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Lecture 5, 8 Sept 2009Biodiversity

Conservation BiologyECOL 406R/506R

University of ArizonaFall 2009

Kevin BonineMary Jane Epps

2nd Lab Friday 11 Sept 1pm northwest corner BSE

506 meet 9am Wed in BSE129

Biodiversity ReadingsPrimack Ch2, Myers et al. 2000Primack Ch3Costanza et al. 1997Driessen 2004Primack Ch4

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Biodiversity (Biological Diversity)

“structural and functional variety of life forms at genetic, population, community, and ecosystem levels”

4 5Miller 2003

Evolution of Life o

n Earth

6Miller 2003

Major Extinction Events 7

Groom et al. 2006

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Miller 2003

Adaptive Radiation

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10http://hawaiiconservation.org/conservationresources.asp (2003)328 as of Sept 2007

1113513051046Grand Total

744146598Plant Subtotal

202Lichens

26224Ferns and Allies

312Conifers and Cycads

713143570Flowering Plants

607159448Animal Subtotal

220Corals

22319Crustaceans

12012Arachnids

571047Insects

751164Snails

70862Clams

1396574Fishes

231013Amphibians

372413Reptiles

891475Birds

811269Mammals

Total ListingsThreatenedEndangered

United States

Group

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Sep

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Hawaiian Endangered SpeciesUnfortunately, Hawai‘i has the highest number of listed threatened and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of Hawai‘i, of which 294 are plants, 57 invertebrates, and 43 vertebrates.

http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/wesa/endspindex.html#Hawaiian 13

What is biodiversity?

Primack 2006, Fig 3.6

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Scientific AmericanNovember 2001

~12-14 milliontotal species(50-90% intropical forests)

~1.7 identified

most

least

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How many species on earth?

Primack 2006, Fig 3.6

16Primack 2006

Research Focus?

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Tara Oceans

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Biodiversity

1. Genetic(nat. sel.)

2. Species

3. Ecologicalforests, deserts, lakes, wetlands, reefs etc.

4. Functionalenergy flownutrient cyclingetc.

Fig 2-13 Miller 2003

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Levels of BiologicalOrganization.

Scaling.

Miller, 2003

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20Groom et al. 2006

Biodiversity

1. Genetic

2. Population/Species

3. Community/Ecosystem

4. Landscape

CompositionStructureFunction

21Pimm and Jenkins 2005

Where is biodiversity?One tree in Peru with same ant diversity as Britain

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Species Richness and Latitude

Altitude?Primack 2006 23

Van Dyke 2003

24Primack 2006

TropicalRainforests

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Primack 2006

Coral Reefs

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Lissamphibia

Urodela(salamanders)

10 families, 60 genera, 516 spp.Ambystoma californiense

Ambystoma tigrinum

Unken reflexFig. 13.5

Stebbins and Cohen, 1995

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Urodela families

Pough et al. 2004

Sirenidae Hynobiidae

Salamandridae

(only 1 of 10 not found in U.S.)

28Pough et al. 2004

Urodela families

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PlethodontidaeProteidae

Pough et al. 2004

Urodela families

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What factors correlated with high diversity?

• Energy• Precipitation• Temperature• Area• Habitat heterogeneity (e.g., foliage height and birds)

• ~Stable environment• Moderate (intermediate) disturbance level

(shifting mosaic, no climax)

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Energy (one way)waste heat = entropy

Everything else cycles

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Resistancemaintain same state despiteongoing disturbance

Vs.

Resiliencereturn to original state quicklyfollowing disturbance

Ecosystem Integrity

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Distribution andAbundance

Other Miller 2003

34Range of tolerance of abiotic factor(s)

Miller, 2003

Distribution and Abundance

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Terrestrial Biomes

(Forest, Desert, Grassland, Tundra, etc.)Biotic (~Vegetative) Communities

Climate1. Temperature2. Precipitation(3. Soil type)

- Latitude- Altitude

Miller 2003 3-5

36Groom et al. 2006 37

Van Dyke 2003

Species-Area Relationship

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Van Dyke 2003

Woodlots vs. contiguous forest

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Myers et al. 2000, Nature44% vascular plants, 35% tetrapods

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25 Hotspots

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Criteria for Hotspots?(at least 0.5% vascular plants; tetrapods; lost 70% habitat)

How decide if threatened?

Why so many Islands?

Invertebrates?Microbes?

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Leading Hotspots (Endemics)

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Endemics per unit area

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Congruence

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Eight Hottest Hotspots

Paper Parks?

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Conservation Costs?$500 million annually to protect 25 hotspots$40+ million annually in past decade$250 million to go to Mars (biodiversity!)$1.5 trillion in anti-biodiversity subsidies

$War

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What is a species?

Is ‘species’ a useful designation?

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Species = ?

Biological Species Concept (Mayr)“a group of interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups”

2-morphological/typological species concept (plants)3-evolutionary species concept4-genetic species concept5-paleontological species concept6-cladistic species concept

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Biological Species Concept1. Testable and operational2. Definition compatible with established

legal concepts3. Focus on level of biodiversity that agrees

with tradition of conservation

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Campbell 1993

Ernst Mayr (1904-2005)Published papers for > 80 years 51Ernst Mayr interviewed in Campbell 1993