Bio205-2011-19 Conservation - Weve explored how organisms relate to each other and to their environments Theoretical concepts Range of spatial and

Lectures 19 & 20: Conservation and review http://www.amphibians.org/ 1 We’ve explored how organisms relate to each other and to their environments • Theoretical concepts • Range of spatial and temporal levels • Types of questions • Methods and techniques 2 Biodiversity changed over time 3 And sometimes diversity dropped big time 4

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Are we currently experiencing the sixth extinction? 5 For example: Frogs http://www.amphibians.org/ 6 Some numbers tell the story 30% 165 500 42% 7 There are areas of high amphibian diversity 8

Distribution of threatened species shows different hotspots 9 What could be the reason? 10 Cause of rapid decline is a fungus: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (BD) http://www.amphibiaweb.org/images/dead_rana_muscosa.jpg 11 We can follow the spread of BD across Mesoamerica … Lips et al. 2008. PLOSBiology 6(3):e72 12

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… and South America Lips et al. 2008. PLOSBiology 6(3):e72 13 Harlequin frogs are almost gone • 1980s: > 97 species • Now: only 10 can be still found in the wild http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/03/colombia_frogs_discovered/