Ecology in the Anthropocene
description
Transcript of Ecology in the Anthropocene
Ecology in the Anthropocene
Advanced Topics in Ecology (BLGY3133) Submodule E
School of BiologyFACULTY OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Outline of this lecture
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Introduction to the submodule• Times, locations• Assessment
Short overview of human impactsImpacts of removing taxonomic diversity
• Trophic cascades• Ecological networks
Impacts of removing genetic diversity• Harvesting• Hunting
Timetable for the submodule
Three lectures• 06/11/2012, 2pm-4pm – Worsley Dental LT (6.142) • 08/11/2012, 3pm-5pm – Roger Stevens LT 15 (11.15) • 13/11/2012, 1pm-3pm – Worsley Dental LT (6.142)
One mid-module session of formative feedback• 20/11/2012, 2pm-6pm – Worsley SR (8.43M) Y
Two sessions of presentations• 04/12/2012, 1pm-5pm – Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)• 06/12/2012, 1pm-5pm – Worsley SR (8.43N) Y
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
• 20/11/2012, 2pm-3pm – Worsley SR (8.43M) Y3pm-6pm – by appointment in Manton
8.04
Assessment
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Grant application• Topic: Human impacts and ecology• Background knowledge• Identify gaps in knowledge• Plan study to fill that gap• Present the project to a scientific audience...• ...with a “lay summary”• Guidance docs on VLE:
• Ecology in the Anthropocene Written Assessment• Ecology in the Anthropocene Oral Assessment
Groups of three, everybody speaks!
www.vimeo.com Link will be emailedLectures with audioTry to edit within a day
Password is:“dragonfly”
Lecture recordings (hopefully)
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Please let me know if it is useful for you in the module feedback!
Readings
Leopold (1949) Sandy County Almanac• 4 copies in library, only £5 to buy online
Caughley and Gunn (1996) Conservation Biology in Theory and Practice• 10 copies in library
Primack (2010) Essentials of Conservation Biology• 3 copies in library (of different editions)
Sodhi and Ehrlich (2010) Conservation Biology for All• Freely available online: http://www.conbio.org/publications/free-textbook
Primary references throughout the course (watch the bottom of each slide)
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Making ourselves at home
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Nasseri, N. A., McBrayer, L. D. and Schulte, B. A. (2011). African Journal of Ecology, 49: 133–140.
Elephant damage > increased frog
diversity
Sanders, D. and van Veen, F. J. F. (2011). Journal of Animal Ecology, 80: 569–576.
Ant presence > increased arthropod
diversity
Photo: Felagund
Green plants > oxygen-rich atmosphere
Bendall et al. (2008). Phil Trans Roy Soc, 363: 2625-2628.
The “Anthropocene”
The Anthropocene is defined not just by climate change or extinctions, but by a linked set of effects on Earth and its biosphere, from perturbations in the nitrogen cycle to the dispersal of species around the globe. Official recognition of the concept would invite cross-disciplinary science. And it would encourage a mindset that will be important not only to fully understand the transformation now occurring but to take action to control it.
Nature Editorial 473 (19 May 2011)
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Eugene Stoermer (1934-2012)
6000 BCE
Present day
Habitat-level effects• Habitat destruction• Pollution• Climate change
Ecological effects• Addition of invasive species• Removal of species
Species-level effects• Over-harvesting• Selective harvesting
Overview of human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Habitat destructionOil sands, Alberta• 1719 – First discovered by Europeans• 1888 – Large oilfield announced• 1967 – Commercial exploitation begins• 141,000 km2 of boreal forest and peat bogs• 19km from Wood Buffalo National Park
• UNESCO World Heritage Site• RAMSAR Site
Public domain
Overview of human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Habitat destruction
Ancillary buildings
Difficult to calculate the area affected
Overview of human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Area = 112.1 km2
Road
CITY “Access”
Water extraction Area =
5.6 km2
Pollution
Before
After
Point pollutione.g. landfill
Overview of human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Diffuse pollution e.g. eutrophication
Diffuse pollution e.g. acid rain
Climate change From NASA
Public domain
Public domain
Overview of human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Invasive speciesEvaluating human impacts
Conservation Biology – BIOL 3602Lecture 1 - 09/01/2012
Map from IUCN Red List
Cane toad (Bufo marinus)Public domain
Argus monitor (Varanus panoptes)photo by Greg Hume
Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)
photo by Wildlife Explorer
Sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus)Giant kelp
Photo by Stef Maruch
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Evaluating human impacts
Conservation Biology – BIOL 3602Microteaching Lecture
Over-harvesting
graph from Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Selective harvesting
1. Demographic effects2. Ecological effects3. Evolutionary effects
1957
1980
2007
McClenachan, L. (2009) Documenting loss of large trophy fish from the Florida Keys with historical photographs. Conservation Biology, 23, 636-643.
