The first subject, Conservation Biology is really important to me personally and also to our living on this planet. The subject matter of this discipline according to the Conservation Biology Institute is to use scientific research “to support the conservation and recovery of biological diversity in its natural state.” The Stanford Center for Conservation Biology describes the subject matter as using scientific research “to build a sound basis for the conservation, management, and restoration of Earth’s biotic resources, to evaluate factors that are leading to the ‘human predicament’ (declining environmental security, increased inequality) and to find practical solutions to that predicament. Its research integrates biological with economic, anthropological, legal, and other social science perspectives.” (Emphasis mine). So, the basic subject matter is anything and everything that has to do or interacts with the environment in one way or another.
There are many different definitions for the subject of Conservation Biology. However, the best one I found stated that Conservation Biology is “an applied scientific discipline devoted to preserving the diversity of life on Earth” (Heller p. 1227). The main goal of this study is to make sure that all the creatures on this Earth are going to be here for many years to come. Why is this important? It is pretty similar to what is known as the butterfly effect. If one species goes extinct, this will set off a chain reaction to other species associated with it. For example, the monarch caterpillars will only eat from the milkweed plant, and a milkweed plant is in turn pollinated by the monarch butterfly. The two have adapted so that now, they can not live without one another. As you can see every organism on this planet is dependant on at least one other thing for its survival. So, in turn the preservation of all species is the ultimate goal of Conservation Biology.
Conservation Biology itself is a sub-group of Biology. However, there are many different concentration areas in the field. For example, one could focus their studies on the human impact on the world. They may try to answer certain questions such as ‘How much carbon pollution do we put in the air a year?’ Or ‘how is deforestation affecting aquatic biomes?’ Another focus in the field could just be on mammals, or on a specific mammal. Some questions they may try to answer are ‘why is the tiger population declining?’ Or ‘why do some animals practice infanticide?’ One could focus their attention specifically on marine environments and try to answer questions such as ‘why are the world’s coral reefs disappearing?’ I would like to study as many of these things as possible. I do not want to be restricted to just one area of thought, which is why I am an Interdisciplinary student. I want to know the answers to all of those questions, and I would love to do the field work for them all also.
The main research method used by Conservation Biologists is a combination of using past knowledge from things such as fossil records and previous recorded observations together with field research and observations from the present. The theory of evolution was originally from the genius mind of Charles Darwin, however, the theory of evolution as we know it today, is from a combination of research done not only by Darwin, but also, Wallace, and Linnaeus (both I will discuss in detail later). Some lab studies can also use things such as yeast, viruses, and flies to provide a fast example of what they are studying. All three of those organisms are easily reproduced and reproduce quickly; this is what makes them so great for laboratory research. My favorite aspect of the methods is the field research. I would like to go out and see it in “real life” with my own eyes. I want to get my hands dirty. I want to sit in the woods waiting for that perfect “shot” (not gun shot, photography shot). It seems so fascinating to me.
According to Heller (et al.) the three main concepts or basic principles of Conservation Biology include 1) Evolution is the process that unites all of biology. To be able to preserve biodiversity, it is very important to understand how evolutionary processes work and maintain the diversity in itself. This is one of the reasons that evidence from fossils of the past and observations from the present are very important. Conservation Biologists do not just guess what they should do; they have a relatively good idea from watching nature. 2) The ecological world is dynamic. There is not only one right way to conserve. Many different species require much different ways to help maintain their abundance. For example, you would not use the same technique for the conservation of fish as you would for bears. They are two totally different species that require very different specific conditions. And possibly the most important one that conservation Biologists need to keep in mind is that 3) Humans are part of ecosystems. Human activities have a huge impact on the world. However, one person could make a world of difference. I know that a lot of the people living in the United States of America do not even believe that global warming is real! This is an extremely high percentage, and a little bit scary as well. Global warming did not just come about out of nowhere; it did not just appear into existence. People made global warming a reality by their actions. Another reason to take humans into consideration is the fact that they destroy many other organisms’ habitats for things such as houses, wood, property, etc. Acres of the rainforest are cut down just so people can grow coffee, which grows perfectly fine in the shade. Awareness can make all the difference (Heller p.1228).
