Transcript Restoration Ecology - University of Illinois at Chicago

RESORATION ECOLOGY
READINGS:
FREEMAN
Chapter 55
EXTINCT AND
ENDANGERED SPECIES
• Extinction is a process that has been going
on since the origin of life on earth.
• Current concerns over the rate of extinction is
that it has increased dramatically due to
human activity.
• It is estimated that since 1600, about 2.1 % of
the world’s mammal species and 1.3% of its
bird species have gone extinct.
• Endangered species are those who’s
numbers are small or rapidly declining but still
have a chance of avoiding extinction if
humans act.
N. A. Extinctions in the Past
• Extinction is a natural
process.
• The rate of occurrence
prior to the present was
largely related to
climate change
(glaciations).
• Recent rates largely
due to human activities
have increased the rate
at least ten fold over the
average for the past
25,000 years.
EXTINCT AND
ENDANGERED SPECIES
TAXON
EXTINCT (%) ENDANGERED (%)
Mammals
85(2.1)
505 (11)
Birds
113(1.3)
1,029(11)
Reptiles
21(0.3)
167(3)
Amphibians
2(0.1)
59(2)
Fishes
23(0.1)
452(2)
Invertebrates
98(0.01)
N.A.
Flowering Plants
384(0.2)
21,895(9)
EXTINCT BIRD SPECIES
• A number of bird
extinctions have
occurred on islands
where human
populations grew
rapidly and adopted
modern forms of
agriculture.
• New Zeeland and
Hawaii have
experienced a had a
number of extinct bird
species.
Extinction of Passenger Pigeon
Stuffed Specimen
• One of the most abundant
birds east of the Rocky
Mountains, who’s
populations may have
ranged between 1 and 4
billion.
• Bred in large colonies; one
egg laid per season.
• Last nesting birds in Great
Lakes region in 1890’s.
• Last individuals shot in
Babcock, WI in 1889 and
Pike County, OH in 1900.
Last survivor died at 1pm on
9-1-14 in Cincinnati Zoo.
Extinction of Dusky Seaside
Sparrow
• A non-migratory subspecies of the
seaside sparrow found in marshes
of Merritt Island and along the St.
John’s River in Southern Florida.
• Nesting grounds destroyed by
flooding to reduce mosquito
population around Kennedy Space
Center.
• Pollution and pesticides along with
highway construction further
reduced population.
• Last female sighted in 1975; 6
remaining males moved to
Discovery Island nature reserve in
1979. Last male died on 6-17-1987.
ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES
As of 9-24-06, the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed 1,006
endangered and 287 threatened species in the US.
TAXON
ENDANGERED THREATENED
Mammal
69
13
Bird
76
15
Reptile
14
23
Amphibian
12
10
Fishes
73
47
Invertebrates
164
33
Plants
598
146
http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/StartTESS.do
SOME ENDANGERED
MAMMALS
SOME ENDANGERED
BIRDS
SOME ENDANGERED
FISHES
SOME ENDANGERED
PLANTS
THE BISON WAS THE FIRST
“ENDANGERED” SPECIES
YEAR
NUMBER
1700
60,000,000
1889
835
1950
45,000
1995
200,000
• The buffalo was found in
most of North America prior
to “settlement”.
• Its range was dramatically
reduced by hunting and
habitat destruction.
• This “endangered” species
was conserved in the first
national park (Yellowstone)
and its numbers increased
under human management.
BACK FROM THE BRINK OF
EXTINCTION
• Once abundant and
widespread, wild turkeys
were hunted to near
extinction. By the early
1900’s none were found in
Michigan.
• Protection stemmed decline.
• Reintroduction resulted in
widespread recovery. Newly
established population in
Michigan lead to exponential
increase in birds harvested.
From 91 in 1970 to over
13,000 in 1990.
BIOS 101 STUDENTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SEEDS
AND PLANTS FOR RESTORATION AT WRP AND
CCFPD
Since 1992, BioS
101 students have
contributed nearly
80,000 seedlings
that have been used
in restoration
projects throughout
Chicago land.
What is restoration ecology?
• It is the application of ecological
principles to return populations, species
or communities (ecosystems) to their
natural state.
• The act of restoration covers a wide
range of problems to be solved and
practices to be used.
Restoration of Populations or
Species
• When a local population or entire
species is showing signs of progressive
decline, then the act of restoration is
best described as recovery.
• When a local population or a large
number of populations have become
extinct, restoration requires
reintroduction.
Reintroduction of Populations
• The reintroduction of a population to an area
where it was once known to occur requires
more knowledge and effort than the act of
recovery.
• Two of the problems to be solved are:
* where to get the plants or animals to be
introduced?
* where to find the most suitable habitat for
introduction?
Recovery of a Population
• One of the unfortunate lessons learned
by conservation biologists is that
protection of plant and animal
populations by establishing preserves is
only a first step for many populations.
• Increasing the size of a declining or
small population requires a good deal of
knowledge about the biology of the
species.