Structure of the submodule
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Exploitation of resources
Intentional modification of the
environment
Accidental modification of the
environment
Climate changeHabitat destruction
Agricultural ecology
Urban ecology
Range shifts
Phenology
Reducing diversity
Genetic Taxonomic Invasive species
History of human impacts on the world
LECTURE 1 LECTURE 2 LECTURE 3
Resource exploitation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Western black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes)
Humans RhinoPOACHING
Resource exploitation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar)
Humans CougarPOACHING
REMOVAL OF PREY
HABITAT LOSS
Resource exploitation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Aloatra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus)
Humans GrebeFISHING BY-CATCH
HABITAT LOSS
SNAKEHEAD MURREL
• Established 1872• Area is 8,983 km2
• Largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone
• Last wolf killed 1944
Map by Karl Musser
Map
by
Finn
rind
Wolves in Yellowstone
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Mission of YNP:The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the
enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations
1944 Wolves extirpated from YNP1974 Wolves listed under Endangered Species Act and Montana leads
wolf restoration projects. YNP is obvious candidate location1978 Recommendation of reintroduction of wolves from BC or Alberta1988 US Congress investigates possibilities (“Wolves for Yellowstone?”)1990 Formation of Wolf Management Committee1992 Public consultation, 180,000 public responses1995 First YNP reintroduction: “experimental, non-essential” populations
per article 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Wolves in Yellowstone
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
US National Parks Service, http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wolves.htm
Wolves in Yellowstone
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
66 wolves reintroduced 1995/6
325 wolves as of 2005
Wolves in Yellowstone
Ripple, W.J. & Beschta, R.L. (2012) Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15 years after wolf reintroduction. Biological Conservation, 145: 205–213
Trophic cascades
Wolves in Yellowstone
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Ripple, W. J. & Beschta, R. L. (2004). Wolves and the ecology of fear: can predation risk structure ecosystems? Bioscience, 54, 755-766.
Fear of wolves affects ecosystems
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Wilmers, C.C. & Getz, W.M. (2005) Gray wolves as climate change buffers in Yellowstone. PLoS biology 3 (4) p. e92
Warmer wintersFewer animals dying late in winterScavengers need winter mortality
Wolf kills provide additional carrion
Wolves as climate change buffers
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Resource exploitation
Wolves eradicated from Scotland in 1769Red deer (Cervus elaphus) in high densities
Hinder plant recruitmentExpensive cullsGeneral public support
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
NILSEN, E. B., MILNER-GULLAND, E. J., SCHOFIELD, L., MYSTERUD, A., STENSETH, N. C. & COULSON, T. 2007. Wolf reintroduction to Scotland: public attitudes and consequences for red deer management. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274, 995-1003.
Resource exploitation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
NILSEN, E. B., MILNER-GULLAND, E. J., SCHOFIELD, L., MYSTERUD, A., STENSETH, N. C. & COULSON, T. 2007. Wolf reintroduction to Scotland: public attitudes and consequences for red deer management. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274, 995-1003.
NFUS, National Farmers Union for Scotland; SCA, Scottish Countryside Alliance; NTS, National Trust for Scotland; MTUK, Mammals Trust UK; SWT, Scottish Wildlife Trust; TfL, Trees for Life
Public attitudes to wolf reintroduction in Scotland
A note on trophic cascades
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Knight, T. M., Mccoy, M. W., Chase, J. M., Mccoy, K. A. & Holt, R. D. 2005. Trophic cascades across ecosystems. Nature, 437, 880-883.
A note on trophic cascades
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Letnic, M. and Dworjanyn, S. A. (2011), Does a top predator reduce the predatory impact of an invasive mesopredator on an endangered rodent?. Ecography, 34: 827–835.
dingo Canis lupus dingo red fox Vulpes vulpesdusky hopping mouse Notomys fuscus
Karen Johnson
A note on trophic cascades
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
More often than not, a “trophic trickle”?
Montoya, J. M., Pimm, S. L. & Solé, R. V. 2006. Ecological networks and their fragility. Nature, 442, 259-264.
Ecological networks
Keystone species
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Paine, R. T. 1966. Food web complexity and species diversity. American Naturalist, 100, 65-75.Paine, R. T. 1969. A note on trophic complexity and community stability. American Naturalist,103, 91-93.
