It seems money is not the only thing people should be conserving in the current economy.
Biological conservation in fish populations and other aquatic organisms was the subject of a seminar for the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures in Swingle Hall Friday afternoon.
Greg Moyer, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientist from Warm Springs, Ga., provided biological statistics and strategies for reducing extinction among aquatic species.
"One of the reasons I moved to Georgia is because the diversity of fishes in the Southeast is phenomenal," Moyer said. "It is much greater than what you see in the Northwest or the Southwest."
Moyer said this diversity is in danger of eventual extinction.
"Primarily, we're dealing with high-level imperilment in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee," Moyer said.
The state of Alabama contains 257 species of fish, 11.7 percent of which are imperiled, or in danger of future extinction, Moyer said.
Moyer said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ranks Alabama fifth nationally for its number of threatened species.
Eleven species are candidates, 69 species are considered extinct, 72 species have been destroyed completely and 165 species are under concern, Moyer said.
"Deterministic factors cause species extinction," Moyer said. "Things like habitat loss, overexploitation and invasive species."
Moyer said stochastic, or non-deterministic, factors which accelerate extinction and lead to loss of genetic variation, are demographic, environmental and genetic.
In an effort to better predict potential extinction of species, Moyer said calculating an effective population size in order to manage populations is important.
"This is just a benchmark," Moyer said. "It serves as a warning. In my opinion, it would be nice to have estimates of effective population size so you can observe what's going on in a population."
Loss of genetic diversity is inversely related to effective population size, Moyer said.
Moyer provided an example of applying biological conservation to aquatic species through a case study of Atlantic sturgeon.
The study, collaborated by the University of Georgia and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, revealed the Atlantic sturgeon as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Moyer also addressed factors which influence the parameters of conservation biology, including management planning and predicting extinction risk and climate change.
"We need to address factors influencing parameters before making any hardcore conservation decisions," Moyer said.
Steve Dobson, associate professor of ecology at Auburn, said he appreciates hearing fresh ideas and perspectives on topics like Moyer's regarding biological conservation.
"The exchange of ideas is critical for keeping everybody fresh and up-to-date," Dobson said, "and also for stimulating new ideas you haven't thought about before."
Dobson said he encourages his students to attend outside lectures and seminars the University offers.
"I frequently advertise in my classes when someone is coming in," Dobson said. "This week, we had somebody visiting from England who has written several books about mate choice and sexual selection."
Dobson said the seminars are helpful to him in preparing his classroom lectures and conducting personal research.
"I work on topics myself for basic research, and I like seeing them used in conservation biology," Dobson said. "It's really nice to see
particularly fish and wildlife folks applying the ideas for academics or basic research for practical problems."
Molly Martin, a graduate student in fisheries and allied aquacultures, said she thinks such seminars allow for greater communication among students and faculty of different academic departments.
"Some people don't take the time to attend things like this, but it really pays off," Martin said. "You might hear something different."
Ben Martin, Molly's husband and a graduate in fisheries and allied aquacultures, agreed.
"It helps with collaboration among departments," Ben said. "It's good for the students, both graduate and undergraduate."
Ben also said he thought the subject was applicable to the events concerning conservation which are happening in the world right now.
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