ENVS 345/BIOL 345 - Conservation
Biology - Emory University - Thomas
Gillespie - Exam 1
Human Population Growth... - ANSWER--Steady population until the 1800s, has been
booming every since
-Most of the growth is in less developed regions
-Shift from rural to urban areas on a global scale
-Age distribution differences between less developed and more developed regions
-Larger numbers of young people in less developed regions
Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources... - ANSWER--We have
used between ⅓ and ½ of the Earth's land surface
-Collateral impact = increase of CO2 and greenhouse gases
-Humans are the world's greatest evolutionary force (examples: Antibiotic resistance,
Increase in tuskless elephants)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir - ANSWER-Beliefs:
Romantic-Transcendental Conservation Ethic
"Nature has uses other than human economic gain;" biophilia
RWE and HDT were Transcendentalists, wrote Nature (1836) and Walden (1854)
John Muir founded Sierra Club (1892)
Gifford Pinchot - ANSWER-Beliefs:
Resource Conservation Ethic Utilitarian
-anthropocentric "natural resource" philosophy
-"the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time"
-First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905 - 1910)
-Coined "conservation ethic"
Examples: Genetics, Physiology, behavioral biology, ecology, population biology, island
biogeography, historical biogeography, hazard evaluation, social sciences,
ecophilosophy, natural resource fields, environmental monitoring, veterinary medicine
3 Guiding Principles of Conservation Biology: - ANSWER-(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
What is evolution? - ANSWER-Allele frequency change through time in a population
What is a population? - ANSWER-a group of conspecific individuals contemporaneously
occupying the same place
What are some Mechanisms of Evolution? - ANSWER-Mutation, Genetic drift, Gene
flow via emigration & immigration, Artificial selection, Natural selection, Sexual selection
What is Conservation Biology? - ANSWER-Conservation Biology "is an integrated,
multidisciplinary scientific field that has developed in response to the challenge of
preserving species and ecosystems."
The goals of Conservation Biology are: - ANSWER-1. To document the full range of
biological diversity on Earth.
2. To investigate human impact on species, genetic variation & ecosystems.
3. To develop practical approaches to prevent extinction of species, maintain genetic
diversity, & protect & restore biological communities & associated ecosystem functions.
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines: - ANSWER-Conservation Biology is
grounded in Science, but also recognizes that not all relevant questions can be
answered strictly using scientific tools and methods of inquiry
Modern Synthesis - ANSWER--Integrated Darwin's and Mendel's work (evolution and
genetics)
-Nature is complex and dynamic
-Architects to know:
Theodosius Dobzhansky
R.A. Fisher
Ernst Mayr
J. B. S. Haldane
Charles Darwin - ANSWER-On the Origin of Species (1859)
"Descent with modification"
Theodosius Dobzhansky - ANSWER-"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the
light of evolution"
An architect of the Modern Synthesis
G. Evelyn Hutchinson - ANSWER-The "evolutionary play" takes place in an "ecological
theater"
Nature is complex and dynamic
Biology - Emory University - Thomas
Gillespie - Exam 1
Human Population Growth... - ANSWER--Steady population until the 1800s, has been
booming every since
-Most of the growth is in less developed regions
-Shift from rural to urban areas on a global scale
-Age distribution differences between less developed and more developed regions
-Larger numbers of young people in less developed regions
Humans are globally significant consumers of natural resources... - ANSWER--We have
used between ⅓ and ½ of the Earth's land surface
-Collateral impact = increase of CO2 and greenhouse gases
-Humans are the world's greatest evolutionary force (examples: Antibiotic resistance,
Increase in tuskless elephants)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir - ANSWER-Beliefs:
Romantic-Transcendental Conservation Ethic
"Nature has uses other than human economic gain;" biophilia
RWE and HDT were Transcendentalists, wrote Nature (1836) and Walden (1854)
John Muir founded Sierra Club (1892)
Gifford Pinchot - ANSWER-Beliefs:
Resource Conservation Ethic Utilitarian
-anthropocentric "natural resource" philosophy
-"the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time"
-First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905 - 1910)
-Coined "conservation ethic"
Examples: Genetics, Physiology, behavioral biology, ecology, population biology, island
biogeography, historical biogeography, hazard evaluation, social sciences,
ecophilosophy, natural resource fields, environmental monitoring, veterinary medicine
3 Guiding Principles of Conservation Biology: - ANSWER-(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
What is evolution? - ANSWER-Allele frequency change through time in a population
What is a population? - ANSWER-a group of conspecific individuals contemporaneously
occupying the same place
What are some Mechanisms of Evolution? - ANSWER-Mutation, Genetic drift, Gene
flow via emigration & immigration, Artificial selection, Natural selection, Sexual selection
What is Conservation Biology? - ANSWER-Conservation Biology "is an integrated,
multidisciplinary scientific field that has developed in response to the challenge of
preserving species and ecosystems."
The goals of Conservation Biology are: - ANSWER-1. To document the full range of
biological diversity on Earth.
2. To investigate human impact on species, genetic variation & ecosystems.
3. To develop practical approaches to prevent extinction of species, maintain genetic
diversity, & protect & restore biological communities & associated ecosystem functions.
Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines: - ANSWER-Conservation Biology is
grounded in Science, but also recognizes that not all relevant questions can be
answered strictly using scientific tools and methods of inquiry
Modern Synthesis - ANSWER--Integrated Darwin's and Mendel's work (evolution and
genetics)
-Nature is complex and dynamic
-Architects to know:
Theodosius Dobzhansky
R.A. Fisher
Ernst Mayr
J. B. S. Haldane
Charles Darwin - ANSWER-On the Origin of Species (1859)
"Descent with modification"
Theodosius Dobzhansky - ANSWER-"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the
light of evolution"
An architect of the Modern Synthesis
G. Evelyn Hutchinson - ANSWER-The "evolutionary play" takes place in an "ecological
theater"
Nature is complex and dynamic
