BIOLOGY 1B Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Ecosystem Services, Conservation Biology, Introduced Species
Document Summary
One of the biggest challenges for organisms. Natural systems that were in place prior to homo sapiens moving into the area have been degraded from their original function. We call them ethically loaded, but ecologically sound . Ecosystems serve us in many ways water filtration, recreation, etc. Fragmentation of habitats where edge becomes greater percentage of ecosystem area. You end up with a gradient of change toward the interior of the system based on created edge effects. Species that occupies edges are opportunistic and often successful they proliferate rapidly to the exclusion of other species that may be on the interior. Massive proportion (25%) is under strict protection. President of gabon flying in an airplane and mused on how beautifully his country looked from the air. Upon landing his plane, he put into protection a huge portion of the country (11%)
