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“The pale blue dot” …. Earth from the Voyager spacecraft, > 4 billion miles away
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2148
http://www.solstation.com/stars/earth.htm
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mars.html
http://www.thew2o.net/#
http://www.misterteacher.com/rainforestwebquest.html
CO2
N2
H2O
Ar
Earth
Mars
0.035%
77%
1%
0.93%
95%
2.7%
0.007%
1.6%
O2
http://www.misterteacher.com/rainforestwebquest.html
21%
trace
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~jdirnber/BioOceanography/Lectures/LecPhysicalOcean/LecPhysicalOcean.html
0.5 bya: Cambrian
0.24 bya:Mesozoic
0.065 bya:Cenozoic
0.9 bya: first animals
1.8 bya: first eukaryote
2.3-2.0 bya: Oxygen
4.0 bya: Oldest Rocks
3.4 bya: Oldest Fossils
4.5 bya: Earth Forms
Earth History
4.5 million to present
(1/1000th of earth
history)
All genera
The “big five” Mass Extinction Events
Millions of Years Ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phanerozoic_biodiversity_blank_01.png
Thousands of Genera
“well described” genera
(% of Genera)
Permian mass extinction: 96% of all marine species and 70% of
terrestrial vertebrate species
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/mass-extinction/
ecological
collapse
Almost all animals
over 25kg (~55 lbs)
went extinct.
(The things that require the most
energy to survive)
http://we.vub.ac.be/~dglg/Web/Claeys/Chicxulub/Chixproject.html
BIODIVERSITY NOW
http://www.coral.org/node/3230
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (2006)
http://englishontour.blogspot.com/2011/03/beetles.html
http://www.illuminatedorigin.com/The_Illuminated_Origin_of_Species/Blog/Entries/2011/9/22_Beetles!.html
Detritivores
Pollinators
Insect predators
Herbivores
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/jcabbott/abbottlab/
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/photography/42636-incredible-costa-rican-euglossine-bees.html
Pollinators
Insect Parasitoids (lay eggs on other insects)
Insect Predators
http://magicbelles.com/flutterbudclub/special-wonders/beetles
Jewel Bug
Herbivores
Pollinators
Parasites
Detritivores
Malagasy Sunset Butterfly
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_flies/images/PWC_8410.jpg
http://buggirl.tumblr.com/post/12568644622/bugs-that-break-the-rules-themadagascar-sunset
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Africa/South_Africa/West/Eastern_Cape/Kob_Inn/photo915391.htm
Herbivores
Detritivores
http://www.flowersociety.org/Redwood-profile.htm
PRODUCERS
http://www.paulsanghera.com/infonential-Contact.html
Most vertebrate species are fishes
http://www.elp.manchester.ac.uk/pub_projects/2003/MNZO0MLK/lecture1.htm
http://ambergriscaye.com/critters/redeyedtreefrog.ht
ml
http://australian-animals.net/plat.htm
http://freakz.info/2011/09/21/10-interesting-seahorse-facts/
http://www.pbase.com/image/37557333
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Blue_Whale
Herbivores, Predators, Detritivores, Pollinators
http://www.hodag.info/what%E2%80%99s-going-on-herethen-100
But do we NEED
all these
species??
There’s a lot of redundancy in nature…
http://katherinegerdes.com/portfolio/11/rainy-day-jewels
Are all species equally important? If not, which ones are critical?
with
without
We don’t know
which species
are critical
So we need to
save them all to
maintain
ecosystem
function
But what does
biodiversity do??
1) Biodiversity increases “productivity” ... FOOD
Monoculture
They all need the same things at
the same concentrations; they
compete.
“Niche Complementarity”
Monoculture
Polyculture
They all need the same things at Combinations of different plants can be
the same concentrations; they
planted at higher density, and they use
compete.
different "niches" and coexist. Even if
abundance of "most productive" species
drops, this loss can be offset.
“Positive Effects”
Monoculture
They all need the same things at
the same concentrations; they
compete.
Polyculture
without
beans
with
beans
Nitrogen fixing legumes (beans) nutrify
the soil, increasing the growth of other
plants. And you have beans!
2) Biodiversity
improves
ecosystem
services
Estimates of various Ecosystem Services $U.S. trillions
Ecosystem services
Value
(trillion $US)
Soil formation
Recreation
Nutrient cycling
Water regulation and supply
Climate regulation
(temperature and
precipitation)
Habitat
Flood and storm protection
Food and raw materials
production
Genetic resources
Atmospheric gas balance
Pollination
All other services
Total value of ecosystem
services
17.1
3.0
2.3
2.3
1.8
1.4
1.1
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.4
1.6
33.3
Source: Adapted from R. Costanza et al., “The
Value of the World’s Ecosystem Services and
Natural Capital,” Nature, Vol. 387 (1997), p. 256,
Table 2.
