Conservation Biology: Defining and Ethics

Defining Conservation Biology (Lecture 2)

• Current extinctions are largely caused by humans, differing from past mass extinctions
• Human population growth significantly impacts biodiversity loss
• Conservation biology is a multidisciplinary field addressing the urgent need to preserve species and ecosystems

Conservation Biology Actions

• Documenting biodiversity
• Examining human impacts
• Creating strategies for species preservation, genetic diversity, and ecosystem rejuvenation
• Environmentalism translates knowledge from conservation biology into activism and policy

Ethics in Conservation

• Preservationist ethic: Natural areas possess intrinsic spiritual and aesthetic value, advocating for nature to be untouched
• Resource conservation ethic: Natural resource use should aim for "the greatest good for the greatest number," balancing human needs with environmental preservation through sustainable use
• Land ethic: Emphasizes ecosystem interconnectedness, advocating for sustainable land use practices that maintain biotic community health, stability, and beauty
• Environmental ethic: Highlights the moral obligation to protect the natural environment from harmful human impact

Foundations and Waves of Conservation

• Intrinsic Value: Every species has a right to exist.
• Instrumental Value: Practical benefits to humans
• Science and Collaboration: Conservation relies on scientific knowledge and collaborative efforts
• Canada's conservation history shifted from economic interests in early national parks to broader environmental concerns and corporate partnerships

Consequences of Habitat Change and Threats to Biodiversity (Lecture 3)

• Exponential human population growth increases environmental pressures and resource needs
• Farming leads to major habitat destruction and eutrophication
• Consumption Crisis: excessive consumption in wealthy countries intensifies environmental problems
• I=PAT: Wealthier countries with advanced technology contribute more to environmental damage
• Globalization: Consumption impacts environmental degradation in other regions
• Ecological/carbon footprint measures human impact, revealing consumption outweighs pop size in developed countries

Habitat Destruction Causes and Ecosystem Impacts

• Agriculture is a major driver of habitat destruction
• Dams, deforestation, and commodity-driven activities pose significant threats
• Ecosystem impacts include deforestation leading to rainfall reduction in tropical deciduous forests
• Grassland loss affects groundwater discharge and climate change mitigation
• Freshwater habitats/wetlands destruction impacts water purification and flood prevention
• Marine coastal area degradation, including mangrove loss, reduces climate resiliency and habitats
• Coral reefs decline due to warming, overfishing, and pollution, which transition fertile land to desert

Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation

• Habitat fragmentation is caused by roads, floods, and rural development
• Edge effects disrupt natural balance, favoring invasive species and impacting species needing large habitats
• Barriers hinder species in securing food and mates
• Understanding broad implications of habitat fragmentation requires meta-analysis
• Even small pesticide residues can harm ecosystems, requiring careful chemical management
• Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of toxins over time
• Biomagnification increases toxin concentrations up trophic levels
• Pollution: microplastics, acid rain, and eutrophication require prevention via nutrient runoff management

Extinction Risks (Lecture 4)

• Extinction is the complete species loss impacting ecosystems

Extinction Interventions

• Deextinction: Technology can revive extinct species
• Fungal Diseases: Emerging diseases are very impactful and are considered invasive
• Conservation efforts can maintain species in captivity when extinct in the wild
• Removing species from some areas when they survive elsewhere disrupts regional ecosystems
• Local extinctions indicate environmental problems

Extinction Classifications

• Functionally Extinct: The species no longer contributes to ecosystem health
• Sixth Mass Extinction: Human activity drives unprecedented biodiversity loss
• Island Species: Particularly vulnerable and a conservation priority
• Islands: Biodiversity hotspots with unique ecosystems Larger Islands: Support greater biodiversity
• Fragmentation: Island formation is a form of habitat fragmentation
• Conservation: Factors help allocate limited research funds

Extinction Debts

• Zombie Species: Many face delayed extinction
• Habitat Fragmentation: Causes extinction debt
• High Priority: Zombie species are high priority

Measuring and Understanding Extinction

• Measuring extinction rates helps understand human impact
• Background Extinction: Baseline rates compared to human-influenced rates
• Biases: Extinctions are biased by research effort and species studied
• Species extinction is intricately linked to habitat availability and connectivity
• Habitat Destruction: Is the biggest driver of extinctions, requiring conservation strategies focused on connectivity
• Extinction Predictions: Can be mitigated somewhat by conservation strategies

Vulnerability to Extinction

• Past is the best predictor of future extinction
• Species with narrow ranges and few populations are particularly vulnerable
• Human Activities: Overharvesting is a big threat
• Extinction Risk: Body size and reproductive traits influence extinction risk
• Migration: Disrupted migration leads to decline
• Dams: Affect migration and are difficult to manage when migration occurs over different territories

