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The Importance of
Conserving
Invertebrates
Presentation
prepared by E. Nichols
and S. Spector
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This material is based on work supported by the National
Science Foundation under the Course, Curriculum and
Laboratory Improvement program (NSF 0127506), and the
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The Importance of Conserving
Invertebrates
What are invertebrates?
Dominant
Diverse
96% of all animal species
• Life histories
74% of all known species
• Body forms
>85% of all animal
biomass
• Ecological niches
Unknown
• Number of species within
an order of magnitude
• Habitat requirements
• Conservation status
Phylum
Over 1,207,900 described species
≈10 million estimated undescribed
insect species alone
34 of 37 phyla of life on earth
Invertebrates
Plants
Vertebrates
Other
Eucarya
Fungi
Micrognathozoa
Placozoa
Cycliophora
Priapulida
Acoelomorpha
Orthonectida
Orthonectida
Phoronida
Loricifera
Rhombozoa
Gnathostomulida
Chaetognatha
Ctenophora
Hemichordata
Onychophora
Entoprocta
Kinorhyncha
Nematomorpha
Sipuncula
Gastrotricha
Brachiopoda
Tardigrada
Acanthocephala
Myxozoa
Nemertea
Rotifera
Bryozoa
Porifera
Echinodermata
Cnidaria
Annelida
Nematoda
Platyhelminthes
Mollusca
Arthropoda
# Described
1
1
3
17
18
20
20
20
21
75
80
100
100
100
110
150
150
320
320
450
500
750
1,150
1,200
1,200
2,000
5,000
5,000
7,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
20,000
112,000
1,000,000
How many invertebrates on
that list did you already
know?
What’s in a name?
– Is familiarity a prerequisite
for conservation?
Example
• Velvet worms
• +200 species
• Restricted to the
tropics
• Highly threatened
• Habitat requirements
broadly unknown
Example
•
•
•
•
Flatworms
+25,000 known species
Parasitic and free-living
Marine, freshwater, and
terrestrial
• Range in size from nearly
microscopic to > 20m
Example
• Water bears
• +900 known species
• Found in lichen,
mosses, beach sands,
and soils
• Can withstand extreme
cold, heat, radiation,
and dehydration
• Tiny, 0.1 - 1.5mm long
• Invertebrate distributions range from
widespread to highly restricted
Example
• Some parasites follow the global distributions of
their host species
• Many human parasites are expanding their
ranges
– Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)
– Ancyclostoma duodenale and Necator americanus
(hookworm)
– Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm)
• Aren’t widespread taxa
less likely to be
threatened?
• Not always - several
examples of
widespread species
extinctions are
documented, usually
as a consequence of
loss of critical habitat
•Rocky Mountain Locust
(Melanoplus spretus)
–Swarms of up to 3.5 trillion
individuals
–Extinct in 1902
Example
• Other species are narrow habitat specialists
• Bone-eating Osedax worms
–
–
–
–
Marine annelids
2 species, discovered in 2002
Restricted to the carcasses of dead whales
Microscopic males live inside females
Example
• Obligate parasites face
special conservation concern
• Neotrichodectes sp (the
ferret louse)
– Obligate on black footed ferrets
(Mustella nigripes)
– Likely extinct following:
• Ferret population crash
• Subsequent delousing of captive
ferret populations
• Invertebrate ecological
interactions and processes
are fundamental to every
ecosystem on earth
• We value many of these
functions
• Utilitarian value- values for
humans and other
organisms
– Direct Use
– Indirect Use
• Intrinsic value- the inherent
value of being
• Direct Use
– Ecosystem Goods
• Food
• Materials
• Medicines
• Indirect Use
– Ecosystem Functions
& Services
•
•
•
•
•
Pollination
Trophic regulation
Ecosystem engineering
Educational tools
Cultural significance
Do invertebrates only interact
‘positively’ with humans?
