Biology, Eighth Edition (Raven)

Chapter 59: Conservation Biology

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the importance of extinction as a normal biological event; however, be aware that humans have accelerated it in many cases.
• Know what endemic species are, why they are important, and how they are directly related to human population growth.
• Compare the direct and indirect economic values of biodiversity.
• Know why biodiversity on the planet has ethical and aesthetic values. Be able to cite some examples to support these values.
• Understand how conservation biology, a relatively new field in biology, is aimed at preservation of species, populations, communities, and ecosystems worldwide.
• Understand why most human caused extinctions have occurred on islands rather than on mainland continents.
• Know how various factors, individually or collectively, that have lead to the human caused extinction crises.
• Know four ways habitat losses occur and one example of each.
• Know the five factors that lead to species extinction and the case studies that best represent each factor.
• Explain the three types of habitat restoration efforts and give one example to support each effort.
• Understand why it is so important to sustain intact ecosystems rather than an individual species.
• Explain how different sizes and shapes of habitats can affect biodiversity.