Vulnerable Populations and Risks

• Social structures and group behaviors exacerbate extinction rates
• Climate change disproportionately affects already vulnerable species
• Small Populations: extinction risks include genetic drift and inbreeding depression
• Cheetahs: Underwent genetic bottlenecks, showing risks of low genetic variability if populations are negatively affected
• Demographic/Env Stochasticity: Small changes to births, mortality, or random environmental has big effects
• Allee Effect: Requires a high population density to be successful
• Extinction Vortex: Combination of genetic drift, inbreeding, and env pressures

Population Size and Restoration

• The effective population size is often smaller than the total size, leading to faster loss of genetic diversity
• Conservation strategies include assisted migration and captive breeding

Climate Change and Biodiversity Threats (Lecture 5)

• Biodiversity: Includes ecosystems, species and genetic diversity
• Supports human ecosystem services, climate regulation, soil fertility, and disease control
• Loss weakens ecosystem services and makes them less resilient

HIPPO - Ultimate Villain of Biodiversity

• Hippo: Habitat Destruction, Invasive Species, Pollution, Population Growth, and Overexploitation These threats combine to affect climate change and speeds up loss of biodiversity
• Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, deforestation are caused by burning fossil fuels
• Greenhouse Effect: Traps heat, causing global warming
• Anticipated Additional Increase: 1.5-4.5 degrees Celsius rise by 2100 which will disrupt habitats and species survival Altered Migration and repro timing
• Inability of species to adapt Shifting Species Distribution: Shifts due to warming Dramatic Climatic Events: Habitat destruction, disrupted life cycles and higher mortality rates. Polar Vulnerability: Affects Artic and Antarctic species and impacts ecosystems. Ocean Acidification: Affects marine life and fisheries Deforestation: Contributes to climate change and increases wildfires

Issues surrounding Invasive Species

• Invasive Species: disrupt local ecosystems because global activity promotes a larger area of distribution
• Invaders Impact: Outcompete for food/prey on/induce disease
• Ships: Ships transport ballast water, carrying invasive species across oceans
• Zebra Mussels and Great lakes: Outcompete natives and impact water chemistry
• White Nose Syndrome: Fungal disease which kills bats
• Wild Fires: Help invasive species spread creating a clean slate
• Globally: they alter food webs and create habitat destruction.

Habitat Threats and Sustainable Management

• Cause damage to crops, infrastructure, and fisheries like Emerald Ash Borer.
• Human Population Growth: resource consumption, habitat destruction, and pollution.
• Sixths: Expanding cities take up habitable land for wildlife
• Ecosystem Fragmentation: Urban sprawl splits ecosystems
• Over use of resources which harms food, water and energy.
• Agriculture development reduces land
• Family planning and Sustainable Resource Use can help population
• Disrupts Survival and Ecosystem Functions by Air- Smog, Light and Water

Harmful Pollutants

• Air: reduces plant growth and increases respiratory issues
• Light: Disruption to nocturnal species
• Plastics, Nutrients and Heavy metals cause toxicity and death
• Unbalanced nutrient run off: Eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems
• Unsustainable resource use: Leads to over exploitation when there are increased demands and an effective use of machines.
• Overfishing: Damages Marine areas
• Deforestation: driven by timber agriculture.

Sustaining Conservation

• Manage current needs without impacting long term.
• Laws and regulations promote sustainability

Applied Population Biology & Conservation Categories (Lecture 6)

• Key to monitoring populations and species through different environmental aspects
• Foundation of conservation through underlaying dynamics
• Study designs require the need to know data and collect it in real time
• Biotic Interactions: Need to understand populations
• Understanding what action to take and when
• Natural Fluctuation: Understanding History

IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature

• Critically Endangered vs Threatened
• Conservation success determined between the range size and the effects it causes
• PVA: Population Variability and abundance assists through conservation efforts
• Long term survival: MVP is vital, so is the MDA
• Red List: Tracking the change
• Understanding Species: Some are unclassified
• Decision Prioritization: Conservation decision driven through areas of interest

Rapid Assessment Programs (RAPs) & Conserving Ecosystems

• Conserving success requires the ecosystem through which species have a relationship
• Wildlife: Last refuge
• Conserving: Helps combat climate change by preserving carbon
• Conserving success requires to weigh trade offs of conservation of different ecosystems

Restoring Wildlife Populations (Lecture 7)

• Ex situ conservation: relocating animals at different zoological parks, botanical gardens, and gene banks
• In Situ Conservation: relocating animals at national parks & sanctuaries
• Reproduction methods: Reintroduction
• Assisted Colonization: Helping populations migrate
• Improve survival rates by soft release
• Conservation methods should include maintaining genetic diversity and habitat matching.