Plant pests and diseases decrease
the quantity and quality of crop and
livestock production and increase
the costs of agricultural products
Human invertebrate vectored and
transmitted diseases cause
widespread mortality and morbidity
disproportionately felt by the poor
Utilitarian
Value
Direct Use
Invertebrates form a major component of the human diet
– Tasty
– Culturally significant
– High in protein
Most edible invertebrates
are marine - commanding
higher prices than fishbased fisheries
Echinoderms - sea cucumber, sea urchins
Crustaceans - shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish
Insects - >1,200 edible species - caterpillars, beetles,
ants
Mollusks - squid, oysters, clams, octopus, mussels
Utilitarian
Value
Direct Use
Invertebrates have long been popular as personal artifacts
–
–
–
–
Cultural significance
Beauty
Sessile nature
Perception of abundance
All factors which have
contributed to the
harvesting and overharvesting of invertebrates
Decor - tourism trinkets, combs, sinks, nacre inlays
Jewelry - pearls, coral, beetle elytra, shells
Buttons - abalone, freshwater mussels, oysters
Utilitarian
Value
Direct Use
Invertebrates are turned into industrial additives and
products
Shellac - Laccifer lacca. Wood, hairspray, pills, records
Dye - Dactylopius coccus. Textiles, yogurt, Jell-O,
Campari
Textiles - Bombyz mori. Produces silk
Many of the species used
here are now domesticated
Utilitarian
Value
Direct Use
Many pharmaceuticals come from invertebrates
– Sessile
– Evolutionary arms-race
– High hit rate
Diverse array of
secondary
metabolites
Profitable
Pain - Cone snails & painkillers (e.g.
Ziconotide)
Cancer - Sponges & anticancers (e.g. Topsentin)
Fluorescence - Cnidarians & fluorescent proteins
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Insects underpin much of our food and fiber supply
– Arecaceae
- palm oil
– Prunoidea - cherry, almond, peach
– Malvacea - cotton, chocolate
– Fabacea - wild soybean, clover, alfalfa
Wild insect
pollinators
contribute to 1/3 of
the average
human caloric
intake
Bees - wild species pollinate about 80% of world’s crops
Flies - myophilous and sapromyophilous plants
Beetles - attracted by heat, odor, food, protection
Butterflies - pollinate diurnal, bright, odorless flowers
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Dung beetles
– Plant seeds excreted in
frugivorous mammal dung under
the soil surface
– Reduce seed predation pressure
Increase likelihood of
successful
germination and
emergence
Dung beetles
might play a
significant role
in structuring
tropical forest
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Invertebrates regulate individual abundance of many species via
– Predation
– Herbivory
– Parasitism
– Parasitoidism
Pronounced dominance of
any one species in a
ecosystem often signals
natural or anthropogenic
disturbance
Diseases - suppression of vectors and pathogens
Pests - predation of plant and animal pest species
Diversity- maintain diversity via predation and herbivory
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Invertebrates affect atmospheric regulation via
– Supporting healthy ecosystems
– CO2 accretion and storage
– Gas emission through bioturbation
Invertebrates play a major
but poorly understood role
in maintaining the
ecosystems which
regulate atmospheric
gases
Hard corals & oysters - trap/store CO2 via CACO3
deposition
Worms & dung beetles - contribute to N mineralization
and CO2 release
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
The creation, modification and maintenance of habitat
– Reef building
– Shelter building
– Mound building
Support a tremendous
range of other organisms
through the provisioning of
‘refugia’
Hard corals - reef builders in coastal and marine systems
Caterpillars - create leaf rolls, used by other arthropods
Oysters - reef builders in freshwater and estuarine systems
Termites - mounds support high fungal diversity
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
‘Canary in the coal mine’ for environmental
pollutants
–
–
–
–
Range of sensitivities
High fecundity
Widespread distributions
Stable populations
Individual species or
community response
used as metrics to
assess pollutant
levels
Stone & Mayflies - used to monitor dissolved oxygen
Blue mussels - accumulate heavy metals and
pesticides
Terrestrial snails - used to monitor urban air pollution
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Transmit information about broader ecosystem
– Easily sampled
– Stable taxonomy, easy identification
– Predictable response
– Correlated with other taxa
Ideal focal
taxa traits
Utilitarian
Value
• Awareness
– A connection with nature in any
system
• Stewardship
– Spur local conservation activity
• Global action
– The ‘Pigeon Paradox’
Indirect
Use
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Ideal model systems for biological research
– Small-bodied
– Highly fecund
– Rapid development
Ideal for lab
research
Cell biology - Neurotransmitters, ion channels
Genomic biology - Gene mapping, gene expression
Neuro-biology - Nerve function and disorders
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
• Paintings
– Ch'i Pai Shih (1863-1957)
• Sculpture
– The Blaschakas
• glass marine models
• Odds and ends
Mann Library,
Cornell University
Utilitarian
Value
Indirect
Use
Stories
– Myths, TV shows, books
Idioms
–‘Snail’s pace’’
–“Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee’’
Superheroes
–The Tick
–El Chapulín Colorado (O Vermelhinho)
Poetry
–Shakespeare, Rumi
–Aristophane, Du Fu
Utilitarian
Value
Religion
– Aztecs -Xochiquetzal
- butterfly goddess
– Greek -Potnia and Artemis
- goddess symbolized by bees
– !Khomani San - Kaggen
- mantis god of creation
Bees were seen through the ancient Near
East as the bridge between the natural
world and underworld, and were often
carved on tombs
Indirect
Use
Intrinsic value conveys concepts of:
– Morality
– Responsibility
– Stewardship
If each individual
invertebrate has an
inherent right to exist,
do each of us have an
inherent responsibility to
do it no harm?
