lecture 40 — conservation
why is conservation needed:
estimates of 10 mil species currently on earth
estimates of 100-350 mil species ever lived
possibly 1 species goes extinct every day
why extinctions matter:
many known to be affected by human activities— moral obligation to prevent
unnatural loss
many species may be of value, e.g. drug development
community: an association of populations occupying the same space
can be any size
defined by habitat boundaries
species richness: equated to biodiversity
biodiversity = “the variety of life”
importance of biodiversity:
1. measurable entity — count species
2. politically agrees as of conservation importance
species richness often varies with latitude
as latitude increases, species richness increases
lecture 40 — conservation 1
why is conservation needed:
estimates of 10 mil species currently on earth
estimates of 100-350 mil species ever lived
possibly 1 species goes extinct every day
why extinctions matter:
many known to be affected by human activities— moral obligation to prevent
unnatural loss
many species may be of value, e.g. drug development
community: an association of populations occupying the same space
can be any size
defined by habitat boundaries
species richness: equated to biodiversity
biodiversity = “the variety of life”
importance of biodiversity:
1. measurable entity — count species
2. politically agrees as of conservation importance
species richness often varies with latitude
as latitude increases, species richness increases
lecture 40 — conservation 1
