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Biodiversity
5/22/2017
Samtse College of Education, Royal
University of Bhutan
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Which do you like better?
A
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Samtse College of Education, Royal
University of Bhutan
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Which do you like better?
A
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B
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University of Bhutan
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What do you think biodiversity
means?
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University of Bhutan
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Biodiversity
What does “Bio” mean?
Bio =
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University of Bhutan
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Biodiversity
What does “Diversity” mean?
Diversity = Variety
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University of Bhutan
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Definition: Biodiversity
• ‘The variability among living organisms and the
ecological complexes of which they are part, including
the diversity within species, between species and of
ecosystems.’
• Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth and the
essential interdependence of all living things
• Scientists have identified more than 2 million species.
Tens of millions -- remain unknown
• The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible
by complex interactions among all living things
including microscopic species such as algae, virus,
bacteria, fungus etc.
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University of Bhutan
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There are 3 components of biodiversity
1.
Diversity of genes
Chihuahuas, beagles, and rottweilers are all dogs—but
they're not the same because their genes are different.
Chihuahua
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Beagle
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University of Bhutan
Rottweilers
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There are 3 types of biodiversity
2. Diversity of species
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow beauties are all
different species.
Saki Monkey
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Golden Skimmer
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University of Bhutan
Meadow Beauty
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There are 3 components of biodiversity
3. Variety of ecosystems
Prairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all ecosystems. Each
one is different, with its own set of species living in it.
Prairie
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Florida Sand hill Pond
Samtse College of Education, Royal
RainofForest
University
Bhutan
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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.
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University of Bhutan
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Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value
Intrinsic Value = Something that has value
in and of itself
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University of Bhutan
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Biodiversity also has utilitarian
Value
Utilitarian Value = the value something has as
a means to another’s end.
Utilitarian values include:
• Goods
• Services
• Information
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Ecological Value
• “Extinction is the most irreversible and tragic of all
environmental calamities. With each plant and animal
species that disappears, a precious part of creation is
callously erased” (Michael Soule, 2004)
• If too many species or keystone species are lost,
eventually it leads to the failure of ecosystem function
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Threats to Biodiversity
• As our numbers climb, we expand agricultural
conversion, import invasive species, hunt more species,
degrade habitat, fragment and lose habitat, pollute water
and air, impact climate.
• The UN Millenium Assessment found losses in
biodiversity in the past 50 years ’was more rapid than
ever before in human history’. To sustain Earth’s lifesupport services, from food security, resilience to natural
disasters, and access to clean water and raw materials,
improvements are needed to address biodiversity losses
and changes (extinctions, changes in population sizes,
distribution, species composition, genetic diversity).
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University of Bhutan
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Threats to biodiversity
•
•
•
•
•
Habitat destruction
Pollution
Species Introductions
Global Climate Change
Exploitation
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University of Bhutan
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Threats to Biodiversity
• Major
factors
impacting
biodiversity
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University of Bhutan
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Threats to Biodiversity
1. Habitat Degradation
– Includes conversion from suitable to unsuitable, lowering quality,
fragmentation of habitats
– Causes: many industries (e.g. forestry, agriculture, development,
fishing, mining, chemical)
2. Invasive Species
– With our help, species have the ability to get virtually anywhere
in the world
– Direct actions: predation, parasitism, disease, competition or
hybridization
– Indirect paths: changing abundances, disruption of mutualisms,
modifying habitat, reducing habitat quality)
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Threats to Biodiversity
3. Overexploitation
– Hunting, collecting, fishing (and indirect by-catch), trade of animals
(and parts)
4. Anthropogenic Climate Change
– Climate has been a cause of previous mass extinctions
– Couple this with lower abundance, invasive species and other
problems, a severe impact is likely from climate change
– Climate change will also trigger additional biological responses (e.g.
malaria in temperate places)
– “Snowballing” effect of the invasion of the alien root pathogen
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University of Bhutan
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Threats to Biodiversity
• Direct effects of Snowballing
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University of Bhutan
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Threats to Biodiversity
• Indirect effects of Snowballing
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Threats to Biodiversity
5. Anthropogenic Pollution
– There are direct discharges of chemicals into the environment, there
are also pollutants released into the atmosphere
– Toxic chemicals (e.g. mercury, lead) are found even in remote areas
– Also have the problem of bioaccumulation (or biomagnification)
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University of Bhutan
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