The Importance of The Importance of Conserving Conserving

InvertebratesInvertebrates Presentation Presentation

prepared by E. Nichols prepared by E. Nichols and S. Spectorand S. Spector

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The Importance of Conserving The Importance of Conserving InvertebratesInvertebrates

Dominant

96% of all animal species

74% of all known species

>85% of all animal biomass

Unknown

• Number of species within an order of magnitude

• Habitat requirements

• Conservation status

Diverse

• Life histories

• Body forms

• Ecological niches

What are invertebrates?What are invertebrates?

Over 1,207,900 described species

≈10 million estimated undescribed insect species alone

34 of 37 phyla of life on earth

How many invertebrates on that list did you already know?

What’s in a name?– Is familiarity a prerequisite

for conservation?

• Velvet worms• +200 species• Restricted to the

tropics• Highly threatened• Habitat requirements

broadly unknown

Example

• Flatworms• +25,000 known species• Parasitic and free-living• Marine, freshwater, and

terrestrial • Range in size from nearly

microscopic to > 20m

Example

• Water bears• +900 known species• Found in lichen,

mosses, beach sands, and soils

• Can withstand extreme cold, heat, radiation, and dehydration

• Tiny, 0.1 - 1.5mm long

Example

• Invertebrate distributions range from widespread to highly restricted

• Some parasites follow the global distributions of their host species

• Many human parasites are expanding their ranges– Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)– Ancyclostoma duodenale and Necator americanus

(hookworm)– Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm)

Example

• Aren’t widespread taxa less likely to be threatened?

• Not always - several examples of widespread species extinctions are documented, usually as a consequence of loss of critical habitat

•Rocky Mountain Locust (Melanoplus spretus)

–Swarms of up to 3.5 trillion individuals–Extinct in 1902

• Other species are narrow habitat specialists

• Bone-eating Osedax worms – Marine annelids – 2 species, discovered in 2002– Restricted to the carcasses of dead whales– Microscopic males live inside females

Example

• Obligate parasites face special conservation concern

• Neotrichodectes sp (the ferret louse) – Obligate on black footed ferrets

(Mustella nigripes)– Likely extinct following:

• Ferret population crash• Subsequent delousing of captive

ferret populations

Example

• Invertebrate ecological interactions and processes are fundamental to every ecosystem on earth

• We value many of these functions

• Utilitarian value- values for humans and other organisms– Direct Use– Indirect Use

• Intrinsic value- the inherent value of being

• Direct Use– Ecosystem Goods

• Food• Materials• Medicines

• Indirect Use– Ecosystem Functions

& Services• Pollination• Trophic regulation• Ecosystem engineering• Educational tools• Cultural significance

Do invertebrates only interact ‘positively’ with humans?

Plant pests and diseases decrease the quantity and quality of crop and livestock production and increase the costs of agricultural products

Human invertebrate vectored and transmitted diseases cause widespread mortality and morbidity disproportionately felt by the poor

Invertebrates form a major component of the human diet

– Tasty– Culturally significant– High in protein

Most edible invertebrates are marine - commanding

higher prices than fish-based fisheries

Crustaceans - shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish

Insects - >1,200 edible species - caterpillars, beetles, antsMollusks - squid, oysters, clams, octopus, mussels

Echinoderms - sea cucumber, sea urchins

Direct UseUtilitarian Value

Invertebrates have long been popular as personal artifacts

– Cultural significance

– Beauty

– Sessile nature

– Perception of abundance

All factors which have contributed to the

harvesting and over-harvesting of invertebrates

Jewelry - pearls, coral, beetle elytra, shells

Buttons - abalone, freshwater mussels, oysters

Decor - tourism trinkets, combs, sinks, nacre inlays

Direct UseUtilitarian Value

Invertebrates are turned into industrial additives and products

Many of the species used here are now domesticated

Dye - Dactylopius coccus. Textiles, yogurt, Jell-O, Campari

Textiles - Bombyz mori. Produces silk

Shellac - Laccifer lacca. Wood, hairspray, pills, records

Direct UseUtilitarian Value

Many pharmaceuticals come from invertebrates

– Sessile– Evolutionary arms-race

Diverse array of secondary metabolites

Pain - Cone snails & painkillers (e.g. Ziconotide)

Cancer - Sponges & anticancers (e.g. Topsentin)

– High hit rate Profitable

Direct UseUtilitarian Value

Fluorescence - Cnidarians & fluorescent proteins

Insects underpin much of our food and fiber supply

– Arecaceae - palm oil

– Prunoidea - cherry, almond, peach– Malvacea - cotton, chocolate– Fabacea - wild soybean, clover, alfalfa

Wild insect pollinators

contribute to 1/3 of the average

human caloric intake

Flies - myophilous and sapromyophilous plants

Butterflies - pollinate diurnal, bright, odorless flowers

Beetles - attracted by heat, odor, food, protection

Bees - wild species pollinate about 80% of world’s crops

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Dung beetles

– Plant seeds excreted in frugivorous mammal dung under the soil surface

– Reduce seed predation pressure

Increase likelihood of successful

germination and emergence

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Dung beetles might play a

significant role in structuring tropical forest

Invertebrates regulate individual abundance of many species via

– Predation – Herbivory– Parasitism– Parasitoidism

Pronounced dominance of any one species in a

ecosystem often signals natural or anthropogenic

disturbance

Pests - predation of plant and animal pest species

Diseases - suppression of vectors and pathogens

Diversity- maintain diversity via predation and herbivory

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Invertebrates affect atmospheric regulation via