Lack of good data, lack of appropriate methods for analysis
Ecological networks
Food webs and ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Broadstone Stream
Woodward, G., Thompson, R., and Townsend, C.R. (2005) Quantification and resolution of a complex, size-structured food web. Adv. Ecol. Res. 36, 85–135.
Cordulegaster boltonii (photo by Albano Soares)
Ecological networks
Food webs and ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Broadstone Stream
Analyse gut contents to calculate interaction strengths
Woodward, G., Thompson, R., and Townsend, C.R. (2005) Quantification and resolution of a complex, size-structured food web. Adv. Ecol. Res. 36, 85–135.
Networks Ecology
Node Species
Path Interaction
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
1
1 1
1
2
2
223
38
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Small world behaviour
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Scale-free networks Histogram of c(1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 8, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2)
c(1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 8, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2)
Freq
uenc
y
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
02
46
8N
umbe
r of l
inks
(k)
Number of species with that number of links (P)
Power law: Pk ~k-y
Many species with few interactions, few species with many
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Complexity (mean no. links)
1
1 1
1
2
2
223
38 5
5 3
5
4
4
544
39
Complexity = 2.36 Complexity = 4.67
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Connectance (links/species2)
1
1 1
1
2
2
223
38 5
5 3
5
4
4
544
39
Connectance = 0.215 Connectance = 0.421
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
Sub-domains (compartmentalisation)
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
What happens when you remove species?
Ext
inct
ion
rate
Proportion species removed
Ext
inct
ion
rate
Random removal(arbitrary node)
Selective removal(best-connected node)
Proportion species removed
Ecological networks
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Solé, R. V. & Montoya, J. M. 2001. Complexity and fragility in ecological networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Series B (Biological Sciences), 268, 2039-2045.
What happens when you remove species?
Biodiversity and human impacts
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Summary
• Humans often remove or reduce species in food webs• The result is almost entirely unpredictable
• “Trophic cascade”• “Trophic trickle”
• Increases in the availability of good data and analytical methods
Evolution and conservation
1957
1980
2007
McClenachan, L. (2009) Documenting loss of large trophy fish from the Florida Keys with historical photographs. Conservation Biology, 23, 636-643.
Recognised for >100 years
1977: management was “seriously deficient in [its failure] to take into account the possibility of adaptive genetic change in exploited stocks of fish.”
Managers focus on demography not genetics
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Fisheries
Evolution and conservation
Quinn, T. P., McGinnity, P. and Cross, T. F. (2006), Long-term declines in body size and shifts in run timing of Atlantic salmon in Ireland. Journal of Fish Biology, 68: 1713–1730. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-1112.2006.01017.x
Photo by R
upert Fleetingly Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Evolution and conservation
Traits affected are correlated:• Size• Growth rate• Fecundity• Boldness• Catchability• Activity
Difficult to tease apart ecological and
evolutionary trends using temporal
phenotypic changes
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Fisheries
Evolution and conservationEvolution and conservation
Also emphasises demographyHunters select against the traits they want (genetic over-exploitation)
Three main genetic effects:• alteration of population structure• loss of genetic variation• evolution resulting from selection
Hunting
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Hunting
Pho
to b
y C
henu
syin
Undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting. David W Coltman, Paul O'Donoghue, Jon T Jorgenson, John T Hogg, Curtis Strobeck, Marco Festa-Bianchet (2003) Nature 426 : 655-658
Males contributing to large horns die earlier and have fewer offspring
A role for sexual selection
Human-induced evolution caused by unnatural selection through harvest of wild animals. Fred W Allendorf, Jeffrey J Hard (2009) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106 Suppl (Supplement_1) p. 9987-94
Evolution and conservation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
A role for sexual selectionSexual selection: big bodyUnnatural selection: small body
Sexual selection: big antlers, big bodyUnnatural selection: small antlers, small body
Sexual selection: big horns, big bodyUnnatural selection: small horns, small body
Evolution and conservation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
A role for sexual selectionEvolution and conservation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Body size
Metabolism
Thermoregulation
Metabolic rates
Trophic interactions
Difficult to eat Easier to eat others
Eat more
Eat different
Movement
Disperse further
Greater survival during dispersal
Sexual selection
Greater mating success Greater
fecundity
A role for sexual selectionEvolution and conservation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
A role for sexual selectionEvolution and conservation
Ecology in the Anthropocene Lecture 1 (06/11/12)
Summary
• Species do not have to be removed entirely to have an ecological impact
• Changes in the genetics of a population can lead to substantial ecological changes
• Human harvesting is often focused on body size, which is among the most important ecological parameters
• Human harvesting rarely considers ecological/evolutionary impacts