Community Ecology
Applied community ecology and future directions
Outline:
1. Threats to biodiversity
A. Exotic/invasive species
B. Habitat loss
C. Habitat degradation
D. Climate change
E. Acid rain
F. Other pollutants
2. Applications of community ecology
A. Restoration ecology
B. Control of invasive species
C. Predicting effects of global climate change
D. Conservation
3. What is the future for community ecology?
Terms/people:
restoration vs. rehabilitation vs. replacement
invasive species (and examples)
ecological release
phenology
greenhouse effect
bleaching
bioaccumulation
The future of community ecology and of all of us lies in applying what we have learned to solve
mounting problems of biodiversity conservation, environmental degradation and reparation, and
wise and efficient resource use.
Threats to Biodiversity:
1.
Exotic/Invasive Species
Why do exotic/introduced species incur so many effects on communities?
Invasive species (an hour-long show on giant pythons in the Everglades):
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/invasion-of-the-giant-pythons/video-full-episode/5565/
See Pimentel et al. 2005
Ecological release
Hardest hit location
2.
Reduction of Habitat
Agriculture, road-building, urbanization
3.
Degradation of Habitat: individuals are stressed, habitat supports fewer numbers of
each species
Mechanisms:
Pollution (air, water, soil, etc.)
Edge effects: changes in heat, light, wind, aridity, soil moisture, exposure, sound
pollution from humans, etc.
4.
Climate Change
See Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007
5.
Acid Rain
6.
Pesticides, radiation, heavy metals, etc.
-most of them are lethal to all life
-as we go up the food chain, the relative concentration of toxins increase in concentration
(biological magnification): If we were cannibals, we couldn't eat each other! And we wouldn't
pass the inspections by the USDA!
Community ecology has provided insights to ecology and to knowledge as a whole about species
interactions, environmental pattern-process relationships, and the cause and effects of
biodiversity. Particular areas where community ecologists are useful are in restoration ecology,
predicting effects of global climate change, and conservation.
Restoration ecology: "The acid test of our understanding is not whether we can take ecosystems
to bits on pieces of paper, however scientifically, but whether we can put them together in
practice and make them work." (Bradshaw 1983)
restoration vs. rehabilitation vs. replacement
3 considerations
Shifting baselines pose challenges to conservation (how can we tell what is pristine, or natural?):
http://www.shiftingbaselines.org/slideshow/pristine_hi.html
Global climate change: a.k.a. global warming caused by greenhouse effect, with implications
for temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level, watershed structure, species’ geographic
ranges/distributions
Conservation of entire communities, not simply single species considered in isolation
In these and other areas, community ecologists can have make important and lasting
contributions. Community ecologists work in academic, governmental, non-profit, and private
business settings on natural resource use, conservation, ecotoxicology, captive breeding
programs (for zoos, aquaria, and botanical gardens), integrated pest management, wildlife
management, ecotourism, and environmental impact assessment. So what is the future for
community ecology and for students interested in community ecology? The very origin of
ecology was rooted in community-level studies. Ecology as a discipline is incomplete if
community interactions are ignored. Therefore, for as long as ecology exists, community ecology
will continue to be important.
Next time: wrapping up with the next big things? (neutral theory & metacommunities)
References:
Bradshaw, A.D. 1983. The reconstruction of ecosystems. J. Appl. Ecol. 20:1-17.
Bright, C. 1998. Life Out of Bounds: Bioinvasion in a Borderless World. W.W. Norton & Co.,
New York, NY.
Cox, P.M., P.P. Harris, C. Huntingford, R.A. Betts, M. Collins, C.D. Jones, T.E. Jupp, J.A.
Marengo, and C.A. Nobre. 2008. Increasing risk of Amazonian drought due to decreasing
aerosol pollution. Nature 453:212-215.
Ebenhard, T. 1988. Introduced birds and mammals and their ecological effects. Swed. Wildl.
Res. 13:1-107.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O., P.J. Mumby, A.J. Hooten, R.S. Steneck, P. Greenfield, E. Gomez, C.D.
Harvell, P.F. Sale, A.J. Edwards, K. Calderia, N. Knowlton, C.M. Eakin, R. Iglesias-Preito, N.
Muthiga, R.H. Bradbury, A. Dubi, and M.E. Hatziolos. 2007. Coral reefs under rapid climate
change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737-1742.
McCoy, E.D., and H.R. Mushinsky. 2002. Measuring the success of wildlife community
restoration. Ecol. Appl. 12:1861-1871.
Morin, P.J. 1999. Community Ecology. Blackwell Science, Malden, MA. [Chapter 14]
Myers, J.H., D. Simberloff, A.M. Kuris, and J.R. Carey. 2000. Eradication revisited: dealing with
exotic species. Trends Ecol. Evol. 15:316-320.
Pimentel, D., R. Zuniga, and D. Morrison. 2005. Update on the environmental and economic
costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States. Ecol. Econ. 52:273-288.
Schiffman, P.M. 1994. Promotion of exotic weed establishment by endangered giant kangaroo
rats (Dipodomys ingens) in a California grassland. Biodiv. Conserv. 3:524-537.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. The Brown Tree Snake Boiga irregularis, A Threat to
Pacific Islands. Biological Report 88(31). U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.