I just finished re-reading the papers for next week and wanted to pass on some thoughts in light of your preparation for class next Wednesday (9/30/09) and our pending discussion/debate. Note that you can upload your ppt presentation directly to this website. Use the navigation menu at left and select the "Upload ppt file here" link – then follow the directions on that page.
What are the important targets of conservation? That is, are we attempting to save specific species or rather are we trying to protect the integrity of communities and ecosystems (e.g., by encouraging re-vegetation to prevent soil erosion and desertification). Why might the target matter (or does it) for a particular scenario? The four papers certainly have differing (& compelling) viewpoints.
Consider the basic biology of the organisms and the environments in question. Ricciardi & Simberloff (2009) highlight potential ways in which the intentional movement of target species could become harmful. What is known about the biology of the species in question that might contribute to assessing such risks? In cases where information is lacking, what kind of questions would you ask and how would the answers determine your assessment? Below, I have included a few links to the specific species and environments in these cases.
For more information, follow up by exploring the references that made an impression on you from the four papers you read. For example, both the Wild Earth magazine pieces on Torreya taxifolia are readily available on-line [reference 29 in Ricciardi & Simberloff (2009) and reference 1 in McLachlan et al. (2007)]. Which examples were particularly relevant and helpful to you in formulating a position?
Developing strategies & policy aspects. I thought the discussion of this in McLachlan et al. (2007) was instructive and could help you formulate and weigh your own approaches. Also interesting here (and problematic in many ways) was the discussion of the legality of conservation approaches. Would love to hear your thoughts on these ideas.
Specific information on species
Creosote bush (Larrea spp.) – I checked this page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata) for information about creosote bush (Larrea spp.) and note that some of the information there may be useful to you (e.g., see reference 2). You may also find some basic information on deserts of North America useful (http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/desert/namdesrt.html) or (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_deserts). For example, most (but not all) of Nevada is included in the Great Basin desert, but creosote does not occur natively in the Great Basin desert, instead being restricted to the other three major deserts of western North America.
Torreya taxifolia – Considerable information is available and accessible on Torreya taxifolia including historical, current, and projected maps. That said, link to the IUCN information page here (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/30968/0).
Finally, the materials and methods in Bradley et al (2009) are quite technical and are less important to our discussions (I suggest reading this section quickly). That said, the general explanations in the rest of the paper provide a number of excellent points to consider in the creosote case especially.