Download Biodiversity

Biodiversity:
Which do you like better?
A
B
Which do you like better?
A
B
What do you think biodiversity
means?
Biodiversity
What does “Bio” mean?
Bio =
Biodiversity
What does “Diversity” mean?
Diversity = Variety
Biodiversity is…
 The variety of life on Earth
the product of millions of years of evolution
 Scientists have identified about 2 million species. Tens of
millions -- remain unknown
 it allows systems to adapt to changing circumstances over
time.
 is used to gauge the health of biological systems.

Components of Biodiversity
1. Genetic Diversity

The sum of all the different forms of genes in a particular species.

The species below are all dogs—but they're not the same
because their genes are different.

This allows populations to adapt to environmental changes
Chihuahua
Beagle
Rottweilers
Components of Biodiversity
2. Diversity of Species
• Refers to the variety of species and relative abundance of species in a
given area.
• For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow beauties are all
different species.
Saki Monkey
Golden Skimmer
Meadow Beauty
Components of Biodiversity
3. Ecosystem Diversity
• refers to a diverse range of habitats, the various organisms that live in the
habitats and the relationships that connect them.
Prairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all ecosystems. Each one is
different, with its own set of species living in it.
Prairie
Pond
Rain Forest
Which has more biodiversity?
A
B
Which has more biodiversity?
A
B
Biodiversity is Valuable!
What do we get from biodiversity?
Oxygen
Clean Water
Beauty
Food
Medicine
Ideas
Benefits of Biodiversity



More than 20,000 species have been used
for medicinal purposes
41% of prescription drugs in the USA have
their active ingredients derived from living
organisms (25% from plants, 13% from
microorganisms, 3% from animals)
Over 70% of promising anti-cancer drugs
come from plants in the rainforest
Should we be concerned about
biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate

Some scientists estimate that as many as 3 species per
hour are going extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur each
year.

when species of plants and animals go extinct, many
other species are affected.
Threats to Biodiversity
Habitat destruction
Pollution
Species Introductions
Global Climate Change
Exploitation
Species at Risk


Species do not have to be driven to extinction
for there to be ecological consequences.
When a population’s size declines below a
critical level, the species will no longer be able
to fill its ecological niche.
The status of species is monitored by the Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
Classification
Number of Canadian Species
(2008)
Examples
Extinct
13
Great auk
Passenger pigeon
Sea mink
Extirpated
23
Paddlefish
Atlantic walrus
238
Barn owl
Swift fox
Northern cricket frog
146
Humpback whale
Wood bison
Kentucky coffee tree
157
Polar bear
Red-headed woodpecker
Atlantic cod
Endangered
Threatened
Special Concern
The following are threats to
Biodiversity:

1) Habitat Loss –
Farmland, human
settlements and
highways have replaced
much of southern
Ontario’s, temperate
forest ecosystem.
2) Fragmentation


the transformation of a relatively
homogenous area into smaller
homogenous areas that
are interspersed with disturbed
areas. Disturbances are either
natural (e.g. fire, insects, wind) or
human-caused (e.g. logging).
agriculture, urbanization and
forestry disturb the greatest
amount of natural area and are
considered to be the main sources
of human-caused fragmentation
worldwide.
3) Loss of Wetlands and Aquatic
Ecosystems

– human activities along shorelines damage
neighbouring aquatic ecosystems.
AS CITIZENS OF A WEALTHY COUNTRY,
OUR USE OF EARTH’S RESOURCES HAS
FAR-REACHING IMPACTS.