Final Exam

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Jan 9, 2024

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Siddhi Patel 1. How did the groups below increase your appreciation of the challenges facing conservationists? What were some important conservation lesson(s) and/or broad, key takeaways for you? A. Polar The polar group is a group that is directly impacted by climate change in a way that I think is far easier to visualize than any other group. This is because the animals in this group are directly on ice, therefore the melting of the ice is often disrupting the lifestyles of these organisms. There was a discussion about how all the organisms in this group would directly benefit from the conservation success of one group. This is because the main issue is climate change, and this means that positively making a difference towards climate change would positively impact all groups. This group highlighted the interdependence of the species and the importance that image plays in conservation of a species. This group highlights some of the most well talked about animals in conservation and shows that climate change is a challenge that is one in the same and goes hand in hand with conserving a species. B. China The China group highlighted the problems in conservation when people are hunting animals for personal usage, and labeling animals as pests or useful. This brings up large-scale questions regarding the corruption that different conservationists must face when discussing laws with lawmakers to protect these plants. This group also highlighted the importance of a charismatic species, as there was the panda which is very charismatic, but there were also charismatic animals such the Ili Pika, which is considered a pest. The labels humans palace on the organisms in the environment impact the way we treat, care and advocate for those organisms. C. Marine Species The marine species are unique and I feel like many marine animals get overlooked because humans are so self centered,therefore only focus on organisms on land. This made me appreciate conservationists who go after marine organisms, because this is something that is very difficult and complex. Both groups highlighted the way that all the species connect with one another in one way or another. Important lesson here is to not forget about marine animals and indicator species. These organisms, many of them, have been around for long periods of time, and therefore have been able to deal with many catastrophic events. Problems with these species is an indication that we as humans are doing something very wrong to be impacting them in the way that we are. D. Canines, Lupins, and Cats This was an interesting group because the canines had a lupin and a cat alongside it, yet there were similarities to be drawn. This group made me realize how human based conflicts impact a species and really highlighted that poaching is a massive issue. The human effect on many of these species is drastic and this was one of the groups that reflected it. This group helped me realize that even in packs animals are not truly safe, and hunters will continue to hunt. I had the misconception that large apex animals are hunted because many do not group together, btu this group proved that wrong with the canines.

Siddhi Patel E. Poaching’s Most Wanted Poaching’s most wanted was a group that highlighted how human greed and poaching plays a massive role in negatively impacting conservation efforts. The higher ups also are corrupt and therefore won’t pass laws against activities such as these, resulting in the continuation of poaching. I knew how mad poaching was because of previous lessons and species we conserved in class, I simply never realized how many animals were hunted down in such a manner. It is brutal, cruel and human and made me once again think about how humans need to conquer nature and play God. F. S America The South American group was also very interesting because there was a range of organisms covered, from birds to amphibians to mammals. This group focused on a lot of environmental issues such as deforestation, toxic water and neglect of the land causing the habitat of the species to be affected. This made me realize that when people go into different areas to exploit the land, they are not only doing harm to the land but also the species that occupy that habitat and surrounding areas. This group did pocus on the fact that there was a lot of community outreach to educate the younger, and this showed that conservation can be done in different ways, starting with educating young individuals on the importance of each of the species in the world. G. Primates The primates group was also an interesting group because these primates are so closely related to us, it was interesting to see that there was a rehabilitation aspect as well for the primates. This group really showed me how dangerous humans can be and how some species that are closely related to us suffer from our actions. It made me realize how interconnected science is and how much we as humans exposed things from other species. The conservation lesson here is that if enough people put action to a goal, there can be a change. I noticed this group had the most technology and efforts all around. I think this is because we are so closely related to the species. I think this once again goes to show how we pick and choose what to save based on preference, but change and growth is possible. H. Pollinators and Plants This was my group and I was surprised that there weren't more people doing plants. Being a member of this group I realized how much plants are overlooked, despite being the primary producers of many ecosystems. I realized the more I worked on this project that if the plants are wiped out, then we do not stand a chance. The plants and pollinators group was very interesting to be a part of because we had 2 different extremes, a stationary group of organisms and another that moves to many locations. This highlighted that in some way or another, many of the primary producers or plants will be affected by the animals all around the world because of migratory organisms. 2. Climate Change: The last few chapters in Kolbert survey emerging solutions for addressing climate change.

