Biodiversity Conservation – week 3

Marco Pautasso (marpauta at gmail.com)

London Metropolitan Univ. - 2010

Biodiversity Conservationmain topics – week 3

Conservation of genetic diversity

Biodiversity and deadwood

Fagus sylvatica - European beech: bark vs. seedling

Sources: Kew Gardens (2009) and Wikimedia Commons

Fagus sylvatica - European beech: seedling

Source: WikimediaCommons, Germany - May 2005

Source: WikimediaCommons, Poland - April 2004

Source: WikimediaCommons, Denmark – May 2005

Fagus sylvatica: early spring

Source: WikimediaCommons, Scotland – November 2006

Fagus sylvatica in autumn

Svenning & Skov (2004) Ecology Letters and Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Fagus sylvatica: geographical distribution

Source: Euforgen

Source: WikimediaCommons, Finland

Betula pendula – silver birch

Source: WikimediaCommons

Betula pendula

Source: Euforgen

Source: WikimediaCommons

Quercus robur: pedunculate oak

Source: WikimediaCommons

Quercus robur, pedunculate oak: leaf and acorns

Source: WikimediaCommons

Quercus robur

Source: Euforgen

Source: WikimediaCommons

Aesculus hippocastanum: horse chestnut

Sources: Forest Research (UK) and Wikimedia Commons

Cameraria ohridella: the horse chestnut leaf miner

Source: Wikimedia Commons (France, August 2007) and DAISIE (EU)

Cameraria ohridella: the horse chestnut leaf miner

Source: WikimediaCommons

Aesculus hippocastanum: horse chestnut

Carl Larsson, Under the Chestnut Tree (1912)

Source: WikimediaCommons

Camille Pissarro, Les chataigniers à Osny (1873)

Source: WikimediaCommons

Castanea sativa: sweet chestnut

Source: WikimediaCommons

Castanea sativa: sweet chestnut

Source: Euforgen

Source: Euforgen

Source: WikimediaCommons

Carpinus betulus: hornbeam

Source: WikimediaCommons, Köln, Germany

Carpinus betulus: hornbeam

Source: Svenning & Skov (2004) Ecology Letters & Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Carpinus betulus: hornbeam

Source: Wikimedia commons

Acer pseudoplatanus: sycamore

Source: WikimediaCommons

Rhytisma acerinum on Acer pseudoplatanus

Source: Euforgen

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Platanus x hispanica – London plane

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Platanus x hispanica – London plane

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Platanus vs. Acer

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Ulmus spp. (elms)

Source: Euforgen

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Fraxinus excelsior - common ash

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Fraxinus excelsior - common ash

Source: Euforgen

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tilia cordata – small-leaved lime

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tilia cordata – small-leaved lime

Source: Euforgen

Source: Kew Gardens, Autumn 2009

Ficus carica – fig tree

Source: Kew Gardens, May 2009

Ficus carica – fig tree

A selection of 12 UK tree species•European beech – Fagus sylvatica

•Silver birch – Betula pendula•Pedunculate oak – Quercus robur

•Horse chestnut – Aesculus hippocastanum•Sweet chestnut – Castanea sativa

•Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus•Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus

•London plane – Platanus x hispanica•Elms - Ulmus spp.

•Common ash – Fraxinus excelsior•Small-leaved lime – Tilia cordata

•Fig tree – Ficus carica

Source: Wikimedia Commons

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

(e) (f)

(g) (h)

Source: WikimediaCommons/Kew Gardens

(i) (j)

(k)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine

Source: Euforgen

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pinus sylvestris – Scots pineScotland (Cairngorms)

Spain (Sierra de Guadarrama) Georgia (Caucasus)

Finland

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine

Source: Euforgen

Source: Kew Gardens

Pinus pinea – stone pine

Source: Vendramin et al. (2008) Evolution

Pinus pinea – genetic diversity

Source: Gao et al. (2007) Molecular Ecology

Taxus wallichiana – genetic diversity

Source: Fussi et al. (2010) Tree Genetics and Genomes

Populus tremula and P. alba – genetic diversity

Summary•Genetic diversity is an important

component of biodiversity

•It provides adaptation potential to new environmental conditions

•Conservation has often been neglected geographical patterns in genetic diversity

•However, there is a remarkable increase in research on conservation genetics

Are the main threats to biodiversity also affecting genetic diversity?

Habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss

Water, air and soil pollution

Species introductions

Climate change

GENETIC DIVERSITY

?

Source: WSL, CH

The importance of deadwood

Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

Snags vs. logs

Source: Kew Gardens, Spring 2009

Ancient trees → deadwood → biodiversity

Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

Snags vs. logs

Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

Snags vs. logs

Summary•Deadwood is fundamental for biodiversity,

but has been often reduced by mankind

•It provides habitat for many fungal, lichen and bryophyte, arthropod, mammal and bird species

•Variable types of deadwood are needed for different saproxylic (deadwood-dependent) species

•Both downed and standing deadwood are important

Source: WSL, CH

Wood decay = biodiversity

tons/ha

Verkerket al. 2009

%

%

[CO2]

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

CO2 emissions (2000) per continent

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

CO2 emissions (2000) per country

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

CO2 emissions (cumulative: 1880-2004) per country

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

CO2 emissions since 2000: scenarios vs. data

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

Human population densities

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

Human population densities: USA vs. Europe

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

Human population density vs. energy consumption

from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

Human population density vs. energy consumption

ReferencesBarbosa AM, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) Positive regional species–people correlations: a sampling artefact or a key issue for sustainable development? Animal Conservation 13: 446-447Cantarello E, Steck CE, Fontana P, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) A multi-scale study of Orthoptera species richness and human population size controlling for sampling effort. Naturwissenschaften 97: 265-271Golding J, Güsewell S, Kreft H, Kuzevanov VY, Lehvävirta S, Parmentier I & Pautasso M (2010) Species-richness patterns of the living collections of the world's botanic gardens: a matter of socio-economics? Annals of Botany 105: 689-696Pautasso M (2009) Geographical genetics and the conservation of forest trees. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Systematics & Evolution 11: 157-189Pautasso M & Chiarucci A (2008) A test of the scale-dependence of the species abundance-people correlation for veteran trees in Italy. Annals of Botany 101: 709-715 Pautasso M & Dinetti M (2009) Avian species richness, human population and protected areas across Italy’s regions. Environmental Conservation 36: 22-31Pautasso M & Fontaneto D (2008) A test of the species-people correlation for stream macro-invertebrates in European countries. Ecological Applications 18: 1842-1849Pautasso M & Parmentier I (2007) Are the living collections of the world’s botanical gardens following species-richness patterns observed in natural ecosystems? Botanica Helvetica 117: 15-28Pautasso M & Powell G (2009) Aphid biodiversity is correlated with human population in European countries. Oecologia 160: 839-846Pautasso M & Weisberg PJ (2008) Density-area relationships: the importance of the zeros. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 203-210Pautasso M & Zotti M (2009) Macrofungal taxa and human population in Italy's regions. Biodiversity & Conservation 18: 473-485Pautasso M et al (2010) Plant health and global change – some implications for landscape management. Biological Reviews 85: 729-755Pautasso M et al (2011) Global macroecology of bird assemblages in urbanized and semi-natural ecosystems. Global Ecology & Biogeography 20: 426-436Pecher C, Fritz S, Marini L, Fontaneto D & Pautasso M (2010) Scale-dependence of the correlation between human population and the species richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Basic Applied Ecology 11: 272-280Schlick-Steiner B, Steiner F & Pautasso M (2008) Ants and people: a test of two mechanisms behind the large-scale human-biodiversity correlation for Formicidae in Europe. Journal of Biogeography 35: 2195-2206Steck CE & Pautasso M (2008) Human population, grasshopper and plant species richness in European countries. Acta Oecologica 34: 303-310