Conservation Biology Outcomes

Study Notes

Predict population fate based on changes in size, genetic diversity, and inbreeding depression.
Propose conservation strategies for declining populations.
Calculate effective population size based on active breeders and provide recommendations for park managers.
Justify "no intervention" policies in national parks using ecological principles.
Categorize conservation strategies based on diversity targets.
Explain the importance of biodiversity.
Identify at-risk taxa using population ecology criteria.
Describe human impacts on ecosystem communities.
Explain species inability to adapt to climate change.

Small populations (bottlenecks) are prone to extinction due to inbreeding and genetic drift.
Inbreeding depression reduces fitness.
Loss of genetic variation hinders adaptation to environmental changes.
This creates a positive feedback loop (extinction vortex).
Population size reduction further increases the risk of extinction.
A decrease in fitness leads to lower reproduction and higher mortality.
This continued cycle results in smaller and smaller populations with a reduced capacity to adapt and survive.

Ne is the size of an idealized, randomly mating population with the same level of heterozygosity as the population of interest.
Heterozygosity is the fraction of individuals in a population that are heterozygous for a particular locus.
Ne= N if population size is constant, balanced sex ratio, and all individuals contribute equally to the next generation.
Ne is often smaller than the actual population size (N) due to unequal contributions to the next generation or imbalanced sex ratios.
This means that some individuals breed more often or have more offspring than others, affecting genetic variation and increasing inbreeding risk.
Minimum Viable Population (MVP) considers population size, range, mortality rate, and reproductive age when determining the minimum viable size that can sustain a population.

Habitat loss: Fragmentation, agricultural conversion, and urbanization can create isolated habitat patches impacting species that can't adapt or disperse.
Invasive species: Introduced species disrupt community balance, leading to competition for resources, predation, or parasitism.
Overharvesting: Excessive hunting, fishing, or harvesting prevents population recovery, leading to a reduced capacity to rebound.
Pollution: Chemical contamination (nitrogen and phosphate) can trigger algal blooms, depleting oxygen and hurting aquatic life.
Acid precipitation: Sulphur oxides react with water to create sulfuric acid, lowering the pH of lakes, affecting fish populations.
Biomagnification: Toxic substances accumulate in higher trophic levels, increasing concentrations in top predators.
Global warming: Greenhouse gases increase the Earth's average temperature, threatening species unable to disperse or adapt

Genetic Diversity: variation within and between populations. Loss of genetic diversity reduces adaptability and increases extinction risk.
Species Diversity: variety of species in an ecosystem or region. Ecosystem collapse can result in species loss.
Ecosystem Diversity: variety of ecosystems. Alterations in ecosystems can disrupt functions, and species interactions leading to species decline
Three categories that classify conservation status: collapsed, critically endangered, and endangered.
Human activities disrupt trophic structures and energy flow, causing chemical cycling problems, and altering ecosystem services.
Habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and overharvesting also threaten biodiversity.

Understanding species interactions and ecological processes crucial
Prioritize biodiversity hotspots, which are small areas with many endemic species and endangered species.
Conservation strategies include captive breeding programs, establishing zoned reserves, maintaining habitats, and implementing "no intervention" policies (where appropriate) for natural disturbances like fires.
Conservation initiatives often focus on protecting natural processes and entire ecosystems rather than individual species.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) maintains a Red List to assess global conservation status of species.
COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) evaluates species conservation status and provides recommendations to the Canadian government.
Data collection is ongoing, and conservation efforts are improved via international collaboration and shared best practices to protect species with broader distribution.

Humans depend on biodiversity for resources (food, fuel, materials, medicine).
Natural communities offer critical ecosystem services (water purification, pollution control, climate regulation, recovery from natural disasters).
There are compelling emotional, cultural, and spiritual reasons to preserve biodiversity which represents a rich genetic heritage from a vast past timeline.