Download Biological Diversity - New York State Museum

Community ecology addresses the manner in which species are linked in local
environments. One of the most important problems in modern biology, as well as in
conservation practice, is the tightness and reach of such linkages. We know how small
sets of species, such as pairs and triplets, closely interact as partners in symbiosis,
competition, predation and prey. What we do not know to any extent, especially
in the most species-rich, endangered communities, is the range of linkages for
individual species. How many species, for example, are keystone species whose
elimination would bring down, say, 100 or more other species? This kind of scientific
research is as basic and subtle as any in molecular biology or physics.
In ecosystems studies, the highest level of organization is the ecosystem, the
combined biological and physical components of circumscribed domains such as
islands, patches of forest and lakes. The emphasis at this level is on the properties
of energy and material flow, and (for our purposes) the relation of these properties
to species composition. When environments are disturbed, energy and material
flows are shifted, and humidity and temperature are altered. As a consequence,
some species flourish while others decline and die out.
Economic analysis of local ecosystems becomes practical to the extent that
knowledge of the fauna and flora increases. One very promising approach is biochemical
prospecting, the screening of natural products of wild species, a relatively
inexpensive procedure that can follow closely upon systematic inventories and
other early biological studies. The aim of this approach is to create new pharmaceuticals
and commercial products from the wildlands and to encourage the
creation of extractive reserves as an alternative to habitat destruction.
In conclusion, here is the way these several fields of study can be fit together
in the service of conservation and use of biodiversity:
• Promote monographic studies of the poorest known groups, especially those
likely to display novel population traits and conservation needs.
• Encourage inventories of “warm areas,” i.e., species-rich areas under considerable
environmental assault, to identify the true hot spots within them that
are both species-rich and most threatened, with an aim toward early remedial
action. The inventories should cover flowering plants and vertebrates, which
are taxonomically in the best shape, and should be extended as soon as
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