Discussion Question 10 (Solutions and Review) comments due Nov 23rd

Are poverty and the conservation of biological diversity linked, and if so, how? Should these problems be attacked together or separately?

Discussion Question 11 (Solutions and Review) comments due Nov 23rd

Conservation biologists have been remiss by failing to link human health to healthy ecosystems. Consider an ecosystem of any size in your region and ask how might protecting or restoring that ecosystem benefit human health?

Discussion Question 12 (Solutions and Review) comments due Nov 23rd

Discuss some of the potential opportunities for and problems with possible ecotourism ventures near you. What issues would need to be addressed to ensure that ecotourism would be sustainable and not damaging to natural areas?

Discussion Question 9 (Tools) comments due Nov 2nd

Traditional economists have argued that the marketplace will determine species protection. By this they mean that exploited species will be reduced only to the point where extraction costs equal revenue. It also implies that by giving economic value to species it is more likely that people and governments will protect them. Government regulation is seen as an unnecessary intrusion. Think of positive and negative aspects of this free market approach to conservation.

Discussion Question 4 (Primary Threats)

Why is habitat degradation the greatest threat to biodiversity?

Discussion Question 5 (Primary Threats)

Learn about a well known endangered species, such as the koala bear, the right whale, or the cheetah. Why are these particular species vulnerable to extinction? Use the IUCN criteria (IUCN 2001) to determine the appropriate conservation category for one or more species.

Discussion Question 6 (Primary Threats)

Control of invasive species may involve searching for specialized natural enemies, parasites, or predators of that species within its original range and releasing such organisms in an attempt to control the invasive species at the new location, For example, an attempt is currently underway to control exotic purple loosestrife in North America by releasing several European beetle species that eat the plant in its home area. As another example, biologists are talking about introducing an exotic fungus into Hawaii to eliminate the invasive Puerto Rican coqui frog. What if these biological control agents begin to attach native species rather than their intended host? How might such a consequence be predicted and avoided? Consider the biological, economic, and ethical issues involved in a decision to institute a biological control program.

Comment limit

I didn't realize there was a limit on the comment size in the Blog but apparently there is - 4,096 characters. This comes about from some flaw in the code (Google makes mistakes?) that meant that comments above that size were undeletable. Going for the quick fix Google limited the size of comments to prevent spammers exploiting the flaw.

Anyhow, 4,096 characters is at least 500 words, or a couple of double spaced pages. I did not intend people making such long comments for the assignments 200 to 400 words should be enough. But be aware that there is this limit so, again, I recommend you compose your assignment comment in a program like MS Word and then paste it in.

Discussion Question 1 (History and Biodiversity pattern and process) comments due October 5th

Given that millions of species are yet to be described and named, how should the limited human and financial resources available for taxonomic research be allocated? Should attention be concentrated on poorly known taxa? Should efforts be directed toward areas threatened with habitat destruction so that species can be collected before they are eliminated? Should major efforts be directed to obtain complete 'all taxa" surveys of selected areas? How and by whom should these decisions be made?

Discussion Question 2 (History and Biodiversity pattern and process) comments due Oct 5th

In the near future it may be possible to identify any species from a small, non-destructive, DNA sample. Given this fact, and the fact that acquiring taxonomic expertise can take a lot of time and work, is the ability to identify and classify species a skill that every conservation biologist should possess?

Discussion Question 3 (History and Biodiversity pattern and process) comments due Oct 5th

What are the factors promoting species richness? Why is biological diversity diminished in particular environments? Why aren't species able to overcome these limitations and undergo the process of speciation?

Sample Discussion Topic Question

In 1949 Aldo Leopold wrote:
"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”
(A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There, Oxford University press 1949).

Is this a realistic goal for conservation biology? How does this statement reflect the practices of conservation biology today?

(Click on 'Comments' to view the discussion or click on the Title of the post to see the post and the comments. Even though this is only a sample question please feel free to add a comment.)