Siddhi Patel A. Make the case that addressing climate change (CC) is NOT a separate problem from conservation; i.e., explain what CC means and how it is a huge threat for endangered species / conservation? a. Provide evidence: give at least two examples from different species discussed IN CLASS / In books or films. Climate change is not a separate problem from conservation because these problems go hand in hand. Conservation is something that is happening as a result of climate change. Because of climate change, we have had to see species such as the Torreya taxifolia suffer. The plant was pushed down south and now is unable to handle the heat. Unfortunately, the plant is stuck in a geographical location and cannot get out, therefore the conservation efforts involve moving the plant. The Coral reefs are also suffering because of climate change because the ocean is being acidified and the temperatures in the ocean are rising. The coral is unable to handle the heat and the increase in temperature, causing the reefs to suffer and the species that live on the reef to suffer. Climate change is causing the issues and conservation is addressing the issues of the level of species. b. Provide evidence: Cite at least two multiple scientists’ positions from the books or films on where we are at now with climate change (prevention, mitigation, or adaptation?) - what is the reality of our near/longer term future, what is needed/how fast, is it possible, will it happen? Ruth Gates works with coral and believes in adaptation with technology assisted for the super coral. They are genetically modifying the coral to be super coral and adapt to the rapidly changing temperatures and conditions of the coral. Of course huge chunks of the coral will not be saved, but at least some of the coral would. The reality of this is very possible because the technology is reset. Scientists need to act fast because the ocean acidification is happening rapidly and the corals are being destroyed, and the organisms that live on the coral are also dying. There are so many organisms so this is a massive loss to biodiversity. Rachel Carson was also someone who had mentioned climate change and the impacts on the oceans.During her time she advocated for prevention by changing human lifestyles. Joe Duff worked with the whooping cranes and in order to save the cranes he worked with the crames to create a new migratory route for the cranes. There is a broad range of conservationists who take on different ways to tackle climate change. Joe Duff was specific with species while Ruh Gates looked at the oceans and coral which impacts many species. Rachel Carson was well aware of the environment, and along with her work with the eagles she was interested in larger scale environmental problems. Connie Barlow worked with the Torreya taxifolia and also encouraged assisted migration for the species so the plant can grow in a more ideal temperature because the changing climate in the area where the plant is now is not going to help the species. B. Solutions: You must also list three solutions discussed (in the book and in class/from presentations) for shielding species from the effects of climate change. Some solutions include captive breeding, which involve taking some of the members of the species and breeding them in an isolated environment to increase the number of the species. This

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Siddhi Patel was done with the whooping cranes to create a population that had a different migration route. Another solution is to use genetic technology as done with the coral, where the coral is being reprogrammed to be “super coral” and withstand the changing environment of the ocean. Another example is to take the sperm and eggs of the species and freeze them after they form an embryo. This has been done with the Rhinos because the species is extinct now but there is a chance for the species to come back if the embryos are impacted in another rhino species. This is a way of potentially reintroducing a species. Another solution was to get funding to address the issue as is done with the polar bears and many of the polar species. Funding for one species in the polar environment positively impacts the rest of the polar species as well, because the biggest threat is climate change and ice caps melting. 3. Some conservation technologies and strategies are controversial. People are unsure whether the scientific tools we now currently have to solve biodiversity loss SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be applied to save species. Questions that are not scientific arise, like: Should we use these technologies? Who should decide? Where? Why them? How? On what basis / at what scale? Is there a moral or ethical or cultural or political or economic concern? Why should we hesitate? For EACH tech or strategy in A - E below, please:1) very briefly describe the strategy or technology, 2) explain its possible application / in an example case, 3) list at least one pro and one con for use; and finally 4) Give your final opinion on whether we should or should not deploy the following conservation strategies. A. Translocation and assisted migration (=??) (e.g., torreya taxifolia / guardians, Josh Donlan’s proposal idea) 1. Strategy- The strategy is to move the species to a different location with the help of the humans. For the Torreya taxifolia, a section of land was privately owned by 2 individuals and then the plant was then planted there. 2. Application- this could be applied to species such as Torreya taxifolia, which are not in the best environment at the moment. Mostly plants. This is also being done with Café Marron. 3. Pro- The species will now be in a better environment than it was previously, increasing the chances it will thrive in that area. Con- there is a chance of the plant now becoming an invasive species to the area 4. This should be done for species that do not reproduce so greatly, like the Torreya taxifolia and in a very controlled environment where the species will not become invasive. B. De-Extinction = ?? (passenger pigeons, American Chestnut, N White Rhino) and 1. Strategy- The goal here is to revive the species through various genetic technologies. For the passenger pigeons the program is Revive & Restore, for the American Chestnut the plan is to genetically create a tree that is resistant to blight,

