Transcript Community structure and environmental stress

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS
ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?
Dr. Wade Worthen
Biology Department
Furman University
sustainability: "a characteristic of a process
or state that can be maintained at a certain
level indefinitely"
- Wikipedia 2007
sustainability: "a characteristic of a
process or state that can be maintained
at a certain level indefinitely"
- Wikipedia 2007
-In an expanding system, there are always
more resources – sustainability is easy
- But in finite, bounded systems, resources will
decline and limit the rate of the process
UNLESS:
- they regenerate fast enough to meet demand
- But in finite, bounded systems, resources will
decline and limit the rate of the process
UNLESS:
- they regenerate fast enough to meet demand
- efficiency increases so less is needed
- But in finite, bounded systems, resources will
decline and limit the rate of the process
UNLESS:
- they regenerate fast enough to meet demand
- efficiency increases so less is needed
- another resource is substituted
sustainability: "a characteristic of a process
or state that can be maintained at a certain
level indefinitely"
- Wikipedia 2007
Human sustainability: "Meeting the needs of
the present generation without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their
needs."
-Brundtland Commission - 1987
WHAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE IN A FINITE, BOUNDED
SYSTEM?
WHAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE IN A FINITE, BOUNDED
SYSTEM?
Continuous
Growth…
WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE NOW?
WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE NOW?
(NOW being
the last 150
years!!!!
J. Muir
T. Roosevelt
A. Leopold
R. Carson
J. Cousteau)
our population has been growing dramatically… requiring
more and more of the planet’s resources
- 1 billion: ...to about 1850
- 2 billion: 1928 (about 78 yrs)
- 3 billion: 1960 (about 32 yrs)
- 5 billion: 1987 (about 13 yrs)
- currently 6.78 billion
- adding about 220,000 people a day….today….
- 1 billion: ...to about 1850
- 2 billion: 1928 (about 78 yrs)
- 3 billion: 1960 (about 32 yrs)
- 5 billion: 1987 (about 13 yrs)
- currently 6.78 billion
- adding about 220,000 people a day now
... and 1/2 are living on less than $2/day...
so there is already evidence that we are
not "sustaining" our population...
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the
cancer cell." - Edward Abbey
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the
cancer cell." - Edward Abbey
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the
cancer cell." - Edward Abbey
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the
cancer cell." - Edward Abbey
"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the
cancer cell." - Edward Abbey
Because of our large population and powerful
technologies, we are changing the characteristics of the
planet – the only planet – we depend upon for physical
and psychological sustenance and inspiration
Human domination of the Earth's ecosystems (Vitousek et al. 1997).
Over the last 150 years, more folks are realizing that:
We are stressing our life-support systems…
There is nowhere else to go…
We are all in this together.
Environmental
Sustainability...
"The term, in its current
usage, refers to the
potential longevity of
vital human ecological
life-support systems,
such as agriculture,
industry, forestry,
fisheries, urban, and
human communities in
general."
ECONOMY
SOCIETY
ENVIRONMENT
ECONOMY
"When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it
hitched to everything else in
the Universe."
- John Muir,
My First Summer in the
Sierra, 1911
SOCIETY
ENVIRONMENT
TODAY:
- our effects on the natural environment
- why that is important
- why biodiversity is important to sustainability
- what we can do to maintain biodiversity
- why we should appreciate biodiversity
Land transformation:
Forested Land – U. S.
National Forest | National Park
Land transformation:
Mountaintop removal in West Virginia
Humans are a geological force…
Human are affecting 83% of the land surface area of the
planet… converting forest to field and field to development
50% of the freshwater:
50% of the freshwater:
The Colorado,
like the Nile,
Yellow, and Rio
Grande, doesn’t
reach the ocean
for months each
year. All the
water is diverted.
50% of the freshwater:
The Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
Water diverted
for agriculture
in 1960; by
2007, Sea had
shrunk by 90%
50% of the freshwater:
The Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
- Salinization increased, killing the
productive fisheries industry
- Agricultural lands – salt increased 6X
by 1994 the productivity had dropped by
20-50%.
Marine Fisheries:
- Global fish catch is declining by 500,000 metric tons/yr from peak
in 1987 (Science, 2003).
- Predatory fish (tuna, salmon) and bottom fish (flounder, sole)
have decreased by 90%.
- Farmed fish are fed fish, so that doesn’t relieve the pressure
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
Highest in last 160,000 years….
(Entire history of Homo sapiens)
2009: 387 -
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
All of recent increase in last 200 yrs…
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
Plants can’t absorb it all…
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
2007 – lowest ever
1979
2003
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
- Icebergs calving off Ross
Shelf – April 2000
(B15 is 4,280 miles2 – about
the size of
CONNECTICUT….)
