Development of Conservation Ethics in the U.S.
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Transcript of Development of Conservation Ethics in the U.S.
Development of Conservation Ethics in the U.S.
John MuirThe Romantic-Transcendental Preservation Ethic
George Perkins Marsh
Gifford PinchotThe Resource Conservation Ethic
Possible Values of Nature
• Instrumental value – a thing is valuable because it is useful to humans
• Intrinsic value – a thing is valuable in and of itself – valuable because it exists
Aldo Leopoldthe
Evolutionary-Ecological Land Ethic
Aldo Leopold on horseback in Arizona – rider on left
AldoAnd DogAt theShack
The First Oakies at the Shack
Biodiversity
Biodiversity – the diversity of life in all its forms and at all levels of organization.
Word first used in print by E.O. Wilson 1986
Biodiversity
At all levels of organization – usually three:• Species Diversity• Genetic Diversity• Ecosystem Diversity
Northern Elephant Seal
Southern Elephant Seal - Antarctica
Corn and southern leaf blight
Corn and southern leaf blight
Traditional Peruvian potato varieties
Terrestrial World Biomes
Measuring Biodiversity
• When discussing biodiversity, most people talk about species diversity which has two components:
• Species richness - # of species
• Species evenness (heterogeneity) – proportion of individuals in each species
A comparison of species diversity in two communities
Community 1A: 25% B: 25% C: 25% D: 25%
Community 2A: 80% B: 5% C: 5% D: 10%
D
C
BA
Global Plant Biodiversity
a. Plant species per Ecoregion
b. Areas of highest diversity per region
c. Quality of data
With Biodiversity We Must Consider:
• Risk of extinction of species
• Endemism – endemic species are found in a particular geographic area
Endemism – Gray Wolf vs. Coyote
Local Endemic - Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat
Home of Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat
Kirtland’s warbler
Red-winged blackbird
Whittaker’s Diversity• alpha diversity is diversity within a habitat - such
as a jack-pine forest• beta diversity is diversity among habitats, usually
measured as change from one habitat to another - such as a jack-pine forest and nearby marsh
• gamma diversity is diversity at a large geographic scale - perhaps all of Michigan or North America
Species Diversity
What is a Species?
Atelopus frog discovered in Suriname, June 2007
The Biological Species Concept
Species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations, which are reproductively isolated from other such groups. - Ernst Mayr
Mayr on right – inNew Guinea 1928
Brown or Grizzly Bear – Ursus arctos
Black Bear – Ursus americanus
Gray wolf – Canis lupus
Coyote – Canis latrans
Red wolf – Canis rufus
Helianthus- sunflowers
Oak Leaves
Leaves of Oak Hybrid
Hawthorns - Crataegus
Hawthorns