Photo from Greg Dimijian

What is Conservation Biology?
Primack (2006): Conservation Biology “carries out research on biological diversity, identifies threats to biological diversity, and plays an active role in the preservation of biological diversity”
Groom et al. (2006): “An integrative approach to the protection and management of biodiversity…”

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology is grounded in Science
“The use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process”
Definition of “Science” extracted from Science, Evolution & Creationism (2008) – published by (and freely available through) the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine of the U. S. National Academies

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology is grounded in Science

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Conservation Biology also recognizes that not all relevant questions can be answered strictly using scientific tools and methods of inquiry
E.g.
, how do we weigh the needs of people against those of nonhuman species? Is a human life more valuable than a tiger’s?
E.g.
, do fleas have intrinsic value (or rights)?
E.g.
, how do we weigh the interests of future generations relative to the present? Should we be concerned that many species of orchid likely will become irrevocably extinct by the time our grandchildren are born?
Should we do something about it?
E.g.
, should we restore additional longleaf pine savanna in Louisiana?

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
For ethical, practical & theoretical considerations
Biology
Biogeography
Genetics
Ecology *
Evolution
Fisheries Science
Forestry
Physiology
Wildlife Biology
Anthropology
Chemistry
Economics
History
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Religion
Sociology
Etc .
* “ We should not conflate ecology with environmentalism… ”
(Kingsland, 2005, The Evolution of American Ecology: 1890-2000 , pg. 4)

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines
Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA)
Beliefs
Natural laws
Theories
Testable hypotheses
Science
(1941
– 2002)
Religion
For a more complete explanation of NOMA, read Rocks of Ages (1999) by S. J. Gould; photo from Wikipedia

What will we do in this course?
Course web site
Who is in charge of this course?
Dr. Kyle E. Harms
Teaching Assistants:
Becky Carmichael & Metha Klock

Please answer on a 5x7-inch card
1. What is your full name?
2. In which course number and section are you supposed to be enrolled?
3. How many species are there alive on Earth today?
4. How many individual humans were there alive on Earth 100 years ago?
5. How many individual humans are there alive on Earth today?
6. How many individual humans are there likely to be alive on
Earth in 2050?
7. Name a prominent Conservation Biologist.
8. List 10 native species found in Louisiana (scientific names are preferred; only use common names if you need to in order to provide 10 species).
Use the back of the card for your list.

Count off…
No. 1 = Plant
No. 2 = Fungus
No. 3 = Microbe
No. 4 = Vertebrate
No. 5 = Invertebrate

Please answer on a 5x7-inch card
1. What is your full name? What is your assigned number?
2. In which course number and section are you supposed to be enrolled?
3. How many species are there alive on Earth today?
4. How many individual humans were there alive on Earth 100 years ago?
5. How many individual humans are there alive on Earth today?
6. How many individual humans are there likely to be alive on
Earth in 2050?
7. Name a prominent Conservation Biologist.
8. List 10 native species found in Louisiana (scientific names are preferred; only use common names if you need to in order to provide 10 species).
Use the back of the card for your list.

Guiding Principles of Conservation Biology
(1) Evolution is the basis for understanding biology
(2) Biological entities are complex and dynamic
(3) Humans are a part of the natural world; our activities range from highly destructive, through benign, to ameliorating

Evolution
Allele frequency change through time in a population
Population – a group of conspecific individuals contemporaneously occupying the same place
Some Mechanisms of Evolution
Mutation
Genetic drift
Gene flow via emigration & immigration
Artificial selection
Natural selection
Sexual selection

(1809 – 1882)
On the Origin of Species (1859)
“ Descent with modification ”
Photo of Darwin from Wikipedia ; image of “Darwin’s hawk moth” pollinating its Malagasy orchid from http://botany.si.edu/events/sbsarchives/sbs2008

(1900 – 1975)
“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”
An architect of the
Modern Synthesis
Photo of Dobzhansky from Wikipedia

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”
E.g.
, why do all species of the family Felidae look more like house cats than dogs?
vs.
Photos from Wikipedia

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”
E.g.
, why do many of us suffer from back pains?
See:
Image of spine from Wikipedia

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”
"Evolution is almost universally accepted among those who understand it, almost universally rejected by those who don't."
Richard Dawkins
National Geographic Magazine – November 2004

(1903 – 1991)
The “evolutionary play” takes place in an “ecological theater”
Nature is complex
& dynamic
E.g.
, explanations for: “why are there so many kinds of animals?”
Photo of Hutchinson from Yale Peabody Archives

(b. 1932)
The Population Bomb (1968)
The Population Explosion (1990, co-authored with
)
Photo of Ehrlich from Wired

Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive 100 yr ago (best estimate)
Log
10
(1,000,000,000,000) = 12.00
Log
10
(1,750,000,000) = 9.24
Log
10
(1,000,000) = 6.00
10
9
8
7
6
5
13
12
11
Each student’s answer is represented by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a truncated Log
10 scale

Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive today
Log
10
(1,000,000,000,000) = 12.00
Log
10
(6,960,000,000) = 9.84
Log
10
(1,000,000) = 6.00
10
9
8
7
6
5
13
12
11
Each student’s answer is represented by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a truncated Log
10 scale

Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Humans alive in 2050 (best guess)
Log
10
(1,000,000,000,000) = 12.00
Log
10
(9,000,000,000) = 9.95
Log
10
(1,000,000) = 6.00
10
9
8
7
6
5
13
12
11
Each student’s answer is represented by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a truncated Log
10 scale

Human Population
Students’ answers (n=34) to questions posed in class on 8/23/11
Log
10
(1,000,000,000,000) = 12.00
Log
10
Log
10
Log
10
(9,000,000,000) = 9.95
(6,960,000,000) = 9.84
(1,750,000,000) = 9.24
Log
10
(1,000,000) = 6.00
Each student’s answer is represented by a bar in this figure
Notice that the y-axis is a truncated Log
10 scale

Human Population
Billions of
People
5
4
3
2
1
12
11
10
9
8
7
Old
Stone
Age
6
2100
New Stone Age
Bronze
Age
Iron
Age
Modern
Age
Middle
Ages
2000
1975
?
Future
Black Death —The Plague
1950
1900
1800
1+ million 7000 years B.C.
6000
B.C.
5000
B.C.
4000
B.C.
3000
B.C.
2000
B.C.
1000
B.C.
A.D.
1
A.D.
1000
A.D.
2000
A.D.
3000
A.D.
4000
A.D.
5000
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
First Billion
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Ninth
All of Human History
(1800)
130 (1930)
30 (1960)
15 (1975)
12 (1987)
Number of years to add each billion 12 (1999)
14 (2013)
14 (2027)
21 (2048)
(Year a particular population size was reached)
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
10
9
8
7
Billions of
People
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1950
Less Developed Regions
1970
More Developed Regions
1990 2010 2030 2050
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
Projected % Population Change, 2005-2050
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
Urbanization in Central America
% Population
Living in Urban
Areas
39
64
39
62
36
49
29
49
47
60
48
60
Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras
1970 2010
Nicaragua Panama
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
Age distributions, 2005
Less Developed
Regions
More Developed
Regions
Age
Male Female
80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
Male Female
300 200 100 0 100 200 300 300 100 100
Millions Millions
300
Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population
Population Counter (“Clock”)
~ 10,000 new babies will be added to the population during the course of this class period

Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources
Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al . (2006)

Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources
Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al . (2006)

Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources
“Between one-third and one-half of the land surface has been transformed by human action”, i.e., human enterprise
(Vitousek et al. 1997,
Science)
At least 83% of the Earth’s land surface has been transformed by human activities
(Sanderson et al. 2002,
BioScience)
Image from Vitousek et al . (1997) Science

Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources
Collateral impact (not just consumption per se)
Image from NOAA

Humans are globally important agents of natural selection
“Humans are the world’s greatest evolutionary force”
E.g.
, consider antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus
Penicillin 1946
Methicillin 1961
Vancomycin 1986
Zyvox 1999
Quote from Palumbi (2001) Science

Humans are globally important agents of natural selection
+ =
Increases in tuskless adults:
A Zambian population – 2% to 38%
A South African population – 2% to 98%
The Sri Lankan population of Asian elephants – 45% to 90%
Newsweek – Jan. 12, 2009 – “It’s Survival of the Weak & Scrawny”

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists in the U. S.
(1865
– 1946)
First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905 – 1910)
Coined “conservation ethic”
Utilitarian, anthropocentric “natural resource” philosophy;
“the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time”
Photo from Wikipedia

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists in the U. S.
(1803 – 1882)
Nature (1836)
(1817 – 1862)
Walden (1854)
(1838 – 1914)
Founded Sierra Club (1892)
“Nature has uses other than human economic gain;” biophilia
Image of Emerson, photos of Thoreau and T. Roosevelt with Muir from Wikipedia

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists in the U. S.
(1887
– 1948)
A Sand County Almanac (1949)
Arose together with the Modern Synthesis and maturing ecological theory; recognizes the complexity, interconnectedness (including humans) and dynamism of Nature
Photo of Leopold from Oregon State University

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists in the U. S.
(1907
– 1964)
Silent Spring (1962) – motivated creation of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Photo of Carson from Wikipedia

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalists in the U. S.
Co-founder of the Society for Conservation Biology (1985)
Photo of Soulé from hawaiiconservation.org