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What is biodiversity? Agenda for Tuesday Feb 7th 1. Biodiversity notes 2. Work on review What is biodiversity? • Variety of life in an area – # of different species Species Diversity • increase as you go towards the equator – Biodiversity hot spots Genetic Diversity 3 types of Biodiversity Species Diversity Ecosystem Diversity Why is diversity important to ecology? • More diverse = more likely to flourish – Multiple organisms in each niche Importance of Biodiversity Direct Economic value • Food, clothing, energy, medicine, shelter • Preserve desirable genes – Food crops – most crops come from a few species • Close relatives exist in the wild • Disease resistant plants in wild – create disease resistant crops Importance of Biodiversity Indirect Economic Value • Provide oxygen and remove CO2 • Natural processes clean water • Protect against floods and droughts • Water cycle, carbon cycle, wetlands – New York City – create $6 Billion water filtration system or clean wetlands to filter water Importance of Biodiversity Aesthetic and scientific value • Camping • Hunting • Research vs. What role do humans play? • Extinction = species or larger group dying out / disappearing • Normal Background Extinction: activity from other organisms, climate change, and natural disasters -> Less concern! • 1/3 to 2/3 of current species will go extinct in second half of this century -> A CONCERN! • Humans are increasing extinction rates to 1000 times normal background extinction rate. But it’s just 1 Species • Keystone species – a species that plays a large role in an ecosystem – Removal impacts entire food web/ecosystem • Elephants, otters, prairie dogs Non-native/Introduced and Invasive species • Invasive – species that are not native to area – cause economic, env’t, harm or harm human health – No predators, parasites, and competition to keep in check – out compete – No natural enemies – Create monoculture • Non-native – Not from here • Not harmful – Pheasants Common Invasives • Buckthorn • Zebra Mussels • Emerald Ash Borer • Silver Carp Threats to biodiversity •Fragmentation •Edge effect Habitat loss (#1) Overexploitation Overexploitation Invasive species HUMANS Threats to Biodiversity •Fragmentation •Edge effect Habitat Loss Human Impact • How do humans decrease biodiversity? • land use, the cutting of vast areas of forest, pollution of the soil, air, and water, add/remove organisms • energy demand Human Impact - pollution • • • • • • • • Air pollution acid rain damage to the ozone layer Smog global warming Biological magnification Water pollution Eutrophication (excess nitrogen) Agenda for Wednesday Feb 8th 1. Conservation 2. Review Conserving Biodiversity How do we conserve and protect biodiversity? • Endangered Species Act, • Fishing and hunting regulations • Protected areas – National Parks – State Parks – International Protected areas • Large reserves protected by buffer zone • Identify hot spots – Endemic species – species found only in one area Conserving Biodiversity • Corridors – Connect habitat fragments – Allows animals to move safely – Can spread disease Restoring Ecosystems • Abandoned land can recover to create a new ecosystem Restoring Ecosystems • Bioremediation – using living organisms to detoxify an area – Gulf coast oil spill and bacteria • Biological Augmentation – adding natural predators to a degraded ecosystem • https://www.ted.com/talks/george_monbiot_f or_more_wonder_rewild_the_world/transcrip t?language=en#t-248531 • On a sheet of paper: – 3 things you learned – 2 questions you have – 1 topic you’d like to learn more about
