Download Human Impact, Conservation, and Biodiversity

Biological
Diversity and
Conservation
What is Biodiversity?
The variety of life in an area that
is determined by the number
of different species in that
area.
Where can you find Biodiversity?
• Tropical Regions of the world contain 2/3 of all
land species on Earth
• Biodiversity increases as you move toward the
Equator
Importance of Biodiversity
• Organisms are connected within the
community
• Biodiversity brings stability to an ecosystem
• Health and Dietary benefits to humans
Loss of Biodiversity
Extinction- when the last members of a species
die.
• Three tiers to the loss of Biodiversity
• Threatened
• Endangered
• Extinct
The declining population of one species can affect an entire
ecosystem.
Question: What would happen to this ecosystem if kelp forest were
destroyed?
Human beings are the largest and
most influential threat to
biodiversity.
Threats to Biodiversity
• Habitat Loss
• Habitat Fragmentation
– Biotic Issues
• Predator – Prey relationships
• Migration Patterns disrupted
– Abiotic Issues
• Can change climate of an area
Threats Continued
• Habitat Degradation
• Water Pollution
– Acid Precipitation
– Excess fertilizer runoff
– Excess silt runoff
– Heavy metals
• Land Pollution
– Trash and debris
– Chemical pollutants/
pesticides
Biomagnification –
the accumulation of
chemicals in an
ecosystem.
Sometimes called
bioaccumulation.
Introduction of Exotics
• FDA estimates that more than $5 billion is
spent annually on medical treatment,
damage, and control.
• The ants cause approximately $750 million in
damage annually to agricultural assets,
including veterinarian bills and livestock loss
as well as crop loss.
• Introduction traced back to a South American
cargo ship in Alabama in 1918.
Conservation of Biodiversity
Sustainable Use
Using resources at a rate in which they can
be replaced or recycled
Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources
• Renewable – replaced by natural process
faster than they are used
Solar energy
Plants
Water
Air
• Nonrenewable – in limited amounts or are
replaced by natural process slower than they
are used
Fossil fuels
Mineral Deposits
Renewable or nonrenewable?
•
•
•
•
Wind
oil
Iron ore
Plastic
•
•
•
•
Livestock
Aluminum
Gold
Sandstone