Biodiversity Notes. Short for Biological Diversity What does this mean? Biological = Living organisms (plants and animals) Diversity = variety

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1 Biodiversity Notes Short for Biological Diversity What does this mean? Biological = Living organisms (plants and animals) Diversity = variety

2 Species diversity number of species in a given area. An island with 2 bird species and 1 lizard species is more diverse than an island with 3 bird species. It s numbers of species as well as categories of organisms. Lower Species Diversity Higher Species Diversity

3 Genetic diversity Variations of genes within a species. Lots of distinct populations within a species (lots of varieties of rice in India--all from same species) Genetic Variation within the population as a whole (high in Indian rhinos, low in cheetahs) A few of the hundreds of rice varieties found in India. Some genetic diversity in potatoes

4 Ecosystem diversity Variety of ecosystems within an area. Coniferous Forest meeting a meadow Ocean meeting a beach Wisconsin has about 9 different ecosystems, other states only have about 3, some >14, etc. Very hard to measure due to overlapping boundary areas also called ecotones.

5 Importance of Biodiversity: Maintains soil quality: healthy bacteria, algae, fungi, mites, millipedes and worms help cycle nutrients Maintains air quality: plants purify the air and filter harmful particles out of the air Maintains water quality: variety of vegetation reduces erosion and purifies water by removing (using or absorbing) nutrients and pollution

6 Importance Continued Pest control: most crop pests can be controlled by other organisms for a longer period of time helpful because many pests become resistant to synthetic pesticides Pollination and crop production: More than 1/3 of world s crops rely on healthy pollinators (Potential) Medicines: many current and possible future medications found in areas with high biodiversity Intercropping cocoa plants with coconut trees.

7 5 Threats of Biodiversity Habitat destruction/fragmentation Invasive species Population growth Pollution Overconsumption

8 Habitat Destruction Changing a habitat to suit human needs for housing, farming, etc. This displaces animals/plants. As the human population grows, so does habitat destruction!

9 Fragmentation Breaking up large habitats into smaller habitats. Creates an edge habitat where inner habitat used to be. Some plants and animals cannot adapt to these changes.

10 Invasive Species Any organism that has been relocated somewhere other than its original habitat. Oftentimes, invasive species out-compete native species resulting in disruption of the Synonyms include: Introduced species, nonnative ecosystem species, and exotic food chain. Many native organisms are species and alien species becoming endangered by this! Zebra Mussel Asian Beetle

11 Population growth of Humans Increasing population means greater demand for food, shelter, fuel and water. This often leads to habitat loss, pollution, resource scarcity and overconsumption (in areas with enough money) Humans are coming into greater (more frequent) contact with previously wild areas with high biodiversity

12 Population expected to reach 8 billion by 2020

13 Pollution o Pollution can alter the habitat to the point where some plants and animals will not be able to adapt. o Global Climate Change--many species are intolerant to changes in temperature--affects feeding relationships and breeding patterns. o Acid rain/air pollution-these types of issues do not respect borders. US acid rain fell in Canada destroying sugar maple forests which upset the amount/quality of maple syrup produced.

14 Overconsumption Individuals consuming way more resources than needed to survive sometimes more than is needed for a high standard of life Industrialized nations make up 25% of the world s population, but use 75% of its resources. US makes up only 5% of world s pop- -causes 33% of world s pollution!

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16 3 Ways to Properly Dispose of Waste: 1. Sanitary Landfill: designed to hold municipal solid waste (garbage)

17 3 Ways to Properly Dispose of Waste: 2. Recycling: reclaiming and reusing metal, paper, glass, and plastic to make new materials

18 3 Ways to Properly Dispose of Waste: 3. Composting: helping the natural decomposition process break down organic waste

19 Product Packaging - Packaging of products has caused environmental problems associated with _solid waste disposal

20 Fossil Fuels Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are non-renewable resources -this means that there is only a limited amount and when they are used up, there will be no more.

21 Fossil Fuels and Pollution Burning coal produces carbon monoxide which pollutes the air

22 The Future Ecosystems need to maintain a state of equilibrium or balance

23 The Future To preserve the Earth, humans must nderstand how living things interact in their environment.

24 The Future Conservationists work to maintain genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

25 Animal Behaviors Animal behaviors are usually used to help an animal protect itself from a predator

26 Animal Behaviors Daily animal behavior cycles are called circadian rhythm (internal clocks)

27 Animal Behavior Examples Response: a cat hisses at a dog Stimuli: a signal that causes an animal to react Communication: a male cricket chirping to attract a mate Migrate : Salmon return to the stream they were born in to reproduce