Biodiversity conservation, genetic diversity and deadwood, Fagus sylvatica, Betula pendula, Quercus robur, Aesculus hippocastanum, habitat fragmentation, dendrology, forest pathology, environmental research, geographical genetics, macroecology, conservation biogeography

1. Biodiversity Conservation – week 3
London Metropolitan Univ. - 2010
Marco Pautasso (marpauta at gmail.com)

2. Biodiversity Conservation
main topics – week 3
Conservation of genetic diversity
Biodiversity and deadwood

3. Fagus sylvatica - European beech: bark vs. seedling
Sources: Kew Gardens (2009) and Wikimedia Commons

4. Fagus sylvatica - European beech: seedling
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Germany - May 2005

5. Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Poland - April 2004

6. Fagus sylvatica: early spring
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Denmark – May 2005

7. Fagus sylvatica in autumn
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Scotland – November 2006

8. Fagus sylvatica:
geographical
distribution
Svenning & Skov (2004) Ecology Letters and Global Biodiversity Information Facility

9. Source: Euforgen

10. Betula pendula – silver birch
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Finland

11. Betula pendula
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

12. Source:
Euforgen

13. Quercus robur: pedunculate oak
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

14. Quercus robur, pedunculate oak: leaf and acorns
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

15. Quercus robur
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

16. Source:
Euforgen

17. Aesculus hippocastanum: horse chestnut
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

18. Cameraria ohridella: the horse chestnut leaf miner
Sources: Forest Research (UK) and Wikimedia Commons

19. Cameraria ohridella: the horse chestnut leaf miner
Source: Wikimedia Commons (France, August 2007) and DAISIE (EU)

20. Aesculus hippocastanum: horse chestnut
Source:
Carl Larsson, Under the
Wikimedia
Chestnut Tree (1912)
Commons

21. Source:
Camille Pissarro,
Wikimedia
Les chataigniers à Osny (1873)
Commons

22. Castanea sativa: sweet chestnut
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

23. Castanea sativa: sweet chestnut
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

24. Source:
Euforgen

25. Source:
Euforgen

26. Carpinus betulus: hornbeam
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

27. Carpinus betulus: hornbeam
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons, Köln, Germany

28. Carpinus betulus: hornbeam
Source: Svenning & Skov (2004) Ecology Letters & Norfolk Wildlife Trust

29. Acer pseudoplatanus: sycamore
Source: Wikimedia commons

30. Rhytisma acerinum on Acer pseudoplatanus
Source:
Wikimedia
Commons

31. Source:
Euforgen

32. Platanus x hispanica – London plane
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

33. Platanus x hispanica – London plane
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

34. Platanus vs. Acer
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

35. Ulmus spp. (elms)
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

36. Source:
Euforgen

37. Fraxinus excelsior - common ash
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

38. Fraxinus excelsior - common ash
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

39. Source:
Euforgen

40. Tilia cordata – small-leaved lime
Source:
Wikimedia Commons

41. Tilia cordata – small-leaved lime
Source: Wikimedia Commons

42. Source:
Euforgen

43. Ficus carica – fig tree
Source: Kew Gardens, Autumn 2009

44. Ficus carica – fig tree
Source: Kew Gardens, May 2009

45. A selection of 12 UK tree species
•European beech – Fagus sylvatica
•Silver birch – Betula pendula
•Pedunculate oak – Quercus robur
•Horse chestnut – Aesculus hippocastanum
•Sweet chestnut – Castanea sativa
•Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
•Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus
•London plane – Platanus x hispanica
•Elms - Ulmus spp.
•Common ash – Fraxinus excelsior
•Small-leaved lime – Tilia cordata
•Fig tree – Ficus carica

46. (a) (b)
(c) (d)
Source: Wikimedia Commons

47. (e) (f)
(g) (h)
Source: Wikimedia Commons

48. (i) (j)
(k)
Source: Wikimedia

49. Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine
Source: Wikimedia Commons

50. Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine
Source: Wikimedia Commons

51. Source:
Euforgen

52. Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine
Scotland (Cairngorms) Finland
Spain (Sierra de Guadarrama) Georgia (Caucasus)
Source: Wikimedia Commons

53. Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine
Source: Wikimedia Commons