There are many leading theories in the field of Conservation Biology. But before I state and explain them I would first like to go over the definition of the word theory because it is very important and many people do not use the word in the right context. Most people use the word to mean a speculation or an opinion. However, in scientific terms, the word theory means much more than just someone’s random, quacked out opinion. The scientific meaning of the word ‘theory’ is something that under those specific conditions the concept has been tested over and over and cannot be (or has not yet been) proven false. With that stated, Evolution is a theory that has had so much evidence; we are talking about a very large number of fossils and even species still alive today as evidence for it. This theory can not be proven wrong scientifically. Therefore, in the scientific community, we consider evolution to be a fact. Darwin proposed the idea of Natural Selection where only the fittest animal in its environment will survive. That is why the only time you see white tigers is in the zoo because they cannot survive in the wild without their camouflage. So, over time the species that we see today have evolved from the fittest of their ancestors. Evolution is the idea that everything on the Earth has a shared common ancestor at some point in time. We began with single-celled organisms that could survive the harsh conditions of the early Earth, which eventually evolved into multi-cellular organisms. Then, aquatic life came about, sprouted legs, and came on to the land to become our amphibians. The amphibians eventually evolved to have amniotic eggs and water tight skin and did not need water anymore to reproduce, and that is where we got reptiles. The progression obviously keeps going. The thing that people may forget when talking about these things is that the Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years. That seems like plenty of time for all of those organisms to come into existence. Ancient humans just came around (are you ready for this?) .01 million years ago. The Earth has been around for billions of years, humans have not even been here for 1 million. More evidence for evolution is that we do have proof that we share a common ancestor with chimpanzees. We have all the intermediate fossil evidence showing the progression. Also, we have the DNA evidence that shows that chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas! There are many more piles of evidence for evolution, but I believe I have made my point. Another important theory that is being debated right now in our society is global warming. This is another concept that we have a serious amount of evidence for and people still do not even believe that it is true. I just had my computers teacher the other day tell a class of about two hundred fifty people that global warming was not real. But he probably said that because clearly, he is not studying science. Global warming is the gradual warming of the Earth’s surface causing glaciers to melt, and lowering the amount of area arctic mammals such as seals and polar bears have to live. Because the glaciers are melting this is causing the oceans to raise a significant amount and is consuming some islands, such as the Micronesian islands. It is also contributing to the loss of many coral reef habitats because where they used to be relatively close to the surface of the water, now they can be farther away from it because of the rising waters. These are two very important ideas that if a person did not believe them, they would not be a sufficient Conservation Biologist.
The most important key book in the subject of Conservation Biology is the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. In this book, as I explained a little above, Darwin describes the process he calls natural selection. If a species eats nothing but grass, they would eventually evolve to possess the four chambered stomach like in cows or something that is similar to it. If an animal’s species only eats grass and this animal cannot digest it, then it will eventually die, meaning that it probably will not reproduce. Therefore, only animals that are fit for their environment will survive and be healthy enough to reproduce. This is a very important book in the field of science to be able to understand the world around us. Since the world around us is what we are trying to save, this is a very important book. Another important book in this field is a book simply titled Conservation Biology by Andrew S. Pullin. This book is important because it goes over every aspect of the field of conservation biology. I chose it because it is helping to inform the next generation of Earth-loving students how to conserve. The last book that I chose, I think is especially influential. It is called PRICELESS: The Vanishing Beauty of a Fragile Planet by Bradley Trevor Greive, a short book with pictures by Mitsuaki Iwago and one sentence a page. The reason I chose it is because it is not just directed to people in the field of conservation. It is a book showing many different endangered species and at the end, it goes over where the animal is from and how many there are left in the world. But it does another great thing. It gives a list in the back of the book of things you could do to make a difference in your everyday life and it also gives a list of non-profit organizations that you could donate money or your time to. This book can reach a lot more people involved in fields other than science than a research paper on endangered species can.
