Conversation Biology

• Biodiversity: number, types, and abundance of species in a given location or no earth
• Three level of diversity: genetic, species, ecosystems
• Genetic Diversity: variation within and between population
• Species diversity : variety of species in ecosystem/biosphere
• Ecosystem diversity: variety of ecosystems in biosphere
• Endangered species can change a ecosystem
• extirpation: species extinct in a specific region of the world
• Benefits of diversity: increases natural selection that help become more fit, and the process that humans derive to benefit them
• Threats to biodiversity: habitat loss, invasive species(no constraints), over harvesting of wild animals, and extinction
• MVP: minimum size for population to sustain itself
• most important members are those who breed
• Small population approach: extinction vortex occurs
• Extinction vortex: loss of genetic variability due to genetic drift and inbreeding
• Declining population approach: focus on declining population even if not at MVP and identify factor that cause decline
• Landscape conservation: several different ecosystems linked by exchanges of energy, matter, and organisms
• Fragmentation: Habitat broken into smaller pieces, increase amount if edges
• Edge: boundary between ecosystems
• Movement corridor: narrow strip that connects habitat fragments and allows movement between them
• The advantage to movement corridor is promotion of gene flow and reduces inbreeding
• The disadvantage of movement corridor is that it can promote spread of disease
• Hotspot: small area with many endangered species, very difficult to identify, HS for one species may not be one of another
• Nature perseveres: protected areas of biodiversity
• Management policy consideration for nature preserves: natural disturbances and SLOSS( single large or several small)
• Urban Ecology: a city expanding incorporates protected areas previously outside of city
• Species conservation in cities promote genetic and species diversity
• Effects of nutrient enrichment: farming and fertilizers
• Farming: plants are harvested and natural store of nutrients are eventually exhausted
• Fertilizers: increase amount of fixed nitrogen in soil and sometimes load increases nitrogenous materials that harm the environment
• Excess nitrogenous material leach into groundwater making it unsafe to drink. Also run off into aquatic environment and kill off fish(eutrophication)
• Biological magnification: accumulated toxins more concentrated in successive trophic levels and might lead to a species dying
• Greenhouse gases increase global temptress, that effects the biomes and species