- Calving off the Larsen Ice
Shelf in 2002; it’s 50 miles
long and as big as Rhode
Island…
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
And we are a coastal species…
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
- Changes in
Plant
Growth:
Crops if CO2
at 550 ppm
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
And we will grow in just the wrong areas…
-Changes in
Plant
Growth:
Crops if CO2
at 550 ppm
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
And there may be some nasty non-linearities…
Permafrost is defined solely by
temperature. Any rock or soil
remaining at or below 0°C for
two or more years is permafrost.
Permafrost can contain 0- 30%
ice.
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
14% of the world’s organic carbon is
stored in permafrost. As the poles
warm (and they are warming faster than
anywhere else), this will thaw.
- and when it melts, marshes are
created where anaerobic bacteria
dominate, breaking the organics into
Methane, not CO2… and methane is a
worse greenhouse gas…
This is a type of threshold response
(not a gradual response), and would
involve positive feedback loops…the
warmer it gets, the more permafrost
melts, and the warmer it gets…
transfer of carbon to atmosphere
And there may be some nasty non-linearities…
BURP!
0
temp 0C
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
Things are hotter and drier…
In Western U.S., snow pack
has declined dramatically,
corresponding to a 30%-60%
reduction in stream water.
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
Things are hotter and drier…
In Western U.S., snow pack
has declined dramatically,
corresponding to a 30%-60%
reduction in stream water.
Snowmelt begins much
earlier; making spring floods
and drier summers. Service,
2004. Science 303:1124-1127.
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
Things are hotter and drier…
In Western U.S., snow pack
has declined dramatically,
corresponding to a 30%-60%
reduction in stream water.
Snowmelt begins much
earlier; making spring floods
and drier summers. Service,
2004. Science 303:1124-1127.
And what might you expect
as the land gets hotter and
drier??
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
More fires…
Increase in fire frequency and size over the last 10
years…$3 billion to fight fires in the west, 2X amount
ten years ago
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
And this will affect other organisms…
-Change in Ocean Food Webs:
- Phytoplankton have shifted
northward in Atlantic with
warming of surface waters.
-They provide ½ global NPP
-They are critical to food webs
-Shift north may affect
zooplankton and perhaps major
fisheries.
Richardson and Schoeman, 2004,
Science 305:1609-1612
We are affecting the climate of the planet:
And this will affect other organisms…
- Adding CO2 to atmosphere creates carbonic acid in
water
- Acidification of sea water reduces calcium
carbonate production by marine organisms
(coccolithophores, corals, molluscs.)
Orr, et al., 2005. Nature. 437:681-686.
Our growth, in our bounded system, is at the cost
of other species
• 40% of primary productivity (E)
Madagascar
Our growth, in our bounded system, is at the cost
of other species
• 40% of primary productivity (E)
Massive extinction should
be no surprise
TODAY:
- our effects on the planetary environment
- why that is important
- why biodiversity is important to sustainability
- what we can do to maintain biodiversity
- why we should appreciate biodiversity
What do we want for the future?
-
What do we want for the future?
-
What do we want for the future?
-
“I want world
peace…”
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
-
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
“Democracy is the
government of the
people, by the people, for
the people…”
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
- stable, moral governments
-
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
- stable, moral governments
-
Woohoo!!
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
- stable, moral governments
- stable, productive economies
-
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
- stable, moral governments
- stable, productive economies
-
What do we want for the future?
- World Peace
- stable, moral governments
- stable, productive economies
- stable, productive food supplies
How can we get there?
- A stable, productive food supply
Stable, productive economies
Stable, productive, moral governments
Peace and happiness for our children
How can we get there?
stable food supply
productive economies
Happy people
stable, moral governments
To achieve ONE goal, we must achieve ALL goals...
Wouldn’t it be nice?
I want environmental,
economic, and social
sustainability to
achieve world peace!
It won’t be easy…..
ECONOMY
SOCIETY
Remember why?
ENVIRONMENT
For example…
“Save the Amazon rainforest!!!!”
How does Brazil get out from under it's
huge international debt?
What to do with the unemployed and urban
poor? (22% live on less than $2)
Unemployment
Solution - offer them land to settle in the
Amazon
but there is rampant exploitation - relocate
poor to servitude of others
These are incredibly TOUGH,
COMPLEX problems....
but they won't just go away if
we ignore them...
TODAY:
- our effects on the planetary environment
- why that is important
- why biodiversity is important to sustainability
- what we can do to maintain biodiversity
- why we should appreciate biodiversity
Why is biodiversity important?
The earth is truly a living planet; life changes the
conditions of the earth.