Siddhi Patel and for Northern White Rhinos the plan is to use IVF. The end goal is to bring back the species from extinction. 2. Application- This could be revolutionary because we could see species that we haven't seen in a while once again, thriving. 3. Pro-There will be an increase in biodiversity. Con- the species had been gone for a while, the organism in the area will not be used to it and will possibly treat it like an invasive, spending on the kind of species. 4. I think this should be dependent case to case. If a species went extinct a long time ago, had a massive impact on the environment, or the ecosystem is thriving without the species, we should not bring the species back because this could serve to cause massive issues to the modern ecosystem. I think this should be implemented depending on the case. C. Gene editing / gene drive = ? / CRISPR tech (coral, cane toad lanternflies) 1. Strategy- The goal here is to use genetic editing and genetic technology to aid the organisms that are suffering to have the means to survive. This comes from altering genes or introducing new genes to the species, this codes for new proteus that can help the species carry out different actions to stay alive. 2. Application- The goal is to edit the genes of the organisms in order to control the way the organisms are able to survive. For coral, this means editing the coral genes to create super coral that is able to thrive in acidic conditions. For the cane toad this meant editing the genome to make them less viable so they have less offspring. The same is true for lanternflies. 3. Pro-The species will now be able to combat the issues that are present at the moment. Con- This solution may not be feasible in the long term and may take up alot of time. 4. I think that in some cases, this could be amazing. This could save many species. I do think there is a chance that individuals will abuse genetic editing and this could become something humans abuse for profit, using organisms on earth for personal benefit, and editing the organisms to optimize human gain. This could be a very slippery slope discussion. I think this should be implemented with caution. D. Geo-engineering for climate change 1. Strategy- This is basically using the earth resources to combat climate change in ways of using natural resources to consume CO2 from the atmosphere. 2. Application- I personally worked on research with a plant Landoltia punctata, and we were researching isolated genes that could be useful for the plant to create a superplant that not only consumes CO2 from the atmosphere, but also L. punctata is a great source of fuel. The application will be a more natural and sustainable society and this will help to combat the problems we have already caused onto the environment.

Siddhi Patel 3. Pro-We'll have some solution to climate change that is natural. Con- Individuals may not realize that climate change is a massive threat, and once this solution is esaused, there is a chance of people not taking climate change seriously. 4. This is something that is great, showing how nature can actually help us. On the downspide, people may continue to overable the environment and there is only so much geo-engineering that can be done before we surpass another limit and once again continue to further demolish our environment. I think it should be implemented immediately. E. IVF, captive breeding, frozen zoo 1. Strategy- The goal is to isolate the species sperm and egg, create an embryo and freeze them so that one day they may be able to be impacted into a close relative and then reintroduced to Earth. This also allows for the possibility for extinct species to not truly remain extinct for long. 2. Application-This is being done with the Northern White Rhinos, and I think that it is great to have a frozen bank of genetic information and possibly one day revive a species. 3. Pro-We can potentially bring back species that are extinct. Con- People will not address poaching issues if the species can continually be brought back. 4. I don't think that IVF should be done right now, but in the future when issues such as poaching and corruption are addressed. If we are bringing back a species just for the species to be poached to extinction, again, I think this is simply humans playing God and not truly being smart. Only using science is not enough when taking into account social factors. 4. What have you learned about Conservation in general ? Write: “Conservation is X” – Fill in X with an adjective or descriptive phrase: for example, is it complicated, ridiculous, insane, hard, stupid, pointless, heroic, insensitive, foolish, stubborn, necessary, failing, worth a try ? Is it a mix of these? Other? Explain your answer. AND give evidence… A. Conservation is layered. What I mean by this is conservation is not just a science or a social thing, this is something that requires scientific, political and local action. All the people involved need to be working hard towards a certain goal, and there are many layers to each species and each conservation story, no two are the same. B. Conservation is a work in progress. This is something that is going to take a lot of work and time, this will continually be a work in progress until we agree on climate change. Conservation is like when doctors treat the symptoms instead of dealing with the massive issue. The massive issue right now is climate change and this is something very difficult to deal with because this is a topic that is very political. Conservation will always require active work from the communities to make sure the species are thriving.

