropsomys insulans, 1600s Insular Cave Rat Corozal Rat Eastern Cougar Puma concolor couguar, 2011 Eastern Cougar Puerto Rican Shrew Nesophontes edithae. 1600s Puerto Rican Shrew Puerto Rican Long-nosed Bat Monophyllus frater Puerto Rican Long-nosed Bat Puerto Rican Long-tongued Bat Lesser Puerto Rican Ground Sloth Sherman's Pocket Gopher Goff's Pocket Gopher Geomys pinetis goffi Goff's Pocket Gopher Tacoma Pocket Gopher Thomomys mazama tacomensis Tacoma Pocket Gopher Giant Deer Mouse Pallid Beach Mouse Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus, 1959 Pallid Beach Mouse Gull Island Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus, 1897 Gull Island Vole Louisiana Vole Puerto Rican Hutia Isolobodon portoricensis Puerto Rican Hutia Puerto Rican Paca Lesser Puerto Rican Agouti Greater Puerto Rican Agouti Sea Mink Mustela macrodon, 1860 Sea Mink Caribbean Monk Seal Monachus tropicalis, 1952 Caribbean Monk Seal Steller's Sea Cow Hydrodamalis gigas, 1763 Steller's Sea Cow Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit subpopulation of Pygmy Rabbit Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Pygmy Rabbit Arizona Wapiti Colorado Hog-nosed Skunk Smith Island Cottontail Allen's Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Banks Island Wolf Canis lupus bernardi, 1920 Banks Island Wolf Cascade Mountains Wolf Canis lupus fuscus, 1940 Cascade Mountains Wolf Antillean Giant Rice Rat Eastern Elk Cervus canadensis canadiensis, 1887 Eastern Elk Merriam's Elk Cervus canadensis merriami, 1913 Merriam's Elk Arizona Jaguar Panthera onca arizonensis, 1905 Arizona Jaguar Tule Shrew Sorex ornatus juncensis, 1905 Tule Shrew

21. Concern about new mass extinctions

23. The value of biodiversity : two world views

24. Benefits of biodiversity More biodiversity means more potential crops More potential drugs More sustainable natural ecosystems Ecosystems more resilient to change But does my New York lover really care if we save the mountain gorilla? At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.

25. Ecosystem services Protection of water resources Soils formation and protection Nutrient storage and recycling Pollution breakdown and absorption Contribution to climate stability Maintenance of ecosystems Recovery from unpredictable events

26. Biological resources Food Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs Wood products Ornamental plants Breeding stocks, population reservoirs Future resources Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems

27. Social benefits Research, education and monitoring Recreation and tourism Cultural values

28. Causes of loss of biodiversity Direct drivers that explicitly influence ecosystem processes. include land use change, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution. Indirect drivers, such as changes in human population, incomes or lifestyle, operate more diffusely, by altering one or more direct drivers

29. Purpose of endangered species listing To highlight species at risk hopefully leading to …. cause action to be taken, where possible, to reduce risk of extinction

31. Types of listing U.S. Endangered Species Act – a big stick in the U.S. IUCN Red Book – no legal implications CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species – Stops international trade

32. What causes extinction Gradual decline in abundance due to negative rates of increase – Loss of habitat – Introduction of exotic pests – Harvesting – Pollution affecting reproduction and survival – Climate change Catastrophic events – – The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs – El Nino events, bad climates

33. What makes species vulnerable to extinction Low (especially negative) rates of increase Small population sizes Few breeding sites Large fluctuations in abundance

35. Numerical values CriticalEndangeredVulnerable A. Decline80% in 10 years or 3 generations 50% in 10 years or 3 generations 30% in 10 years or 3 generations B. Range100 km 2 and declining or fragmented 5000 km 2 and declining or fragmented 20,000 km 2 and declining or fragmented C. Abundance and decline <250 mature and declining <2500 mature and declining <10,000 mature and declining D.Abundance<50 mature<250 mature<1,000 E. Risk50% in 10 years or 3 generations 20% in 20 years or 5 generations 10% in 100 years

36. The Endangered Species act in the U.S.

37. What is a species? To be considered an ESU under the ESA, a population (or group of populations) must be reproductively isolated from conspecific populations, and must contribute substantially to the ecological/genetic diversity of the species (Waples 1991).

38. What happens when listed under ESA Relevant agency (NMFS, USF&WS) must develop and implement a recovery plan All “taking” is prohibited. The term "take" includes "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.“ Some “taking” is permitted in the form in incidental catch

39. Is extinction the issue? By the time a species is at low enough abundance to worry about extinction it is generally ecologically insignificant So the real issue is primarily in depletion of populations that are important to either ecosystem services or human use

40. Current issues Species by species battles How much of societies resources should we devote to protecting individual species or ESU’s be it chimpanzees in Africa or upper Snake river sockeye salmon? Could the $400 million per year spent on salmon in the Columbia River be better spent on human health, supporting the arts, feeding the poor, or reducing global CO2

41. Current issues Climate change and biodiversity How much of societies resources should we allocate to slowing climate change because of its impact on biodiversity?

42. Study guide How do you define biodiversity? – Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms: this includes diversity within species, as well as between species and of ecosystems What major taxa have the highest number of species? – Bacteria and insects. In the last 200 million years what has been the trend in number of species on earth? – It has been increasing rapidly. What is the relationship between biodiversity and latitude? – Biodiversity is highest near the equator and decreases as you go to higher latitudes. What is a biodiversity hotspot? – A place of particularly high biodiversity. In pre-industrial times how did humans cause major extinction events? – When humans arrived in new isolated places, there were major extinctions caused by hunting and species that arrived with them. What is the Columbian Exchange and how did it affect biodiversity? – The Columbian Exchange is a term used to describe the impact humans have had on the earths biota since the time of Columbus in essentially connecting the biota of different continents and islands. In general the Columbian Exchange dramatically reduced biodiversity in long isolated places, but it did increase crop biodiversity. List 4 ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. – Protection of water resources – Soils formation and protection – Nutrient storage and recycling – Pollution breakdown and absorption – Contribution to climate stability – Maintenance of ecosystems – Recovery from unpredictable events List direct drivers of the loss of biodiversity – land use change, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution What are the two major differences between the Endangered Species Act in the US and the IUCN Red Book listing of endangered species: – The ESA in the US deals with evolutionary significant units, not species, and has strong legal powers to change things. IUCN Red Book listing deals only with species, and has no legal implications. What factors make species vulnerable to extinction? – Low (especially negative) rates of increase – Small population sizes – Few breeding sites – Large fluctuations in abundance