Transcript ppt - Kyle Harms

Conservation
Biology
Photo from Greg Dimijian
What is Conservation Biology?
Primack (2006): Conservation Biology “carries out research
on biological diversity, identifies
threats to biological diversity,
and plays an active role in the
preservation of biological diversity”
Groom et al. (2006): “An integrative approach to the protection
and management of biodiversity…”
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology is grounded in Science
“The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and
predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge
generated through this process”
Definition of “Science” extracted from Science, Evolution & Creationism (2008) – published by (and freely
available through) the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine of the U. S. National Academies
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology is grounded in Science
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology also recognizes that not all relevant questions can be
answered strictly using scientific tools and methods of inquiry
E.g., how do we weigh the needs of people against those of nonhuman
species? Is a human life more valuable than a tiger’s?
E.g., do fleas have intrinsic value (or rights)?
E.g., how do we weigh the interests of future generations relative to the
present? Should we be concerned that many species of orchid likely will
become irrevocably extinct by the time our grandchildren are born?
Should we do something about it?
E.g., should we restore additional longleaf pine savanna in Louisiana?
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
For ethical, practical & theoretical considerations
Biology
Biogeography
Genetics
Ecology *
Evolution
Fisheries Science
Forestry
Physiology
Wildlife Biology
Anthropology
Physics
Chemistry
Political Science
Economics
Religion
History
Sociology
Philosophy
Etc.
* “We should not conflate ecology with environmentalism…”
(Kingsland, 2005, The Evolution of American Ecology: 1890-2000, pg. 4)
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA)
Natural laws
Beliefs
Theories
Testable
hypotheses
Stephen J.
Gould
Religion
Science
(1941 – 2002)
For a more complete explanation of NOMA, read Rocks of Ages (1999) by S. J. Gould; photo from Wikipedia
What will we do in this course?
Course web site
Who is in charge of this course?
Dr. Kyle E. Harms
Teaching Assistants:
Becky Carmichael & Metha Klock
Please answer on a 5x7-inch card
1. What is your full name?
2. In which course number and section are you supposed to be
enrolled?
3. How many species are there alive on Earth today?
4. How many individual humans were there alive on Earth 100
years ago?
5. How many individual humans are there alive on Earth
today?
6. How many individual humans are there likely to be alive on
Earth in 2050?
7. Name a prominent Conservation Biologist.
8. List 10 native species found in Louisiana (scientific names
are preferred; only use common names if you need to in
order to provide 10 species).
Use the back of the card for your list.
Count off…
No. 1 = Plant
No. 2 = Fungus
No. 3 = Microbe
No. 4 = Vertebrate
No. 5 = Invertebrate
Please answer on a 5x7-inch card
1. What is your full name?
What is your assigned number?
2. In which course number and section are you supposed to be
enrolled?
3. How many species are there alive on Earth today?
4. How many individual humans were there alive on Earth 100
years ago?
5. How many individual humans are there alive on Earth
today?
6. How many individual humans are there likely to be alive on
Earth in 2050?
7. Name a prominent Conservation Biologist.
8. List 10 native species found in Louisiana (scientific names
are preferred; only use common names if you need to in
order to provide 10 species).
Use the back of the card for your list.
Guiding Principles of Conservation Biology
(1) Evolution is the basis for understanding biology
(2) Biological entities are complex and dynamic
(3) Humans are a part of the natural world;
our activities range from highly
destructive, through benign,
to ameliorating
Evolution
Allele frequency change through time in a population
Population – a group of conspecific individuals
contemporaneously occupying the same place
Some Mechanisms of Evolution
Mutation
Genetic drift
Gene flow via emigration & immigration
Artificial selection
Natural selection
Sexual selection
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)
On the Origin of Species (1859)
“Descent with
modification”
Photo of Darwin from Wikipedia ; image of “Darwin’s hawk moth” pollinating its Malagasy orchid
from http://botany.si.edu/events/sbsarchives/sbs2008
Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 – 1975)
“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”
An architect
of the
Modern Synthesis
Photo of Dobzhansky from Wikipedia
“Nothing in biology makes sense except
in the light of evolution”
E.g., why do all species of the family Felidae look
more like house cats than dogs?
vs.
Photos from Wikipedia
“Nothing in biology makes sense except
in the light of evolution”
E.g., why do many of us suffer
from back pains?
See:
Image of spine from Wikipedia
“Nothing in biology makes sense except
in the light of evolution”
"Evolution is almost universally accepted among those who understand it,
almost universally rejected by those who don't."
Richard Dawkins
National Geographic Magazine – November 2004
G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1903 – 1991)
The “evolutionary play” takes place in an “ecological theater”
Nature is complex
& dynamic
E.g., explanations for: “why
are there so many kinds
of animals?”