There are many important people that have contributed to the field of Conservation Biology. But the ones I have chosen were critical to the natural world as we understand it today. Carolus Linnaeus (1707- 1778) is sometime known as the “Father of Taxonomy.” His important contribution came with the publishing of his book entitled System Naturae. In it he explained his ideas on how there could be a classification system for all the different species on the planet. He was a well known physician, zoologist, and botanist, so he really knew a lot about wildlife. He is the reason that we have our taxonomy system we go by today which makes it possible for scientists all over the world to communicate about different species, because there is one universal, scientific name for it. The second person who was extremely important was Alfred Russel Wallace (1823- 1913). Almost everyone in the world could probably tell you who Darwin was; however, much fewer people know that Wallace actually came up with the idea of natural selection on his own a little after Darwin had been working on it. He added extra evidence that supported its case. Since natural selection is a sort of fuel for evolution, his work and research was very important for what Conservation Biology is today. The last person of influence I would like to mention was an incredible person from our time period, Steve Irwin (1962- 2006). Steve Irwin was one of the reasons that I wanted to become involved with conservation. Most people know him from his TV show The Crocodile Hunter. But what a lot of people may not know is that his whole life’s work was spent both conserving and educating people on conservation at the Australia Zoo (which he and his wife, Teri owned and operated together). He touched many people’s lives with his love for animals, and unfortunately died doing what he loved the most.
There are two very important academic journals in the field of Conservation Biology. They are Conservation Biology and Ecology and Society. Both of these journals are intending for academic readers and not only include the lasted of environmental issues that need to be addressed, but they also publish research papers for people to read about new findings in the area of conservation.
There are so many associations that deal with the issues of conservation. Some of them include National Geographic, Animal Planet, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Society for Conservation Biology, Stanford’s Center for Conservation Biology, US Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and there are many more where that came from.
My other discipline of study is photography. The primary subject matter is pretty much whatever you can see through your viewfinder. Photographs are primarily made from things that you would find in the world around you. However, there are many different approaches to this field which I will discuss later.
Photography comes from the Greek words meaning to “paint with light.” That is exactly what photography does. It captures light on a light sensitive medium to produce an image. Most people may not know but the idea of photography has been around for a long time. Photography first started with the camera obscura in the 1500’s, which works just like a pinhole camera. It shines the image onto paper (not light sensitive) and then, you can trace the image and paint it. This was great for people like me who can’t draw. This process progressed into the web-cams and camera phones we know today.
There are many different subfields of photography. Some people only make black and white images, some only make color. Some are landscape photographers, taking pictures of only nature. Many are involved in commercial photography; fashion, marketing, etc. Some only take pictures of dogs, or cats. Wedding photography is another subfield. Now digital photography is around, and getting more like film, if not better, every year. My focus is on landscape and nature photography, I like film the best but I could be persuaded to digital. Also, I prefer color to black and white.
The only research method involved in photography is trial and error. The only way to know what that specific image will look like is to take it, develop it, and see how it looks. They teach you in Photo I to take you images in three different shutter speeds to make sure you allow the right amount of light in. Most photographers will tell you they could take one hundred images and only get one good one out of the process. I am sure there are many processes of upgrading digital cameras and memory cards; however, they change so quickly that I can never keep up. Film is still going strong and that is really my focus.
One key concept in the field of photography is contrast. This is especially true for black and white. Light can make a huge difference in the tonal range and make the blacks and whites really pop out. Balance is another important factor. It can throw your eye off the page if the balance is off. The idea is to have the eye move around the entire image. One of the most important ones is frame. One thing photographers should always keep in mind is that looking at an image in “real life” is not the same as when you see it through the camera lens. Eventually you begin to see everything as a square image and how it would fit in the frame of your camera.
