<p>Community Ecology Applied community ecology and future directions</p><p>Outline: 1. Threats to biodiversity / Applications of community ecology A. Exotic/invasive species B. Habitat loss C. Habitat degradation D. Climate change 2. What is the future for community ecology?</p><p>Terms/people: restoration vs. rehabilitation vs. replacement bioaccumulation invasive species (and examples) biological magnification ecological release phenology</p><p>The future of community ecology and of all of us lies in applying what we have learned to solve mounting problems of biodiversity conservation, environmental degradation and reparation, and wise and efficient resource use. </p><p>Threats to Biodiversity:</p><p>1. Exotic/Invasive Species</p><p>Why do exotic/introduced species incur so many effects on communities?</p><p>Invasive species (an hour-long show on giant pythons in the Everglades): http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/invasion-of-the-giant-pythons/video-full-episode/5565/</p><p>See Pimentel et al. 2005</p><p>Ecological release</p><p>Hardest hit location: ______</p><p>2. Reduction of Habitat</p><p>The three primary forces of habitat loss and fragmentation: 1. 2. 3. 3. Degradation of Habitat: individuals are stressed, habitat supports fewer numbers of each species</p><p>Mechanisms: - Pollution (air, water, soil, etc.) - Edge effects: changes in heat, light, wind, aridity, soil moisture, exposure, sound pollution from humans, etc. </p><p>-as we go up the food chain, the relative concentration of toxins increase in concentration (biological magnification/bioaccumulation): If we were cannibals, we couldn't eat each other! And we wouldn't pass the inspections by the USDA!</p><p>Restoration ecology: "The acid test of our understanding is not whether we can take ecosystems to bits on pieces of paper, however scientifically, but whether we can put them together in practice and make them work." (Bradshaw 1983) restoration vs. rehabilitation vs. replacement 3 considerations</p><p>Shifting baselines pose challenges to conservation (how can we tell what is pristine, or natural?): http://www.shiftingbaselines.org/slideshow/pristine_hi.html</p><p>4. Climate Change</p><p>See Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007</p><p>Global climate change: a.k.a. global warming caused by greenhouse effect, with implications for temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level, watershed structure, species’ geographic ranges/distributions</p><p>Phenology</p><p>In these and other areas, community ecologists can have make important and lasting contributions. Community ecologists work in academic, governmental, non-profit, and private business settings on natural resource use, conservation, ecotoxicology, captive breeding programs (for zoos, aquaria, and botanical gardens), integrated pest management, wildlife management, ecotourism, and environmental impact assessment. So what is the future for community ecology and for students interested in community ecology? The very origin of ecology was rooted in community-level studies. Ecology as a discipline is incomplete if community interactions are ignored. Therefore, for as long as ecology exists, community ecology will continue to be important. </p><p>Next time: wrapping up with the next big things? (neutral theory & metacommunities)</p><p>References: </p><p>Bradshaw, A.D. 1983. The reconstruction of ecosystems. J. Appl. Ecol. 20:1-17.</p><p>Bright, C. 1998. Life Out of Bounds: Bioinvasion in a Borderless World. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, NY. </p><p>Cox, P.M., P.P. Harris, C. Huntingford, R.A. Betts, M. Collins, C.D. Jones, T.E. Jupp, J.A. Marengo, and C.A. Nobre. 2008. Increasing risk of Amazonian drought due to decreasing aerosol pollution. Nature 453:212-215.</p><p>Ebenhard, T. 1988. Introduced birds and mammals and their ecological effects. Swed. Wildl. Res. 13:1-107.</p><p>Hoegh-Guldberg, O., P.J. Mumby, A.J. Hooten, R.S. Steneck, P. Greenfield, E. Gomez, C.D. Harvell, P.F. Sale, A.J. Edwards, K. Calderia, N. Knowlton, C.M. Eakin, R. Iglesias-Preito, N. Muthiga, R.H. Bradbury, A. Dubi, and M.E. Hatziolos. 2007. Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737-1742.</p><p>McCoy, E.D., and H.R. Mushinsky. 2002. Measuring the success of wildlife community restoration. Ecol. Appl. 12:1861-1871.</p><p>Morin, P.J. 1999. Community Ecology. Blackwell Science, Malden, MA. [Chapter 14]</p><p>Myers, J.H., D. Simberloff, A.M. Kuris, and J.R. Carey. 2000. Eradication revisited: dealing with exotic species. Trends Ecol. Evol. 15:316-320.</p><p>Pimentel, D., R. Zuniga, and D. Morrison. 2005. Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States. Ecol. Econ. 52:273-288.</p><p>Schiffman, P.M. 1994. Promotion of exotic weed establishment by endangered giant kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ingens) in a California grassland. Biodiv. Conserv. 3:524-537.</p><p>U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. The Brown Tree Snake Boiga irregularis, A Threat to Pacific Islands. Biological Report 88(31). U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. </p>