From ecosystems to human welfare: the role and conservation of biodiversity

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity plays a key role in human welfare by providing agricultural, economic, and health benefits. However, following the industrial revolution, the rapid expansion of the human population and subsequent economic activities have caused a dramatic loss in global biodiversity, resulting in significant disturbances to ecosystems and our own living conditions. Accordingly, the conservation of biodiversity has become one of the most important challenges for humanity. The vast numbers of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous genetic diversity of these species and the different ecosystems to which these organisms belong are all part of a biologically diverse planet. A substantial proportion of the world’s biodiversity has been destroyed, this loss is a catastrophe for all living species, including humans. Fortunately, we are working to remedy the destruction of our ecosystems. Herein, we summarized the discovery and development of biodiversity as a field of study and discuss the importance of the genetic and metabolite diversity. We proposed potential solutions to the loss of biodiversity with the aim of facilitating further exploration and identification of biodiversity, contributing for human welfare through the conservation of human habitats.

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Wales

10.1093/oso/9780199644636.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Paula Yates

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Leading Role ◽

The Poor ◽

Celtic Culture

This chapter argues that the chief features which distinguished Welsh Anglicanism from English in this period were its poverty, its remote position, and its almost entirely rural nature, at least until the rapid expansion of population associated with the Industrial Revolution. It argues that Anglican clergy in Wales in this period were generally Welsh and Welsh-speaking, and that they enjoyed good relations with their Dissenting neighbours until the last decades of the eighteenth century. It compares and contrasts the effects of the two eighteenth-century Evangelical revivals and describes the attempts to educate the poor, especially through circulating schools. Finally, it discusses the leading role played by Anglicans in the romantic revival of Wales’s Celtic culture and traces the hardening of relations with Dissenters, especially in the somewhat wealthier north, from about the 1790s.

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Bird and mammal conservation in Gaoligongshan Region and Jingdong County, Yunnan, China: patterns of species richness and nature reserves

Oryx ◽

10.1046/j.1365-3008.2000.00131.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 275-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Daoying Lan ◽

Robin Dunbar

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Population Density ◽

Human Population ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Present Situation ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Mammal Conservation ◽

Latitudinal Patterns ◽

Conservation Of Biodiversity

AbstractElevational and latitudinal patterns of species richness for birds and mammals were compared with human population density in relation to nature reserve designation in two areas of Yunnan Province, China. Results suggest that species richness is not the same for the two areas. In Gaoligongshan Region, species richness is inversely correlated with elevation and altitude, while reserve designation is positively correlated with elevation and latitude. In Jingdong County, reserve designations are positively correlated with elevation, but species richness shows no clear trends. In general, the present situation is strongly influenced by human activities. It appears that reserve designation is mismatched with species richness in Gaoligongshan Region, while there is a better fit between the two in Jingdong County. In both areas, however, it appeared that reserves were located primarily in order to reduce conflict with humans rather than to maximize conservation of biodiversity, probably because humans were responsible for forest—especially primary forest—destruction and degradation in the low-lying areas.

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Influence of Quaternary environmental changes on mole populations inferred from mitochondrial sequences and evolutionary rate estimation

Zoological Letters ◽

10.1186/s40851-021-00169-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Azusa Nakamoto ◽

Masashi Harada ◽

Reiko Mitsuhashi ◽

Kimiyuki Tsuchiya ◽

Alexey P. Kryukov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Late Quaternary ◽

Population Expansion ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Distribution Analysis ◽

Land Bridge ◽

Mismatch Distribution Analysis ◽

Expansion Event

AbstractQuaternary environmental changes fundamentally influenced the genetic diversity of temperate-zone terrestrial animals, including those in the Japanese Archipelago. The genetic diversity of present-day populations is taxon- and region-specific, but its determinants are poorly understood. Here, we analyzed cytochrome b gene (Cytb) sequences (1140 bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to elucidate the factors determining the genetic variation in three species of large moles: Mogera imaizumii and Mogera wogura, which occur in central and southern mainland Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu), and Mogera robusta, which occurs on the nearby Asian continent. Network construction with the Cytb sequences revealed 10 star-shaped clusters with apparent geographic affinity. Mismatch distribution analysis showed that modes of pairwise nucleotide differences (τ values) were grouped into five classes in terms of the level, implying the occurrence of five stages for rapid expansion. It is conceivable that severe cold periods and subsequent warm periods during the late Quaternary were responsible for the population expansion events. The first and third oldest events included island-derived haplotypes, indicative of the involvement of land bridge formation between remote islands, hence suggesting an association of the ends of the penultimate (PGM, ca. 130,000 years ago) and last (LGM, ca. 15,000 years ago) glacial maxima, respectively. Since the third event was followed by the fourth, it is plausible that the termination of the Younger Dryas and subsequent abrupt warming ca. 11,500 years ago facilitated the fourth expansion event. The second event most likely corresponded to early marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 53,000 years ago) when the glaciation and subsequent warming period were predicted to have influenced biodiversity. Utilization of the critical times of 130,000, 53,000, 15,000, and 11,500 years ago as calibration points yielded evolutionary rates of 0.03, 0.045, 0.10 and 0.10 substitutions/site/million years, respectively, showing a time-dependent manner whose pattern was similar to that seen in small rodents reported in our previous studies. The age of the fifth expansion event was calculated to be 5800 years ago with a rate of 0.10 substitutions/site/million years ago during the mid-Holocene, suggestive of the influence of humans or other unspecified reasons, such as the Jomon marine transgression.