Stingers/Biters
?
Do
all
individuals
(humans
and
What about….
17 have
spp ofthe
priapulid worms ?
non humans The
alike)
inherent
Parasites
? right to exist?
Pathogens ?
Species with no
clear ‘worth’ ?
Disease Vectors
?
Crop Pests ?
Cockroaches ?
Pathogens are obvious threats
to well being….
Most pathogen-related strategies
are intended to destroy or
control them
Do pathogens warrant
conservation?
Pathogens are critical players in
ecological and evolutionary
processes
–major component of the planet’s diversity
–powerful selection agents
–host population regulation
–represent unique evolutionary lineages
How do you conserve
pathogens?
What causes invertebrate
decline?
Invertebrates face an array of direct and indirect
threats
-Combined with limited information on basic biology,
population sizes, distributions, and limited research support,
understanding invertebrate decline is extremely challenging
Habitat Loss - agricultural expansion, human
development
Over-harvesting - home décor, consumption, industrial
use
Climate change - changes in phenology and habitat loss
Co-decline - strict and diffuse obligate species
Invertebrate Decline
• Agricultural conversion
– Expansion
– Intensification
• Shift in land
management
– Often accompanies
agricultural intensification
• Habitat fragmentation
– A combination of habitat loss
and redistribution
Invertebrate Decline
Phenological changes
– Food resources
– Reproduction
– Emergence
Habitat shifts
– Altitude
– Landscapes
– Latitude
Invertebrate Decline
Pharmaceuticals
– Collection size dependent on concentration of
active compounds in organism
– Collections can be enormous, but effects of
bioprospecting are unknown
Fisheries
– Freshwater and marine fishery collapses
• Chesapeake Bay Oyster
• Puget Sound Abalone
• Freshwater mollusks
Collectors
– Live beetle trades
– Decorative ornamentals
Invertebrate Decline
Two types
– Obligate
• 1-1 relationship
• Decline of host
often means
obligate extinction
– Mutual keystone
• 1-many relationship
• Decline of host often
means broad decline
of multiple species
Invertebrate biology poses conservation challenge
• Complex life cycles
© Texas Parks and Wildlife
• Naturally stochastic
populations
• Human perceptions pose conservation challenge
– Social
– Scientific
– Financial
If we valued
invertebrates more,
would these challenges
be resolved?
Planning - seldom incorporated in conservation planning,
assessment
Taxonomy - identifying and curating huge numbers takes resources
Low civic support - negative perception, few flagship species
Low financial support - lower funding priority than other taxa
A poverty of richness…
• Most invertebrates are
poorly known and will
remain so
– <10% of the total estimated
species have been
described
– Many of those in need of
revision
– Taxonomic expertise thinly
spread where it is most
needed
• Invertebrate collection and
management is data heavy
– Museum collections often
not digitized or
georeferenced
– Need a home for integrated
specimen-based, genetic,
morphological and
geographic information
– High demand, low expertise
– incredibly diverse
– incredibly dominant
– critical to the human condition
– subject to lesser conservation
measures
– key ecosystem players
– often highly threatened
Never use the words higher and lower..certainly they are
difficult words, not only descriptive but value laden…while
bald eagles are an endangered species, so are 129 species
of American freshwater mussels….is it more important to
save the eagle than ten dozen species of mussel? Perhaps
eagle and mussels are just there, and neither is higher or
lower. Of the animal biomass on our planet, 90 percent is
invertebrate who account for 95 percent of all animal species
-Charles Darwin in an apparent note to self