... And how about another QUIZ!!! The Environment: What s It Worth? 4/25/11

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1 4/25/11... And how about another QUIZ!!! The Environment: What s It Worth? 1. A species that holds an ecosystem together is a. 2. Life forms that carry out photosynthesis would be known as in a food web Explain what is meant by a trophic pyramid why do we draw diagrams that look like pyramids when talking about certain ecological concepts? Just as an exercise, decide which animal might be most worth saving. Is it Ailuropoda melanoleuca the panda, a very cute endangered species? Or is it Bugula neritina "sea moss", a rather unattractive and not-at-all-cuddly marine animal? 1

2 4/25/11 What's it Worth? Bugula maritima is a member of the phylum Bryozoa it's a marine animal, but one with a plant-like mossy shape. Individual bryozoans (each about the size of a pinhead) are joined together in a branching, moss-shaped colony. In 1968, a compound called bryostatin was discovered in Bugula that killed cancer cells. Clinical trials show that bryostatin is a useful anti-cancer drug, especially if used together with other drugs. Makes you wonder: what might we find in the other 5000 living species of bryozoan? Conus magus a snail from the Philippines, whose venom includes substances known as omega-conotoxins... one of which is now in use as a nonaddictive, nonnarcotic chronic pain medication, 1000 times more powerful than morphine. (It s called zicotinide trade name, Prialt). Taxus brevifolia, the Pacific yew tree the original source of taxol, the drug of choice for ovarian cancer Catharanthus roseus, the rosy periwinkle, a flower native to Madagascar, and the source of vincristine and vinblastine, the drugs of choice for childhood leukemia. 2

3 4/25/11 Podophyllum peltatum, the mayapple, is common in shady forest habitats of Arkansas. It s poisonous, and its toxin blocks cell division which makes it effective in chemotherapy for cancer (and as a wart remover). A synthetic derivative of mayapple toxin, etoposide, is used today against lung, testicular, and brain cancers. Even Pueraria lobata otherwise known as kudzu contains a chemical called daidzin, which shows signs of being effective in treating alcoholism.... Not interested in drugs? How about the South American shrub, Stevia rebaudiana? Extracts of its leaves are 300 times sweeter than sugar, with no calories (and sold under the brand names Truvia, PureVia, etc.) Or consider the African plant Jatropha curcas. The nuts contain up to 40% oil that makes excellent biodiesel fuel, and the plant grows in very poor soils (meaning that it doesn't take up land that could be used for growing food). 3

4 4/25/11 Fuel can also be made from a weed, Camelina sativa ( false flax ), that grows in lousy soil and doesn t compete with food crops. In March 2010, the US Air Force successfully tested a blend of their standard jet fuel and Camelina fuel in an A-10 Thunderbolt. In March 2011, an F-22 Raptor flew successfully with this mixture. Bottom Line Hundreds of thousands of chemicals are known from animals and plants, with hundreds more discovered every year Many have useful properties as drugs or else have led to the development of new drugs One-quarter of all prescriptions written in the United States are for drugs that are plant products More potential drugs are constantly being discovered and tested Others are useful as fuels, food sources, dyes... Organisms provide more indirect services, as well. Insecteating bats are so good at consuming pest insects that they save the US agricultural industry at least $3 billion each year some estimates are as high as $53 billion each year! And crop pollination both by wild bees, moths, bats, etc., and by domesticated bees like those shown here adds at least $15 billion to the value of US agriculture. Not to mention that about 30% of the US food supply depends on pollination! 4

5 4/25/11 OK, new question: Which is more valuable this beautiful mountain scene... What's It Worth? Louisiana salt marsh is perhaps not as attractive as the Ozark Highlands... BUT or this coastal salt marsh? Other wetlands (swamps, lakes, etc.) are used to treat wastewater (the image shows wetlands built by the city of Richmond Hill, Georgia). When wastewater is sent into wetlands, the microbes and plants clean it up. In Richmond Hill, the wetlands treat over 1 million gallons of wastewater a day, at a cost of about 10% of building and operating a traditional sewage treatment plant. It provides about 30% of the US seafood catch (or it did before BP s little whoopsie, anyway) It serves as a barrier against hurricane damage, blocking waves and surges from reaching dry land The loss of Louisiana's wetlands was a major contributing factor to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina 5

6 4/25/11 But probably the single most important ecosystem for human welfare is in soil. The actions of bacteria, fungi, plants, protists, earthworms, insects, and yet more organisms are what create soil, and what maintain its structure and its fertility. We don t understand soil ecosystems very well, and yet virtually all of our food depends on them. Food Timber Fuel So what does the living environment provide? Clean air, oxygen Drugs Water purification Soils Aesthetics and recreation What s it Worth to You? An economic study in 1997, by Dr. Robert Costanza and others, showed that: Total value of the world s economy (GDP) in 1997: $18 trillion Estimated annual value of all the goods and services provided for free by the natural environment: at least $33 trillion, possibly $56 trillion and even that is likely to be an underestimate. 6