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Global Warming, Pollution and Invasive Species… oh my! Don’t write anything in this color!! 4 Types of Diversity Biodiversity Species Diversity variety of different types of species Genetic Diversity variety of all life and living systems variety of genetic material (genes/DNA) in different organisms Ecosystem Diversity variety of habitats, communities ecosystems Global Warming Used to describe the increase in the average temperature of the biosphere Temperatures between 1980 and 2000 rose at a faster rate than during the past 100 years!! The 1990’s were the hottest decade ever recorded….This decade will probably be even hotter! Each year of the 90’s was among the top 15 hottest years since 1880 Global Warming Affects on Earth’s ice caps are the most obvious… What Causes Global Warming? Humans have caused global warming by adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere What are greenhouse gases? heat gets retained in the Earth’s atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other gases Acts like the glass in a greenhouse! How greenhouse gases work Allow solar energy to penetrate the atmosphere Sunlight gets converted to heat energy is radiated back to the atmosphere Gases causes some heat to become trapped If these gases weren’t present, the earth would be 30°C cooler than it is today Carbon Dioxide gets added to the atmosphere by… Cutting down trees (Deforestation) Burning fossil fuels Current Predictions By the year 2050, temperature will increase by 1-2 degrees Celsius What could 1-2 degrees do? Low-lying costal regions could flood Storms could become more frequent and severe Last year was the first hurricane season they ran out of letters in the alphabet to name hurricanes!!! More droughts during the summer season in North America Pollution What is pollution? DDT example Used as pesticide in farms to kill of harmful pests When it was sprayed it went into rivers and streams at seemingly harmless levels But later found out DDT: Is nonbiodegradable (cannot break down) Animals do not lose it from their bodies, it stays in there Problems that occurred from DDT Concentrations increase as you move up the food chain or web By the time you the top of the food chain or web, DDT reached concentration had magnified by 10,000,000!! Called Biological Magnification – when a toxic substance increases in concentration as it moves up the food chain Invasive Species… Are species that are “introduced” to areas where they are not usually found These plants and animals seem harmless but they have a large effect on the population the invade or are introduced to… Invasive Species Invasive species cause a lot of problems because: generally lack any natural predators can reproduce rapidly taking away resources from the “natural” species Invasive Species Examples: Cane Toads Mussels Georgia – Kudzu Why do they put them there in the first place? O-Zone Depletion O-zone protects us from UV radiation and meteors Called O-Zone because it is made up of O3 (tri-oxygen) There are now holes in the o-zone layer UV radiation over-exposure can cause Sunburns Cancer Damage to eyes O-zone Depletion Problem caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) CFC’s cause the holes in the O-zone to get bigger CFC’s are found in Aerosol cans Producing plastic foams Collants in refrigerators, air conditioners and freezers What can we do? Conservation Biology – wise management of natural resources Avoid – “Tragedy of the Commons” When resources are shared they are often used and abused This is because no one in particular has to take care of them so no one worries about the consequences Odds and Ends Pollution that contributes to Acid Rain is: Nitric Oxides and Sulfur Dioxides Habitat Fragmentation – breaking habitats into smaller pieces, usually caused by human development Final Message http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=845 3442377878175440&q=bluemangroup+global +warming&hl=en