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Siddhi Patel 5. In your opinion, Is there a right or best scale to tackle conservation problems? Does it depend on the species? Or do all projects work across scale? Give at least one example from the species profiles and one from the student presentations. I think for specific species, there are various ways to solve each issue. Some species require more behind the scenes work from scientists, such as the plants or even the passenger pigeon which is being potentially recovered though the Revive & Restore project. Others require advocacy and protection from lawmakers and officer such as the rhinos. Some species require on the site work or rehabilitation such as many of the primates, particularly the Ring Tailed Lemur which is getting help from many universities and the Endangered primate rescue center. I think the biggest thing that all species across the board must face at one point or another is climate change. Climate change is the root of many issues and is the reason many of these species are unable to thrive the same way that they used to. Eachconservationsit will have their own unique approach to what is “rich” or “best,” but in the end the scientist will be working on a small scare to take on the larger scale climate change issue. 6. Hypothetical: A. You have the resources needed and can support efforts to save (only) two species - pick two (you can only pick two) - which 2 would you focus on? Explain: why them? Over all others? I would vote to save the polar bears because this is a very charismatic species and this species needs the ice to survive in polar areas. This means that the issue of climate change must be addressed if this species is conserved, therefore this is one of the species I would pick. The species is also very well known, therefore it would not require much to spread the message to conserve the species, and that we must address climate change immediately, because the image of the species is already quite popular. I would also vote to save the Axolotl because this species is very unique. So much scientific discovery can be done with the species, and this species also represents a time in history when there were amphibians, but this particular species chose to stay in the water. I think there could be so much to learn from this species, therefore to pick a species for another reason that climate change, I would pick this one. This also would raise the question regarding human interaction and what human interaction with the species is bad. In this case, the organism is present but the genetic code for the pet Axolotl is so different from the normal wild Axolotl. B. Now pick two that it’s time to give up on. Explain why it’s time to let them go extinct. Café Marron is my species and I believe that the efforts would better be placed elsewhere. This is because the number of the species were not that massive previously. It would be unlikely that this plant plays a major role in the ecosystem of The Rodrigues Islands. I also think that it is time for the efforts for this species to stop. There is so much time and effort put into this species, and we have learned about it from the species, but I think that the No Parking Tree does not need external conservation efforts because the tree seems to be doing quite alright. I believe that the tree is in the situation with low individuals because the species is fairly new. I think that the tree

Siddhi Patel is in a National Park, therefore the trees will continue to get funding and resources, but I do not think that it needs too much external help. C. Finally, look at your answers to A and B, then explain - what criteria were you thinking about / weighing when making this decision? Was it scientific / ecological? Cuteness / charisma? Economical? Moral/ethical? Emotional? Political? Practical? Etc. When making this decision I was thinking about what would plat the largest impact to start larger scale conversations. Polar bears are super charismatic and I think this species is the embodiment of what climate change is doing to the environment. It would not be hard to start a discussion regarding climate change. Axolotl’s are a potential source for scientists to study and find curses for human issues, but to save this species a lot of theatrical considerations regarding pet trade must come into play. This would also require conversations for what is considered humans playing God. Both species stir up larger scale issues. No Parking Tree and Cafè Marron do not start large conversations like these. Furthermore, I know both do not play a significant role in the environment as well. Cuteness played a role because the cuteness would sti up practical and scientific considerations for the Polar Bear. For the Axolotl, economical played a role and would serve to cause bigger moral, ethical, and potentially political questions along with possibly scientific developments. 7. Are you hopeful (or not) for the future of biodiversity? Is biodiversity conservation working? Is it worth fighting for? Are you a conservationist now? Explain. I think I am very hopeful, and I think that many organisms on this Earth are worth fighting for. Not only did we put the organisms in the situation that they are in, but we have the technology that could save these animals. This is a complex issue, however, because you have to take into account the environment on the Earth and how the environment has changed after the species were no longer prevalent to the same degree. I do believe in conservation, and I know there are many ways people go about conserving species. Some conservation efforts involve rewilding, which is what I think requires the most care and consideration. I am a conservationist now, I have changed my actions with lantern flies. I think to conserve a species, you must take into account a lot of factors, which I learned about in this class. I realized conservation heavily relies on social factors. I think it is hard to take a lot of action because this requires a lifestyle change. Although I already reduce my carbon footprint, getting others to comply and do the same is difficult. 8. Please share your experience working as a species expert within a larger multispecies group - was it a net positive experience? Was it rewarding, difficult, etc.? Any feedback is appreciated, you can be honest :) Much appreciated! I was fortunate to have a great group. My experience was great; I thought it was rewarding to work with people that were in somewhat similar situations to the one that I was in. This was an amazing project when all the pieces fell together at the end. Therefore, I enjoyed it very much.

Siddhi Patel

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