Recovery Studies: Doing
Some Science
• Even in the highest quality preserves,
some species may not be maintaining
stationary or growing populations.
• Even populations that are stationary
may be small thus at high risk for
extinction.
• Determining best practices for recovery
efforts requires “doing some science.”
Recovery Study: Site
• Wolf Road Prairie is a 80 acre nature preserve of
which approximately 40 acres is managed as prairie
and savanna. Remainder is marsh and shrub
dominated “prairie”.
• Largest remnant of high-quality tallgrass prairie on
silt-loam soil in Illinois.
• 327 native taxa have been recorded as being present
in the area since 1973.
Recovery Study: Observations
• It is common practice to sow seeds of the plant
species as the major attempt at recovery.
• It is possible to transplant adult plants as a means of
promoting recovery.
• Little is known about the relative success of the
seeding versus transplant methods for promoting
recovery of a plant species in a prairie remnant.
Recovery Study: Experimental
Subject
• Great St. John’s
Wort is a perennial
forb that has a
complex life history.
• Only 1 plant was
known to exist at
Wolf Road Prairie in
1991; making it a
good subject for a
recovery project.
Qu i c k T i m e ™ a n d a
TIF F (Un c o m p re s s e d ) d e c o m p re s s o r
a re n e e d e d to s e e th i s p i c tu re .
Recovery Study: Experimental
Subject
• Great St. John’s Wort is
much less common in
Illinois than in Wisconsin.
• Its relative rarity and
fidelity to native plant
associations give it the
highest conservation
value (10).
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Recovery Study: Experimental
Subject
These are the various stages in the
reproductive life of Great St. John’s
Wort (Hyparicum pyramidatum).
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Life History Stages of Great
St. John’s Wort
Recovery Study: Question
Which life history stage of Great St.
John’s Wort is likely to have the highest
survivorship during the early years of a
recovery project?
Question: Which life history stage of Great St.
John’s Wort is likely to have the highest
survivorship during a recovery project?
Hypothesis: Transplants of adult plants are
more likely to survive than juvenile plants or
seedlings arising from stratified seeds.
Null Hypothesis: Survivorship of all life history
stages will be equal throughout the recovery
project.
Experimental Setup: Establish all three life
history stages of Great St. John’s Wort in the
UIC Greenhouse. Take to randomly selected
sites at WRP and transplant or sow seeds.
Record number of plants surviving for several
growing season.
Results:
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
• Conclusion: Recovery of Great St. John’s
Wort is best using vegetative stage year old
plants.
How effective is seeding as a
recovery method?
Seed s Sown at Wolf Ro ad Pra irie
N
u
100 0000
m
900 000
b
800 000
e
700 000
r
600 000
o 500 000
400 000
f
300 000
S 200 000
e 100 000
e
0
d
s
Great St John's Wort
998 000
760 500
676 083
345 391
118 575
163 998
199 3
199 4
199 5
199 6
199 7
416 667
358 333
199 8
199 9
200 0
Yea r Seed s Harvested
• Of the nearly 4 million seeds sown at WRP, only 30
adult flowering plants were known to be produced.
• Odds of getting from seed to flower were about a million
to one.
Restoration of Communities
(Ecosystems)
• The task of restoring communities
(ecosystems) is even more complex
than the task of recovery since the goal
is to enhance the survival of a larger
number of species.
• At UIC, we recognize three different
levels of community restoration.
Enhancement
• This level of activity focuses on only a few
native species that may require efforts at
recovery or reintroduction.
• Ecosystem level management techniques
place primacy on fire.
• An example is found at Woodworth
Prairie. Visit:
http://www.uic.edu/depts/bios/prairie/
Revitalization
• Focuses on a larger number of species
and modifications of the physical
environment.
• Native species are augmented by plants
and seeds from native plant gardens.
• Non-native species are targeted for
removal by cutting or herbiciding.
• Fire is used as a management tool.
• An example is Wolf Road Prairie. Visit:
http://www.savetheprairiesociety.org/
Reconstruction
• Works with land where native communities
have been replaced by non-native species.
• Efforts to reintroduce a large number of native
species and control populations of non-native
species.
• In addition to using fire, herbicides, mowing,
and cutting, hydrology returned to original
conditions.
• An example: Schulenberg Prairie. Visit:
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/sum
mer2000/schulenberg.html
Methods Used in an Upland
Buffer Restoration Project (I)
• 1. Remove invasive brush and nonnative trees.
• 2. Apply herbicide as necessary.
• 3. Convert areas of mowed turf grass
into propagation beds of native plants
• 4. Introduce around 1,000 individual
plants of about 40 species.
Methods Used in an Upland
Buffer Restoration Project (I)
• 5. Broadcast seeds into newly prepared
restoration areas.
• 6. Control weeds and water newly
planted plugs.
• 7. Conduct prescribed spring burns.
• 8. Collect seeds and continue
restoration activities for several years.
For more visit http://www.savetheprairiesociety.org/
RESORATION ECOLOGY
READINGS:
FREEMAN
Chapter 55