One theory important to photography is the light spectrum. If there were no light, photography would not be possible. In color photography, it is very important to know about the light spectrum because different chemicals are needed to develop different colors (yellow, magenta, and cyan). Another very important concept in color photography is color theory. It is important to know the different relationships between colors such as warm colors (yellow, orange, red) and cool colors (blue, green, and purple). Also, knowing complimentary colors is very useful. The complimentary colors include purple and yellow, red and green, and blue and orange. This can really enhance an image. Without these theories photography would not be as advanced as it is today.
There are many important books in the field of photography. One of the most important was written by William Henry Fox Talbot entitled Pencil of Nature. Talbot was one of two men who “invented” photography at the same time in different countries. This was one of the first of its kind. A book of this kind was revolutionary at the time. Not only could you make an image from real life without drawing it, but you could make copies of it! The book SEIZING THE LIGHT: A History of Photography by Robert Hirsch is also very important. It goes into detail about the whole history and development of photography, along with its struggle to be considered art. Another important book is Exploring Color Photography: From the Darkroom to the Digital Studio also by Robert Hirsch. This book is great for me because it goes in depth about filters, color relationships, and printing techniques (printing color is a much different process than printing black and white).
A key thinker in the field of photography was Ansel Adams (1902- 1984). Adams was big on conservation and most of his photography was done in landscape. He used beautiful lighting techniques and contrasts in his black and whites. He was also part of the Sierra Club and was a big inspiration to conservationists like myself. Another very important person is Edward Weston (1886-1958) who made images of everyday objects look so interesting because of his angle, lighting, and printing techniques. His famous pepper series is fascinating even though it is just an old pepper from different perspectives and angles. Perhaps the most important, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787- 1851) was the other man to come up with a photographic process at the same time as Talbot. He invented the daguerreotype and presented the idea to the queen and in turn became filthy rich because of his discovery, and unfortunately because Talbot’s calotype was not promoted by the queen it didn’t do as well. Once the idea of how to fix, or keep the image on the page was discovered by Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792- 1871) the process of photography advanced to the wonderful things we have today.
Two journals on the topic of photography or dealing with photography are American Photo and also National Geographic. American photo talks more about techniques and photography as a process, but National Geographic shows images that most people would never get to see in real life. That is why I believe it is important in the field of photography, it allows people to see how amazing the world is even if they can’t go there in person or aren’t necessarily into the technical aspect of it.
Some academic associations in the field of photography include the North American Nature Photography Association, American Society of Photography Professionals, Women in Photography International, Professional Photographers of America, Photographic Society of America, and the Student Photographic Society just to name a few.
I intend to use my knowledge from my discipline of Conservation Biology to try and help save wildlife and their habitats. I would like to incorporate photography as a means of promoting it. As I have said before, not everyone wants to read a research paper, but you could probably get them to look at a photograph. The concepts I’ve learned in the Art Department have taught me to keep an open mind. The Life Science Department taught me to logically solve problems. So, in turn I believe anything is possible as long as it is within the realms of reality. And, I do indeed intend to change the world!
Works Cited
American Photo Sept.-Oct. 2007.
Center for Conservation Biology. Summer 2007. Stanford University. 07 Sept.-Oct. 2007
Conservation Biology Institute. Aug.-Sept. 2007. 07 Sept.-Oct. 2007
Darwin, Charles. Origin of Species: Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. United Kingdom: John Murray, 1859.
Greive, Bradley T. PRICELESS: the Vanishing Beauty of a Fragile Planet. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel, 2003.
Heller, H. C., David Sadava, Gordon H. Orians, William K. Purves, and David M. Hills. LIFE: the Science of Biology. 8th ed. Sunderland: Sinauer Associates, 2007, pp 1227-1228.
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Color Photography: From the Dark Room to the Digital Studio. 4th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005.
Hirsch, Robert. Seizing the Light: a History of Photography. San Francisco: McGraw Hill, 2000.
Talbot, William H.F. Pencil of Nature. England, 1845.