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Describe the value of biodiversity economically ($) and ecologically Explain the factors that affect diversity • The number of different species in an area. • 1. Only 1.5 million species have been identified. There is probably tens of millions more! It’s been said you can walk outside, scoop up a handful of dirt and discover a dozen new species of bacteria! • Natural rubber is made from the sap of the wild rubber tree. The bark of the tree is 'tapped', this means cutting small slits into the bark, so that the white sap, known as latex, drips out and is caught in collecting cups. • 90% of the world's food is derived from only 15 species of plants? • In total, humans use only about 150 species of plants for food, out of 80,000 potentially edible plants. • What are your thoughts about this? • Can account for 83% of a developing countries economy • About 20% of international travel • Biodiversity has direct economic benefits. • It is estimated that biodiversity provides between $3-$33 trillion dollars to the global economy. • The annual economic and environmental benefits of biodiversity in the United States total approximately $300 billion. • In 1995 alone, visitors to national wildlife refuges contributed $401 million to local businesses in communities surrounding those refuges. Economic Ecological •Tourism •Jobs •Clothing •Medicine •Food •Paint •Lots of resources •Provides a more stable ecosystem with a more complex food web. •More niches • What is a keystone species? The keystone “locks” the arch into place; if it is removed the arch collapses. 3. A keystone species affects the biodiversity because their survival influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem. 4. Factors that affect biodiversity in an ecosystem include: Area Climate Diversity of niches More area, more species More suitable climate, more species More niches, more species • Factors that affect biodiversity in an ecosystem include area, climate, and diversity of niches. Coral reefs are home to more than 20% of the world’s saltwater species. • Niche diversity Rainforests are home to more than half of the world’s species. • Climate • Structures in an organism’s cells that carry its hereditary information • All the genes for the different characteristics in the population make up the gene pool. A healthy gene pool has a good mixture of dominant and recessive genes Dominant genes are not “stronger” or “better” – they are the genes you see or are expressed in your DNA. Recessive genes are the codes for characteristics that you don’t show, but your children may. When we say a disease or condition is inherited, it means that your DNA carries the condition and you can become affected by it. 5. Healthy populations have a large gene pool which allows for a greater diversity of traits such as color, size, and ability to fight disease. 6. Species that lack a diverse gene pool are less able to adapt to changes in the environment. Extinction of Species • Every 20 minutes, the world adds another 3,500 human lives but loses one or more entire species of animal or plant life – at least 27,000 species per year. (Source: PBS) • At the present rates of extinction, as many as 20% of the world's species could be gone in the next 30 years. This rate of extinction has been unprecedented since the disappearance of dinosaurs 65 million years ago (Source: WWF). • 80% of the decline in biological diversity is caused by habitat destruction. 8. The # of extinct species is increasing dramatically. 4,499 • In the US alone, nearly 4,500 species are threatened with extinction. • What causes species to become extinct and /or endangered? • What can be done to prevent species from becoming extinct? 9. California Tiger Salamander Towns have replaced much of this salamander’s habitat. The salamanders that remain are in danger of being run over by cars or washed down storm drains. Tennessee Purple Coneflower These daisy-like plants grow only in cedar forests in central Tennessee. Conservation organizations and landowners are working together to protect these plants. Whooping Crane Threatened by habitat destruction and disease, about half of the remaining whooping cranes are in zoos. The species is recovering well since its lowest point in the 1940s. Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly Threatened by habitat loss and pesticide pollution in the Florida Keys, this butterfly was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Steller’s Sea Lion Overfishing has led to a decline in this mammal’s sources of food. Other factors may also be threatening this species. 10. Three successful approaches to protecting biodiversity are: Captive breeding Laws and Treaties Habitat Preservation • Predicting What sort of problems could animals raised by humans come upon when they are released into the wild? • They may be unable to find food and feed themselves. They might not be able to defend against natural predators. • Inferring Why are there laws against removing endangered species from their habitats? • Removing an individual of an endangered species from its habitat subjects the individual to stress and risks, which may limit the individual’s ability to thrive. Thereby weakening the already endangered species. • The most effective way to protect biodiversity is to leave it alone! • HABITAT PRESERVATION / RESTORATION • Why did the AMA call for the protection of Earth’s biodiversity in 1995? • To preserve possible undiscovered medicines that may exist! • • • • • • • HIV/AIDS? Cancer? Diabetes? Ebola infection? Multiple Sclerosis? Cystic Fibrosis? And many other diseases that have no cure… What is unusual about the Pacific Yew’s adaptations? It is resistant to diseases many other trees suffer from in the temperate rain forest because of a crystalline chemical called taxol Cancer cells grow and divide quickly – forming a tumor – a large mass of cancer cells. Taxol “cages” the cancer cells, preventing them from spreading. • Why are Pacific Yew Trees no longer required (and therefore threatened with endangerment or extinction) for use in the drug Taxol? • Because scientists can create the chemical structure of taxol in the laboratory now. • Do you think medical researchers could eventually use this idea of finding natural treatments and manufacturing them in labs with other medicinal plants? • Nature also provides us with medicines that save lives and relieve suffering. • Approximately 1 in 5 prescription drugs in the US come from plants. o is a primary producer in an ecosystem. o is unnecessary for the survival of the other species in an ecosystem. o is the most abundant species in an ecosystem. o influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem. o o o o whether it can be cloned the organism’s characteristics, including individual differences whether the organism is a keystone species whether the organism will soon become extinct o o o o dramatically decreased. slightly decreased. remained fairly constant. dramatically increased. o o o o illegally killing or removing wildlife. breaking larger habitats into much smaller, isolated pieces. introducing species not native to the ecosystem. an animal species eating the eggs of another species. o o o o to set up captive breeding programs for endangered species. to preserve whole ecosystems. to pass laws protecting wildlife. to prosecute poachers.