TOTAL GLOBAL GNP (1997) = 18 trillion.
3) Aesthetics and
Inspiration: Biodiversity
enriches our cultures
3) Aesthetics and
Inspiration: Biodiversity
enriches our cultures
How is our biodiversity doing?
Genetic diversity within species
Species diversity in communities
Ecosystem diversity
How is our biodiversity doing?
Humans used hundreds of crop species worldwide;
now 3 species (rice, wheat, corn) provide 60% of our
calories from crop plants.
According to the FAO of the UN, 70% of the genetic
diversity of crop plants has been lost in the last 75
years as we’ve shifted to industrial farming and the
use of GM strains.
How is our biodiversity doing?
2000 Pacific Island bird species (15% of global total)
have gone extinct after human colonization
20 of the 297 mussel species in N.A. have gone
extinct in the last 100 years; 60% are endangered
40 of 950 fish species in N. A. have gone extinct in
the last century; 35% are threatened or endangered
http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/the-real-biodiversity-crisis/1
Yellow-finned cutthroat trout
http://www.fishdecoys.net/pages/LDC_Collection/BenzieJoDecoys.htm
http://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/st-croixcurrents.htm?customel_dataPageID_206517=289024
How is our biodiversity doing?
1 in 4 mammal species is endangered
1 in 8 bird species is endangered
1 in 3 amphibian species is endangered
48% of primate species are threatened
Data from: http://iucn.org/what/tpas/biodiversity/
How is our biodiversity doing?
35% of mangrove habitat has been lost in the
last 20 years
In the Caribbean, hard coral cover has declined
from 50% to 10% in the last 20 years
Since 2000, 232,000 sq miles of old growth
forest have been lost (size of Texas).
WHY?
7 billion in 2011 (12 years later)
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1009-amazon_deforestation_revised.html
13,000 sq kilometers is about the size of Connecticut
Extent of Virgin Forest, Contiguous U. S.
http://mvh.sr.unh.edu/mvhinvestigations/old_growth_forests.htm
Millenium Assessment 2006
Humans use/control
40% of the ‘food’
produced on the
planet.
1
10 million?
Fragmentation
Fragmentation
Area Effects
CARNIVORES
HERBIVORES
PLANTS
LARGE AREA OF HABITAT
Fragmentation
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
Fragmentation
1)Carnivores lost - (reduce diversity)
2)Herbivores compete – (reduce diversity)
3)Plants overgrazed – (reduce diversity)
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
We are a geological force, operating
on an ecological timescale
Mountaintop removal in West Virginia
We are a geological force, operating
on an ecological timescale
Gold mining in Peruvian Amazon
We are a geological force, operating
on an ecological timescale
We are a geological force, operating
on an ecological timescale
We are a geological force, operating
on an ecological timescale
Hmmmm….
Sixth major mass extinction event - NOW
All genera
The “big five” Mass Extinction Events
Millions of Years Ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phanerozoic_biodiversity_blank_01.png
Thousands of Genera
“well described” genera
22 May 2010 –Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
“Biodiversity loss is moving ecological systems ever
closer to a tipping point beyond which they will no
longer be able to fulfill their vital functions.”
What Can We Do?
We need to protect and
preserve large intact,
biodiverse ecosystems.
This is great, but it ain’t gonna do it…
We need to rethink our model of community…
nature
nature
Development
Development
Development
Development
We need to find out what’s out there!
We need to appreciate the societal and
economic value of biodiversity
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
http://www.justmeans.com/Stop-Loss-CSR-Biodiversity/28856.html
“Protection of biodiversity should be the underlying reason for every CSR
effort. Biodiversity loss is the most severe threat to human-wellbeing on the
planet. It rates even higher than climate change and related problems….
The head of Deutsche Bank's Global Markets predicts that our current rate of
biodiversity loss could see 6% of global GDP wiped out as early as 2050.
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity executive summary (2010)
reports that “over 50% of CEOs surveyed in Latin America and 45% in Africa
see declines in biodiversity as a challenge to business growth. In contrast, less
than 20% of their counterparts in Western Europe share such concerns”
If we recognize the grandeur of life, we might
appreciate it…
If we appreciate it, we might value it…
If we value it, we might sustain it…
If we sustain it, we might be able to sustain our societies
and economies, as well.
ECONOMY
SOCIETY
ENVIRONMENT
If we don’t, we won’t…
Thylacine - 1936
Tecopa Pupfish - 1981
Quogga - 1883
Vietnamese Rhinoceros - 2010
Yangtze River Dolphin - 2006
Golden Toad - 1989
A few extinct animal species.