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Comparative Population Genetics of Two Korean Aedes Mosquito Species with Vector Potential based on Mitochondrial DNA

10.21203/rs.3.rs-261518/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiyeong Shin ◽

Jongwoo Jung

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Vector Control ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Korean Peninsula ◽

Mismatch Distribution ◽

Mosquito Species ◽

Mitochondrial Genes ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Number Of Individuals

Abstract Background: Mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are important invasive species contributing to the spread of chikungunya, dengue fever, yellow fever, Zika virus, and other dangerous vector-borne diseases. Aedes albopictus is native to southeast Asia with rapid expansion due to human activity, showing a wide distribution in the Korean peninsula. Aedes flavopictus is considered to be native to East Asia with a broad distribution in the region, including in the Korean peninsula. Gaining a better understanding of the genetic diversity of these species is critical for establishing strategies for disease prevention and vector control. Methods: We obtained DNA from 148 specimens of Ae. albopictus and 166 specimens of Ae. flavopictus in Korea, and amplified two mitochondrial genes (COI and ND5) to compare the genetic diversity and structure of the two species.Results: We obtained a 658-bp sequence of COI and a 423-bp sequence of ND5 from the two mosquito species. We found low diversity and an insignificant population genetic structure in Ae. albopictus, and high diversity and an insignificant structure in Ae. flavopictus for these two mitochondrial genes. Ae. albopictus had less haplotypes with respect to the number of individuals, and a slight mismatch distribution was confirmed. By contrast, Ae. flavopictus had a large number of haplotypes compared with the number of individuals, and a large unimodal-type mismatch distribution was confirmed. Although the genetic structure of both species was insignificant, Ae. flavopictus exhibited higher genetic diversity than Ae. albopictus.Conclusions: Ae. albopictus appears to be an introduced species, whereas Ae. flavopictus is an endemic species to the Korean peninsula, and the difference in genetic diversity between the two species is related to their adaptability and introduction history. As an endemic species, Ae. flavopictus is likely to have a larger population size than expected. Further studies on the genetic structure and diversity of these two mosquito species will provide useful data for vector control.

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An Alpine Energy Transition: The Piave River from Charcoal to “White Coal”

Environmental History ◽

10.1093/envhis/emaa028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 687-710

Author(s):

Giacomo Bonan

Keyword(s):

Environmental History ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Energy Transition ◽

Eastern Alps ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Railway Network ◽

Economic Relationships ◽

Italian Case

Abstract This article analyzes the environmental history of the Industrial Revolution by examining the evolution of the usage and management of the waters of the Piave, a river stretching from the eastern Alps to the Venetian Plain. In the preindustrial period, the Piave played a fundamental role in defining the flows of raw materials and energy in the region, representing the main route for transporting timber—the most important resource of the time—from Alpine forests to lowland urban areas. The onset of industrialization, especially the development of a railway network, undermined both this role and the economic activities that had been based on the exploitation of Alpine forests. The subsequent rise of hydroelectricity transformed the Piave from a transport route to an energy source. This transformation caused, in a shift applicable to more than just the Italian case, a redefinition of the social and economic relationships between upland and lowland areas: after the energy transition, the Alpine region ceased to be a constituent part of an interdependent system and instead became a periphery to an urban core.

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Sustainable Development

Encyclopedia of Social Work ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1051 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dorothy N. Gamble

Keyword(s):

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Human Population ◽

Social Systems ◽

Well Being ◽

Human Populations ◽

Human Relationships ◽

Drought Conditions ◽

Clean Air ◽

Living Species

This entry describes how the viability of long-term human social systems is inextricably linked to human behavior, environmental resources, the health of the biosphere, and human relationships with all living species. New ways of thinking and acting in our engagement with the biosphere are explored, with attention to new ways of measuring well-being to understand the global relationships among human settlements, food security, human population growth, and especially alternative economic efforts based on prosperity rather than on growth. The challenge of social work is to engage in socioecological activities that will prevent and slow additional damage to the biosphere while at the same time helping human populations to develop the cultural adaptation and resilience required to confront increasing weather disasters; displacement resulting from rising seas; drought conditions that severely affect food supplies; the loss of biodiversity, soils, forests, fisheries, and clean air; and other challenges to human social organizations.

