Biodiversity, Succession and Resources

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Biodiversity, Succession and Resources

• Evolutionary processes have resulted in a
  diversity of organisms and a diversity of roles
  in ecosystems.

http//www.bing.com/videos/search?qBIODIVERSITYV
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BIODIVERSITY

• Degree to which species VARY within an ecosystem
• Ask yourself?
• Which of these ecosysytems has more biodiversity?

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• Increased biodiversity increases the stability of
  an ecosystem.
• Increased biodiversity increases the chance that
  at least some living things will survive in the
  face of large changes in the environment.

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WHY IS BIODIVERSITY SO IMPORTANT?

• The Back-up plan
• Backup organisms - if one species dies due to
  disease, there is another one to fill the niche
• Maintains stable ecosystem
• If lots of organism, every niche can be filled!
  Therefore, stable ecosystem!
• Benefits Humans!
• Ensures a variety of genetic material
• Vast rainforests may hold cures, medicines and
  other useful resources!

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Video on Threats to Biodiversity 26 min
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HOW DO HUMANS REDUCE BIODIVERSITY?

• DEFORESTATION
• Destruction of forests
• IMPACT Forces many orgs to find new homes
• If cannot adapt, will become extinct
• OVER HUNTING
• When bounties offered for a certain species, it
  can become over hunted EX LION
• IMPACT With such a drastic drop, will affect
  populations of other animals
• EX DEER POPN ROSE B/C NO LIONS DEER
  OVERGRAZED AND STARVED THEMSELVES

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HOW DO HUMANS REDUCE BIODIVERSITY?

• Clearing land for farming and space
• Replacing a diverse ecosystem with one or two
  crops ?
• IMPACT Taking away resources for ourselves and
  other species
• DIRECT HARVESTING
• Taking species out of natural habitat for our
  benefit (wanting unusual pets or plants)
• IMPACT We are reducing the of those species
  in their natural habitat

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HOW DO HUMANS REDUCE BIODIVERSITY?

• IMPORTED SPECIES
• When a species is imported and released into a
  new environment
• IMPACT New species may adapt well and drive out
  existing species
• EX Rabbits in Australia
• IMPACT New species often become pests because
  they have NO NATURAL PREDATORS
• EX Zebra mussels in NY waterways

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Zebra mussel

• reduces diversity
• loss of food nesting sites for animals
• economic damage

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What is Ecological Succession?

• A series of changes by which one habitat
  naturally changes into another
• PROCESS
• Starts with simple habitat w/ little diversity
• CLIMAX COMMUNITY
• A stable diverse habitat (ex. Forest)
• Will be reached if climate remains stable over a
  number of years

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When does Succession occur?

• When environment becomes suitable for another
  community
• Grasses grow in shallow soil, but add nutrients
  as they live and die
• Soil then becomes suitable for shrubs
• Shrubs shade out the grasses and take over
• Over time, shrubs will be shaded out by trees
• When natural disasters occur that alter stable
  ecosystems
• Fires, overgrazing, etc.
• Altered ecosystems will need many successions to
  recover

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Stage 1 Bare Bedrock
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Stage 2 Lichens grow
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Stage 3 Mosses grow
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Stage 4 Grasses grow
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Stage 5 Shrubs and small trees
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Stage 6 Climax Forest (100 200 years without
disturbance)
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Succession can also happen in a lake!
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View the process of ecological succession as it
occurs in coastal lowlands by clicking on the
image below
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What resources can we use over and over again?

• 1. RENEWABLE RESOURCES
• Can be replaced naturally
• Still need to be used carefully
• EX Fish are renewable but over harvesting and
  damaging environment can inhibit renewal
• Can you name some renewable resources?
• Water, food, solar energy, fruits/vegs, Wood,
  Bamboo

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What resources do we use that cannot be replaced?

• 2. NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES
• Decisions we make today affect what our future
  will have
• Most things we use are being depleted due to
  industrialization and technology
• Can you list some nonrenewable resources?
• Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), minerals
• PRESERVATION The 3 Rs
• REDUCE
• REUSE
• RECYCLE Brain
  Pop Video (332)

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What Can You Do?

• Bring your own reusable canvas grocery bags when
  grocery shopping.

• Buy recycled paper products and recycle as much
  of your waste as possible.

• Drive less. Take bikes, walk or carpool whenever
  possible.

• Plant
• a tree.

• Don't let heat escape from your house over a
  long period.

• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a
  compact fluorescent light bulb.

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Homework Complete Regents Questions from
Part 3 of packet s 46-59.
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RB WS Part 3 answers
46)1 47) 4 48) 1 49) field then slowly go through
a succession of changes to a forest over several
hundreds of years.. In fifty years, the area may
only be a shrub or early stage tree. 50) 1 51)
The soil got deeper and drier as the lake receded
and was able to support the growth of the trees
which would provide too much shade for the grass
to grow.

• 40) Pesticide killed the bees other insects
  that pollinate the flowers. Without pollination
  of the flowers, no berries will form.
• 41)
• 42) As biodiversity is lost, so are the organisms
  needed as a source of medicines to treat/cure
  diseases
• 43) If the disease effects the plants, the crop
  will be lost because all of the plants are
  genetically alike. If they were diverse, some of
  the crop would survive.
• 44) 2 45) 1

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• 52) 2
• 53) 4
• 54) 3
• 55) 4
• 56) as more soil accumulated, plants with deeper
  root systems could live there and shade the other
  plants -or Ecological succession
• 57) Cutting the forest or clearing the land
  for crops or a forest fire or - pollution
• 58) Soil depth will increase trees will be
  present or- soil will change in composition and
  so will the plant species
• 59) 3

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Practice test Answers pages 116-120
21) The sewage increased from 1950-1970, and
during that time the whitefish, trout, and
walleye declined/disappeared. This lowered the
biodiversity of the lake. 22 -23) Graph 24) 2 25)
If the predators were not hunted so much, the
deer pop. Wouldve remained under control and
there wouldnt have been a mass starvation.

1. 4
2. 3
3. 4
4. 4
5. 3
6. 3
7. 4
8. 1
9. 2

10) 2 11) 1 12) 1 13) 1 14) 4 15) 1 16) 4 17)
1 18) 1 19) 2 20) carp
26) 4 27) 1 28) Grasses grasshopper-spiders-bird
s 29) 2 30) 3 31) 1