Photo of Hutchinson from Yale Peabody Archives
Paul R. Ehrlich (b. 1932)
The Population Bomb (1968)
The Population Explosion (1990, co-authored with Anne
Photo of Ehrlich from Wired
Ehrlich)
Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive 100 yr ago (best estimate)
13
Log10 (1,000,000,000,000) =
12.00
12
11
10
Log10 (1,750,000,000) =
9.24
9
8
7
Log10 (1,000,000) =
6.00
6
5
Each student’s answer is represented
by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a
truncated Log10 scale
Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive today
13
Log10 (1,000,000,000,000) =
12.00
12
11
10
Log10 (6,960,000,000) =
9.84
9
8
7
Log10 (1,000,000) =
6.00
6
5
Each student’s answer is represented
by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a
truncated Log10 scale
Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive in 2050 (best guess)
13
Log10 (1,000,000,000,000) =
12.00
12
11
Log10 (9,000,000,000) =
9.95
10
9
8
7
Log10 (1,000,000) =
6.00
6
5
Each student’s answer is represented
by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a
truncated Log10 scale
Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
13
Log10 (1,000,000,000,000) =
12.00
12
11
Log10 (9,000,000,000) =
Log10 (6,960,000,000) =
Log10 (1,750,000,000) =
9.95
9.84
9.24
10
9
8
7
Log10 (1,000,000) =
6.00
6
5
Each student’s answer is represented
by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a
truncated Log10 scale
Human Population
12
11
2100
10
9
Old
Stone
7 Age
8
Billions of
People
New Stone Age
Bronze
Age
Iron
Age
6
Modern
Age
Middle
Ages
2000
?
Future
5
4
1975
3
1950
2
1
Black Death —The Plague
1900
1800
1+ million 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D.
years B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. 1 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
Human Population
All of Human History
First Billion
Second
Third
Fourth
130 (1930)
30 (1960)
15 (1975)
Fifth
12 (1987)
Sixth
12 (1999)
Seventh
14 (2013)
Eighth
14 (2027)
Ninth
(1800)
Number of
years to add
each billion
21 (2048)
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
(Year a particular
population size
was reached)
Human Population
10
9
8
7
Billions of 6
People 5
4
Less Developed Regions
3
2
1
0
1950
More Developed Regions
1970
1990
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
2010
2030
2050
Human Population
Projected % Population Change, 2005-2050
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
Human Population
Urbanization in Central America
64
% Population
Living in Urban
Areas
62
60
49
39
39
49
47
60
48
36
29
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
1970
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
Honduras
2010
Nicaragua
Panama
Human Population
Age distributions, 2005
Less Developed
Regions
More Developed
Regions
Age
Male
Female
80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
300 200 100 0 100 200 300
Millions
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006
Male
300
Female
100
100
Millions
300
Human Population
Population Counter (“Clock”)
~ 10,000 new babies will be added to the population
during the course of this class period
Humans are globally significant consumers
of natural resources
Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al. (2006)
Humans are globally significant consumers
of natural resources
Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al. (2006)
Humans are globally significant consumers
of natural resources
“Between one-third and
one-half of the land surface
has been transformed
by human action”, i.e.,
human enterprise
(Vitousek et al. 1997,
Science)
At least 83% of the Earth’s
land surface has been
transformed by
human activities
(Sanderson et al. 2002,
BioScience)
Image from Vitousek et al. (1997) Science
Humans are globally significant consumers
of natural resources
Collateral impact (not just consumption per se)
Image from NOAA
Humans are globally important agents of
natural selection
“Humans are the world’s greatest evolutionary force”
E.g., consider antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus
Penicillin 1946
Methicillin 1961
Vancomycin 1986
Zyvox 1999
Quote from Palumbi (2001) Science
Humans are globally important agents of
natural selection
+
=
Increases in tuskless adults:
A Zambian population – 2% to 38%
A South African population – 2% to 98%
The Sri Lankan population of Asian elephants – 45% to 90%
Newsweek – Jan. 12, 2009 – “It’s Survival of the Weak & Scrawny”
Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists
in the U. S.
Gifford Pinchot (1865 – 1946)
First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905 – 1910)
Coined “conservation ethic”
Resource Conservation Ethic
Utilitarian, anthropocentric “natural resource” philosophy;
“the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time”
Photo from Wikipedia
Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists
in the U. S.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
Nature (1836)
Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)
Walden (1854)
John Muir (1838 – 1914)
Founded Sierra Club (1892)
Romantic-Transcendental Conservation Ethic
“Nature has uses other than human economic gain;” biophilia
Image of Emerson, photos of Thoreau and T. Roosevelt with Muir from Wikipedia
Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists
in the U. S.
Aldo Leopold (1887 – 1948)
A Sand County Almanac (1949)
Evolutionary-Ecological Land Ethic
Arose together with the Modern Synthesis and maturing ecological
theory; recognizes the complexity, interconnectedness (including
humans) and dynamism of Nature
Photo of Leopold from Oregon State University
Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists
in the U. S.
Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)
Silent Spring (1962) – motivated creation of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Photo of Carson from Wikipedia
Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists
in the U. S.
Michael Soulé
Co-founder of the Society for Conservation Biology (1985)
Conservation Biology is a “crisis discipline”
Photo of Soulé from hawaiiconservation.org