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Changes in Human Population Density and Protected Areas in Terrestrial Global Biodiversity Hotspots, 1995–2015

Land ◽

10.3390/land7040136 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 136 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Caitlin Cunningham ◽

Karen Beazley

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Protected Area ◽

Human Population ◽

Area Coverage ◽

Biodiversity Hotspots ◽

Population Densities ◽

Human Population Density ◽

Global Average ◽

Global Biodiversity

Biodiversity hotspots are rich in endemic species and threatened by anthropogenic influences and, thus, considered priorities for conservation. In this study, conservation achievements in 36 global biodiversity hotspots (25 identified in 1988, 10 added in 2011, and one in 2016) were evaluated in relation to changes in human population density and protected area coverage between 1995 and 2015. Population densities were compared against 1995 global averages, and percentages of protected area coverage were compared against area-based targets outlined in Aichi target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (17% by 2020) and calls for half Earth (50%). The two factors (average population density and percent protected area coverage) for each hotspot were then plotted to evaluate relative levels of threat to biodiversity conservation. Average population densities in biodiversity hotspots increased by 36% over the 20-year period, and were double the global average. The protected area target of 17% is achieved in 19 of the 36 hotspots; the 17 hotspots where this target has not been met are economically disadvantaged areas as defined by Gross Domestic Product. In 2015, there are seven fewer hotspots (22 in 1995; 15 in 2015) in the highest threat category (i.e., population density exceeding global average, and protected area coverage less than 17%). In the lowest threat category (i.e., population density below the global average, and a protected area coverage of 17% or more), there are two additional hotspots in 2015 as compared to 1995, attributable to gains in protected area. Only two hotspots achieve a target of 50% protection. Although conservation progress has been made in most global biodiversity hotspots, additional efforts are needed to slow and/or reduce population density and achieve protected area targets. Such conservation efforts are likely to require more coordinated and collaborative initiatives, attention to biodiversity objectives beyond protected areas, and support from the global community.

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Implementing the Global Biodiversity Convention: IPR for Public Good

Vikalpa The Journal for Decision Makers ◽

10.1177/0256090919950401 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 3-10

Author(s):

M S Swaminathan

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Property ◽

Public Good ◽

Intellectual Property Rights ◽

Rural Women ◽

World Trade ◽

Trade Agreement ◽

The World ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

Biodiversity Convention ◽

Conservation Of Biodiversity

Transparent and implementable methods of recognizing and rewarding the contributions of tribal and rural women and men in the conservation of biodiversity have become exceedingly urgent in the context of the provisions of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) under the World Trade Agreement. In this paper, M S Swaminathan points out how considerations of equity can be integrated with those of ecology and economics in recognizing and rewarding informal innovations in genetic conservation and enhancement.

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Virulence and Pathogenicity Properties of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens8040222 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 222 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Belibasakis ◽

Maula ◽

Bao ◽

Lindholm ◽

Bostanci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Cell Death ◽

Oral Cavity ◽

Human Population ◽

Geographic Origin ◽

Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans ◽

Periodontal Pathogen ◽

The Individual ◽

Highly Virulent ◽

Oral Condition

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a periodontal pathogen colonizing the oral cavity of a large proportion of the human population. It is equipped with several potent virulence factors that can cause cell death and induce or evade inflammation. Because of the large genetic diversity within the species, both harmless and highly virulent genotypes of the bacterium have emerged. The oral condition and age, as well as the geographic origin of the individual, influence the risk to be colonized by a virulent genotype of the bacterium. In the present review, the virulence and pathogenicity properties of A. actinomycetemcomitans will be addressed.

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Global Biodiversity Patterns of the Photobionts Associated with the Genus Cladonia (Lecanorales, Ascomycota)

Microbial Ecology ◽

10.1007/s00248-020-01633-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Raquel Pino-Bodas ◽

Soili Stenroos

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Sexual Reproduction ◽

Geographical Distribution ◽

Type I ◽

Generalist Species ◽

Climatic Regions ◽

The World ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

High Diversity

Abstract The diversity of lichen photobionts is not fully known. We studied here the diversity of the photobionts associated with Cladonia, a sub-cosmopolitan genus ecologically important, whose photobionts belong to the green algae genus Asterochloris. The genetic diversity of Asterochloris was screened by using the ITS rDNA and actin type I regions in 223 specimens and 135 species of Cladonia collected all over the world. These data, added to those available in GenBank, were compiled in a dataset of altogether 545 Asterochloris sequences occurring in 172 species of Cladonia. A high diversity of Asterochloris associated with Cladonia was found. The commonest photobiont lineages associated with this genus are A. glomerata, A. italiana, and A. mediterranea. Analyses of partitioned variation were carried out in order to elucidate the relative influence on the photobiont genetic variation of the following factors: mycobiont identity, geographic distribution, climate, and mycobiont phylogeny. The mycobiont identity and climate were found to be the main drivers for the genetic variation of Asterochloris. The geographical distribution of the different Asterochloris lineages was described. Some lineages showed a clear dominance in one or several climatic regions. In addition, the specificity and the selectivity were studied for 18 species of Cladonia. Potentially specialist and generalist species of Cladonia were identified. A correlation was found between the sexual reproduction frequency of the host and the frequency of certain Asterochloris OTUs. Some Asterochloris lineages co-occur with higher frequency than randomly expected in the Cladonia species.

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