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Biodiversity
• Bio = Life
• Diverse = consisting of different things
Refers to the variety of species and
ecosystems on earth and the ecological
processes of which they are a part of.
Or… describes the variety of and
relationships between all life
Types of diversity include:
1) Genetic Diversity – differences at the genetic
level within species and individual plants and
animals
2) Species Diversity – the abundance of
differences among species (plants,
amphibians, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals)
3) Ecosystem Diversity – the abundance of
differences among ecosystems (rivers, forests,
wetlands, deserts, coral reefs)
• All types of diversity are very
important for healthy
environments
• There are 12-118 million
species on Earth, but only
~1.9 million have been
identified
• Canada has ~ 71 000 species
but there could be > 130 000
So how many are there?
•
•
•
•
•
Invertebrates – 1 357 000
Plants – 310 000
Fungi – 99 000
Viruses and Bacteria – 66 000
Vertebrates :
– Fish – 31 153
- Reptiles – 8 734
– Birds – 9 990
- Amphibians – 6 515
– Mammals – 5 487 - Other – 2 909
(The Future of Life)
Most of the world’s biodiversity is located in
tropical regions near the equator
Tropical rainforests only cover ~6% of the Earth’s surface but
they Are home to ~ 50% of all known species of organisms
• Most of Canada’s biodiversity is located in
lower latitudes and in large tracts of forest
and riparian zones (near water)
Why should people care about
biodiversity?
Biodiversity
Healthy Ecosystem
Healthy People
A large amount of species contribute
toward life-sustaining planetary process:
- providing oxygen
- Filtering and purifying water
- Breaking down wastes and toxins
- Pollinating plants
- Creating productive soils
- Medicine (70% of pharmaceuticals used
come from or are derived from natural
products)
• 3000 antibiotics come from
microorganisms
• Canada’s 138 native tree species have at
least 40 medicinal uses
• Aesthetics
• Spiritual
• cultural
In 1997 an international team of economists
and environmental scientists and
geographers put a dollar amount on all
the ecosystem services provided to
humanity for free by the living natural
environment:
> $33 trillion
Threats
• Unfortunately there are many threats to
biodiversity both globally, regionally and
locally
• Life in any form needs a home (habitat)
which includes biotic (food, mates,
vegetation) and abiotic components (water,
soil, shelter)
• When we lose habitat or quality of habitat
is degraded species become at risk
• Human activity is causing rapid
deterioration in biodiversity
The loss of critical wildlife habitat:
Agriculture
Expanding human settlement
mining
Invasive
species
pollution
Loss of Habitat
Irrigation
forestry
Dams
HIPPO
H – Habitat destruction
I – invasive species
P – pollution
P – population
O – overharvesting
Examples of what Biodiversity does
for us:
• NYC
• Atlanta
p. 440-447
1) What is the intrinsic value of biodiversity?
2) Using the map on p. 440, What areas of
Canada is biodiversity most at risk? Suggest
2 reasons for this.
3) What is fragmentation? How is it a threat to
biodiversity?