54. Source:
Euforgen

55. Pinus pinea – stone pine
Source: Kew Gardens

56. Pinus pinea – genetic diversity
Source: Vendramin et al. (2008) Evolution

57. Taxus wallichiana – genetic diversity
Source: Gao et al. (2007) Molecular Ecology

58. Populus tremula and P. alba – genetic diversity
Source: Fussi et al. (2010) Tree Genetics and Genomes

59. Summary
•Genetic diversity is an important
component of biodiversity
•It provides adaptation potential to
new environmental conditions
•Conservation has often been neglected
geographical patterns in genetic diversity
•However, there is a remarkable increase
in research on conservation genetics

60. Are the main threats to biodiversity
also affecting genetic diversity?
Habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss
Water, air and soil pollution
Species introductions
Climate change ?
GENETIC DIVERSITY

61. The importance of deadwood
Source: WSL, CH

62. Snags vs. logs
Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

63. Ancient trees → deadwood → biodiversity
Source: Kew Gardens, Spring 2009

64. Snags vs. logs
Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

65. Snags vs. logs
Source: Wikimedia Commons & WSL, CH

66. Summary
•Deadwood is fundamental for biodiversity,
but has been often reduced by mankind
•It provides habitat for many fungal, lichen and
bryophyte, arthropod, mammal and bird species
•Variable types of deadwood are needed for
different saproxylic (deadwood-dependent) species
•Both downed and standing deadwood
are important

67. Wood decay = biodiversity
%
tons/ha
%
Verkerk
Source: WSL, CH et al. 2009

68. [CO2]
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

69. CO2 emissions (2000) per continent
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

70. CO2 emissions (2000) per country
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

71. CO2 emissions (cumulative: 1880-2004) per country
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

72. CO2 emissions since 2000: scenarios vs. data
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

73. from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

74. from MacKay
(2009) Sustainable
Energy

75. from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

76. Human population densities
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

77. Human population densities: USA vs. Europe
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

78. Human population density vs. energy consumption
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

79. Human population density vs. energy consumption
from MacKay (2009) Sustainable Energy

80. References
Barbosa AM, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) Positive regional species–people correlations: a sampling artefact or a key issue for
sustainable development? Animal Conservation 13: 446-447
Cantarello E, Steck CE, Fontana P, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) A multi-scale study of Orthoptera species richness and human
population size controlling for sampling effort. Naturwissenschaften 97: 265-271
Golding J, Güsewell S, Kreft H, Kuzevanov VY, Lehvävirta S, Parmentier I & Pautasso M (2010) Species-richness patterns of the living collections
of the world's botanic gardens: a matter of socio-economics? Annals of Botany 105: 689-696
Pautasso M (2009) Geographical genetics and the conservation of forest trees. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Systematics & Evolution 11: 157-189
Pautasso M & Chiarucci A (2008) A test of the scale-dependence of the species abundance-people correlation for veteran trees in Italy. Annals of
Botany 101: 709-715
Pautasso M & Dinetti M (2009) Avian species richness, human population and protected areas across Italy’s regions. Environmental Conservation
36: 22-31
Pautasso M & Fontaneto D (2008) A test of the species-people correlation for stream macro-invertebrates in European countries. Ecological
Applications 18: 1842-1849
Pautasso M & Parmentier I (2007) Are the living collections of the world’s botanical gardens following species-richness patterns observed in natural
ecosystems? Botanica Helvetica 117: 15-28
Pautasso M & Powell G (2009) Aphid biodiversity is correlated with human population in European countries. Oecologia 160: 839-846
Pautasso M & Weisberg PJ (2008) Density-area relationships: the importance of the zeros. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 203-210
Pautasso M & Zotti M (2009) Macrofungal taxa and human population in Italy's regions. Biodiversity & Conservation 18: 473-485
Pautasso M et al (2010) Plant health and global change – some implications for landscape management. Biological Reviews 85: 729-755
Pautasso M et al (2011) Global macroecology of bird assemblages in urbanized and semi-natural ecosystems. Global Ecology & Biogeography 20:
426-436
Pecher C, Fritz S, Marini L, Fontaneto D & Pautasso M (2010) Scale-dependence of the correlation between human population and the species
richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Basic Applied Ecology 11: 272-280
Schlick-Steiner B, Steiner F & Pautasso M (2008) Ants and people: a test of two mechanisms behind the large-scale human-biodiversity correlation
for Formicidae in Europe. Journal of Biogeography 35: 2195-2206
Steck CE & Pautasso M (2008) Human population, grasshopper and plant species richness in European countries. Acta Oecologica 34: 303-310