– Supporting healthy ecosystems

– CO2 accretion and storage

– Gas emission through bioturbation

Hard corals & oysters - trap/store CO2 via CACO3

deposition

Invertebrates play a major but poorly understood role

in maintaining the ecosystems which

regulate atmospheric gases

Worms & dung beetles - contribute to N mineralization and CO2 release

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

The creation, modification and maintenance of habitat

– Reef building– Shelter building– Mound building

Support a tremendous range of other organisms

through the provisioning of ‘refugia’

Termites - mounds support high fungal diversity

Hard corals - reef builders in coastal and marine systems

Oysters - reef builders in freshwater and estuarine systems

Caterpillars - create leaf rolls, used by other arthropods

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

‘Canary in the coal mine’ for environmental pollutants

– Range of sensitivities – High fecundity– Widespread distributions– Stable populations

Individual species or community response

used as metrics to assess pollutant

levels

Blue mussels - accumulate heavy metals and pesticides

Stone & Mayflies - used to monitor dissolved oxygen

Terrestrial snails - used to monitor urban air pollution

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Transmit information about broader ecosystem

– Easily sampled– Stable taxonomy, easy identification – Predictable response – Correlated with other taxa

Ideal focal taxa traits

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

• Awareness – A connection with nature in any

system

• Stewardship – Spur local conservation activity

• Global action– The ‘Pigeon Paradox’

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Genomic biology - Gene mapping, gene expression

Cell biology - Neurotransmitters, ion channels

Ideal model systems for biological research– Small-bodied– Highly fecund– Rapid development

Ideal for lab research

Neuro-biology - Nerve function and disorders

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

• Paintings– Ch'i Pai Shih (1863-1957)

• Sculpture– The Blaschakas

• glass marine models

• Odds and ends

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Mann Library, Cornell University

Stories– Myths, TV shows, books

Idioms–‘Snail’s pace’’–“Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee’’

Poetry–Shakespeare, Rumi–Aristophane, Du Fu

Superheroes

–The Tick–El Chapulín Colorado (O Vermelhinho)

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Religion

– Aztecs -Xochiquetzal - butterfly goddess

– Greek -Potnia and Artemis- goddess symbolized by bees

– !Khomani San - Kaggen - mantis god of creation

Bees were seen through the ancient Near East as the bridge between the natural world and underworld, and were often

carved on tombs

Indirect Use

Utilitarian Value

Intrinsic value conveys concepts of: – Morality– Responsibility– Stewardship

If each individual invertebrate has an

inherent right to exist, do each of us have an

inherent responsibility to do it no harm?

Do all individuals (humans and non humans alike) have the inherent right to exist?

What about….

Parasites ?

Pathogens ?

Crop Pests ?

Disease Vectors ?

Stingers/Biters ?

Cockroaches ?

Species with no clear ‘worth’ ?

The 17 spp of priapulid worms ?

Most pathogen-related strategies are intended to destroy or control them

Pathogens are obvious threats to well being….

Do pathogens warrant conservation?

Pathogens are critical players in ecological and evolutionary processes

How do you conserve pathogens?

–major component of the planet’s diversity–powerful selection agents –host population regulation–represent unique evolutionary lineages

What causes invertebrate decline?

Habitat Loss - agricultural expansion, human development

Co-decline - strict and diffuse obligate species

Climate change - changes in phenology and habitat loss

Over-harvesting - home décor, consumption, industrial use

Invertebrates face an array of direct and indirect threats

-Combined with limited information on basic biology, population sizes, distributions, and limited research support, understanding invertebrate decline is extremely challenging

• Agricultural conversion – Expansion– Intensification

Invertebrate Decline

• Habitat fragmentation– A combination of habitat loss

and redistribution

• Shift in land management– Often accompanies

agricultural intensification

Phenological changes– Food resources – Reproduction– Emergence

Habitat shifts– Altitude– Landscapes– Latitude

Invertebrate Decline

Pharmaceuticals – Collection size dependent on concentration of

active compounds in organism

– Collections can be enormous, but effects of bioprospecting are unknown

Invertebrate Decline

Collectors– Live beetle trades– Decorative ornamentals

Fisheries– Freshwater and marine fishery collapses

• Chesapeake Bay Oyster• Puget Sound Abalone• Freshwater mollusks

Two types– Obligate

• 1-1 relationship• Decline of host

often means obligate extinction

Invertebrate Decline

– Mutual keystone• 1-many relationship• Decline of host often

means broad decline of multiple species

• Complex life cycles • Naturally stochastic populations

Invertebrate biology poses conservation challenge

© Texas Parks and Wildlife

• Human perceptions pose conservation challenge – Social– Scientific– Financial

If we valued invertebrates more,

would these challenges be resolved?

Low civic support - negative perception, few flagship species

Low financial support - lower funding priority than other taxa

Taxonomy - identifying and curating huge numbers takes resources

Planning - seldom incorporated in conservation planning, assessment

• Most invertebrates are poorly known and will remain so

– <10% of the total estimated species have been described

– Many of those in need of revision

– Taxonomic expertise thinly spread where it is most needed

• Invertebrate collection and management is data heavy– Museum collections often

not digitized or georeferenced

– Need a home for integrated specimen-based, genetic, morphological and geographic information

– High demand, low expertise

A poverty of richness…

– incredibly diverse– incredibly dominant– critical to the human condition– subject to lesser conservation

measures– key ecosystem players– often highly threatened

Never use the words higher and lower..certainly they are difficult words, not only descriptive but value laden…while

bald eagles are an endangered species, so are 129 species of American freshwater mussels….is it more important to

save the eagle than ten dozen species of mussel? Perhaps eagle and mussels are just there, and neither is higher or lower. Of the animal biomass on our planet, 90 percent is

invertebrate who account for 95 percent of all animal species

-Charles Darwin in an apparent note to self