Releases oxygen to the atmosphere
Transfers carbon to the lithosphere
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Hydro/Lithosphere
Why is biodiversity important?
The earth is truly a living planet; life changes the
conditions of the earth.
Releases oxygen to the atmosphere
Transfers carbon to the lithosphere
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Hydro/Lithosphere
Life:
• Cleans our water
• Makes our food
• Cleans our air
And we are learning that diversity improves
ecosystem function
Why is ecosystem function important?
Why is ecosystem function important?
Estimates of various Ecosystem Services - $U.S. trillions
Ecosystem services
Value
(trillion $US)
Soil formation
Recreation
Nutrient cycling
Water regulation and supply
Climate regulation (temperature and
precipitation)
Habitat
Flood and storm protection
17.1
3.0
2.3
2.3
Food and raw materials production
0.8
Genetic resources
Atmospheric gas balance
Pollination
All other services
0.8
0.7
0.4
1.6
Total value of ecosystem services
33.3
1.8
1.4
1.1
Source: Adapted from R. Costanza et al., “The Value of the World’s
Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital,” Nature, Vol. 387 (1997), p. 256,
Table 2. TOTAL GLOBAL GNP (1997) = 18 trillion.
Productivity is the energy that an organism
absorbs and stores as tissue – as
biomass/growth. (And not the energy that the
organism spends to move or keep their cells
alive…).
So, for humans, ecosystem productivity is food.
Biodiversity INCREASES productivity
Biodiversity INCREASES productivity
- Niche Complementarity – different species
use different things; more productivity with
less competition.
- Positive Effects
Some species have beneficial effects on
others, and so their presence promotes
diversity and productivity.
Monoculture
They all need the same things
at the same concentrations;
they compete.
Niche Complementarity
Monoculture
Polyculture
They all need the same things Combinations of different plants can be
at the same concentrations;
planted at higher density, and they use
they compete.
different "niches" and coexist. Even if
abundance of "most productive" species
drops, this loss can be offset.
Positive Effects
Monoculture
They all need the same things
at the same concentrations;
they compete.
Polyculture
without
beans
with
beans
Nitrogen fixing legumes (beans)
nutrify the soil, increasing the growth
of other plants. And you have beans!
Diversity INCREASES productivity
Diversity can increase stability
Diversity INCREASES productivity
Diversity can increase stability
Diverse communities are less
susceptible to one particular disturbance
(like one species of pest, or fire, or flood),
because multiple species are unlikely to be
sensitive to the same thing.
We are dependent on the environment
for food and resources. Ideally, we
would like a STABLE, PRODUCTIVE
supply of these resources.... right??
(We don't want "boom and bust", "feast
and famine" scenarios....)
STABILITY
????????
PRODUCTIVITY
We are dependent on the environment
for food and resources. Ideally, we
would like a STABLE, PRODUCTIVE
supply of these resources.... right??
(We don't want "boom and bust", "feast
and famine" scenarios....)
STABILITY
DIVERSITY
…riiight… : )
PRODUCTIVITY
TODAY:
- our effects on the natural environment
- why that is important
- why biodiversity is important to sustainability
- what we can do to maintain biodiversity?
- why should we appreciate biodiversity?
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
Area Effects
CARNIVORES
HERBIVORES
PLANTS
LARGE AREA OF HABITAT
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
Carnivores can’t be supported; competition reduces
diversity among herbivores, plants overgrazed.
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
- Larger areas lose fewer species over time
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
- Larger areas lose fewer species over time
- Larger areas are less susceptible to
disturbance
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
- Larger areas lose fewer species over time
- Larger areas are less susceptible to
disturbance
- Larger areas recover more rapidly after
disturbance
So, how do we preserve biodiversity?
- Larger areas have more species than small
areas
- Larger areas lose fewer species over time
- Larger areas are less susceptible to
disturbance
- Larger areas recover more rapidly after
disturbance
- How large is large?
Bigger than these……
We need to rethink our model of community…
nature
nature
Development
Development
Development
Development
And we need to care…
TODAY:
- our effects on the natural environment
- why that is important
- why biodiversity is important to sustainability
- what we can do to maintain biodiversity?
- why should we appreciate biodiversity?
nature is important to each person, even at
an unconscious level.
Biophilia:
We are interested in living things…
Biophilia:
There is an adaptive benefit to this interest that
has been selected for over hominid evolution…
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
A ‘first alphabet’ book…..
‘A’ is for _____________.
‘B’ is for _____________.
‘C’ is for _____________.
‘D’ is for _____________.
‘E’ is for _____________.
‘F’ is for _____________.
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
A ‘first alphabet’ book…..
