What is Biodiversity

1
What is Biodiversity

• Chapter 10

2
A World Rich in Biodiversity

• Biodiversity- the number and variety of species
  in a given area.
• About 1.7 million known species and an estimated
  10 million total.

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A World Rich in Biodiversity

• Levels of biodiversity
• Species diversity- differences between
  populations within a species, as well as between
  other species.
• Ecosystem Diversity- the variety of habitats,
  communities, and ecological processes.
• Genetic diversity- the variety of genes contained
  with in a certain population.

4
Benefits of Biodiversity

• Species are connected to ecosystems
• Life depends on life
• Keystone species- a species that is critical to
  the functioning of an ecosystem.

5
Benefits of Biodiversity

• Species and population survival
• Genetic diversity is vital to species survival.
• Bottleneck effect

6
Benefits of Biodiversity

• Medical, industrial, and Agricultural uses
• ¼ of all drugs are derived from plants and almost
  all antibiotics come from fungi
• Some compounds used for industry come from plants
  and animals
• All human food comes from living things
• Crop and livestock production has increased over
  time due to cross breeding.

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Benefits to biodiversity

• Medicine and food

8
Benefits to Biodiversity

• Ethics, Aesthetics, and recreation
• Some people believe we should maintain
  biodiversity because all organisms have the right
  to exist whether or not they have value.
• Some people value biodiversity for aesthetic or
  personal enjoyment.
• ecotourism

9
Biodiversity at Risk

• Current Extinctions
• Extinction- Species totally disappears from a
  localized area or from the earth.
• Mass Extinction- extinction of many species in a
  short period of time.
• Why do some species go extinct?
• Small population size
• Migrate
• Need for large or specialized habitat
• Organisms exploited by humans

10
Biodiversity at Risk

• Current Extinctions
• Endangered species- species likely to become
  extinct if protective measures are not taken
• Threatened species- likely to become endangered
  if protective measures are not taken.

11
Biodiversity at Risk
12
Biodiversity at Risk

• How do humans cause extinctions?
• Habitat destruction and fragmentation

13
Biodiversity at Risk

• How do humans cause extinctions?
• Invasive exotic (alien) species
• Exotic species- a species not native to a region
• Ex.- kudzu, fire ants
• Harvesting, hunting, and poaching
• Pollution

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Biodiversity at Risk

• Areas of Critical Biodiversity
• Endemic species- species found only in a limited
  area
• Tropical Rainforest-
• 7 of earths surface
• ½ the worlds species
• Coral Reefs
• Like rainforest (small area but high
  biodiversity)
• Islands
• Very distinctive species

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Biodiversity at Risk

• Biodiversity Hotspots- most threatened areas

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Future of Biodiversity

• Captive Breeding-
• Breeding species in captivity with the hope of
  reintroducing the species into its native habitat.

17
The Future of Biodiversity

• Preserving Genetic Material
• Germ plasma- any form of genetic material (i.e.
  germ cells- egg, sperm, or pollen)
• Captivity-
• Zoos, Aquariums, Parks, and Gardens
• Research-
• Understanding the needs and requirements of a
  species helps in maintaining the species.

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The Future of Biodiversity

• Preserving habitats
• Conservation strategies-
• Most conservationist focus on preserving whole
  ecosystems instead of individual species

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The Future of Biodiversity

• Legal Protections
• U.S.
• Endangered Species Act- 1973
• Threatened and Endangered list produced
• Illegal to harm species on list
• Prevents government from carrying out any project
  that jeopardizes one of the listed species
• Species recovery plan- habitat conservation plan

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The Future of Biodiversity

• International
• Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
  Resources (IUCN)
• CITES (Convention of International Trade in
  Endangered Species)- illegal to trade goods from
  endangered species
• Earth Summit
• Biodiversity Treaty- preserve biodiversity and
  sustainable use
• Private Efforts