‘A’ is for _____________.
- antidisestablishmentarianism?
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
A ‘first alphabet’ book…..
‘A’ is for _____________.
- antidisestablishmentarianism?
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
A ‘first alphabet’ book…..
‘A’ is for _____________.
‘B’ is for _____________.
‘C’ is for _____________.
‘D’ is for _____________.
‘E’ is for _____________.
‘F’ is for _____________.
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
Adjectives and similes…..
Sly as _________
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
Adjectives and similes…..
Sly as _________ an Enron executive?
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
Adjectives and similes…..
Sly as _________
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Language
Adjectives and similes…..
busy as __________?
Strong as ________ ?
Weak as _________ ?
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities –
Language
Verbs:
To ‘cow’
To ‘quail’
To ‘clam up’ To ‘weasel’
To ‘outfox’ To ‘hound’
To ‘hog’
To ‘grouse’
To ‘fawn’
To ‘buffalo’
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities –
Language
Trivial examples or basic, fundamental examples?
Summary –
“Human intelligence is bound to the presence of
animals. They are the means by which cognition
takes shape and they are the instruments for
imagining abstract ideas and qualities… they are
basic to the development of speech and thought.”
-Shepard 1978
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Religion
Animals are central to the myths that give our
lives meaning and our culture context.
In particular, the serpent figures
prominently as an icon of power,
knowledge, life, and death.
Egyptians – the Earth as an
Egg, grasped by a serpent
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Religion
Middle East – Judaism – Eve and the serpent
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Religion
Greeks – Gaia (Earth) was protected by her son,
Python, who lived at the center of the world and
held it together
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Religion
Australian aboriginal culture – the rainbow
serpent – art dates from 6000 years ago
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities Religion
Aztecs – Quetzalcoatl, the ‘bird-serpent’ or
“feathered serpent”
Evidence for Biophilia in the Humanities –
Summary
"Animals are far more fundamental to our thinking
than we supposed. They are not just a part of the
fabric of thought: they are a part of the loom."
(Peter Steinhart, 1989).
(Native American
ouroboric image)
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Sociology
Animals are our cultural icons, we use them for tribal
affiliation, both trivial….
NFL Football Team Mascots:
Cardinals
Ravens
Panthers
Bengals
Lions
Jaguars
Eagles
Rams
Falcons
Bills
Bears
Broncos
Colts
Dolphins
Seahawks
15 of 32 teams (not that it helps….)
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Sociology
And significant…
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Psychology
- phobias are usually related to natural cues:
(snakes, spiders, water, closed spaces, heights)
(and other primates that encounter snakes are
ophidophobes)
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Psychology
- even though cultures have produced more deadly
risks
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Psychology
-habitat selection – humans with the resources build
homes on promontories near water, with a view
The Vanderbilt Estate, “The Breakers”, Newport, RI
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Psychology
Societies construct gardens, parks, and green
spaces in urban environments – like Central Park,
NYC.
Evidence for Biophilia in the Social Sciences Psychology
We need nature, and we take it with us into manmade environments; it is a part of what we are, and it
has shaped who we are and how we identify
ourselves, individually and collectively.
Tokyo
Rooftop Garden,
Tokyo
Evidence of Biophilia in the Natural Sciences Physiology
- contact with people helps development and healing
- contact with animals helps stress and healing, and
gives us someone who depends upon us.
Evidence of Biophilia in the Natural Sciences Physiology
- vistas - people with a natural view are less
stressed and are more productive.
- inner city children with a view of a park are able to
concentrate in school and are better learners.
What are the ramifications of biophilia?
Humans need nature as a reference to completely
express our humanity. It is at once the “other” and
the “self”.
To lose it, or to simplify it, will profoundly affect
what and who we are.
“It is interesting to contemplate an
entangled bank, clothed with many plants of
many kinds…
“with birds singing on the bushes, with
various insects flitting about, and with
worms crawling through the damp earth…
“and to reflect that these elaborately
constructed forms, so different from each
other, and dependent on each other in so
complex a manner….
“have all been produced by laws acting
around us…There is grandeur in this view of
life, with its several powers, having been
originally breathed into a few forms or
one….
“and that, whilst this planet has gone
cycling on according to the fixed law of
gravity, from so simple a beginning endless
forms most beautiful and most wonderful
have been, and are being, evolved.”
Charles Darwin, 1859, “The Origin of Species”
If we recognize the grandeur, we might
appreciate it…
If we appreciate it, we might value it…
If we value it, we might sustain it…
If we sustain it, we might be able to sustain
our societies and economies, as well.
ECONOMY
SOCIETY
ENVIRONMENT
If we don’t, we won’t…