Biological+Diversity+and+Conservation

** What You Will Learn: ** Importance of biological Diversity  Environmental changes that result from species loss  Work of conservation biologists

** Section Preview: ** -Objectives: · Explain biodiversity and its importance · Relate various threats to the loss of biodiversity

 **Vocabulary:**
· ** Habitat ** : The place where an organism lives out its life · Acid Precipitation: Rain, snow, sleet, or fog with a pH below 5.6; causes deterioration of forests, lakes, statues, and buildings. · Biodiversity: variety of life in an area; usually measured as the number of species that live in an area · Captivity: when members of a species are held by people in zoos or other conservation facilities <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Conservation Biology: fields of biology that studies methods and implements plans to protect biodiversity <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> · Edge effect : Different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an eco-system <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Endangered Species: Species in which the number of individuals fall so low that extinction is possible <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> · Exotic Species : Non-native species in an area; may take over niches of native species in an area and eventually replace them <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Extinction: The disappearance of a species when the last of its members die <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Habitat Corridors: natural strips of land that allow the migration of organisms from one wilderness area to another <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· [|Habitat Degradation]: Damage to a habitat by air, water, and land pollution <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Habitat Fragmentation: Separation of wilderness areas from each other; may cause problems for organisms that need large areas for food or mating. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Natural Resources: elements and products that are produced through the earth <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Ozone Layer: Layer of the atmosphere that helps to protect living organisms on earth’s surface from damaging doses of ultraviolet radiation from the sun <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Reintroduction Programs: programs that release organisms into an area where their species once lived in hopes of reestablishing naturally reproducing populations <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Sustainable Use: philosophy that promotes letting people use resources in wilderness areas in ways that will not damage the eco-system <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">· Threatened Species: When the population of a species is likely to become endangered <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**__ Section 1 Vanishing Species __** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is biological diversity? : the variety of species in a specific area. The simplest and most common measure is the number of species that live in a certain area. For example, a hectare of farmland is dominated by one species of plant, whereas one hectare of rain forest may contain around 400 species of plant. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Where is biodiversity found?: ** all over the world. Biodiversity increases as you move toward the equator. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Studying biodiversity: ** One experiment held in the 1960’s, was used to test biodiversity on islands. They counted the number of insect and spider species on each island. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Importance of Biodiversity ** : Makes an area unique. It also shows the different relationships between different species. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Importance to nature ** : Living things are independent. Different species could not exist without another (i.e. flowering plants with animals to pollinate them.) Populations are adapted to live together, and have different relationships. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Biodiversity brings stability ** : Ecosystems are stable if their biodiversity is maintained. A change in species can destabilize them <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Importance to people: ** Humans depend on organisms for their needs. Humans consume a large variety of plant and animal life. Humans benefit from cross breeding through biodiversity. People also rely on the world for raw materials used to build and create things. Depending on the biodiversity in the area, there may be different products produced because of the nearby resources. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Loss of Biodiversity: Extinction is a natural process and Earth has experienced several mass extinctions during its history. Background extinction also plays a factor, background extinction accounts for the loss on one species per year per million species. Biodiversity loss is also affected by increase in human population, habitat loss, and land exploitation. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Threats to Biodiversity ** : Complex interactions among species make each ecosystem unique. Human and natural activities can impact nature in a negative way. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Habitat loss ** : When the shape of a habitat is decreased, or when the amount of biodiversity has changed.. Habitats, such as a coral reef, have started to decrease due to pollution, changes in water temperature, and disease. Coral reefs are basically an underwater jungle with a large variety of species. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Habitat fragmentation ** : the separation of wilderness areas from other wilderness areas. Habitat fragmentation is a common occurrence when roads, bridges, or cities are built through an area. It contributes to increased extinction of local species, disruption of ecological processes, new opportunities for invasions by alien species, and changes in local climate. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Edge Effect: ** The edge of a habitat or ecosystem is when one habitat or ecosystem meets another. Edge effect is the different conditions along the boundaries of an ecosystem. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Habitat degradation ** : the damage to a habitat by pollution. One type of pollution that has been linked to the deterioration of some forests and lakes has been acid precipitation, when the pH balance of rain, snow, sleet and fog is over seven. Some natural occurrences, such as ultraviolet light, is damaging to living organisms. The ozone layer protects organisms from the ultraviolet light coming from the sun. However, pollutants are damaging the ozone layer and are creating holes, giving us less protection. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Water pollution ** : degrades aquatic habitats in streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Its caused by dumping and run off, such as fertilizer and animal w astes from farms. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Land pollution: ** Basically dumps, landfills, and chemicals like DDT. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Exotic species ** : When not native species are introduced into an ecosystem, sometime have a negative impact because they have no natural predators or niche.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**__ Section 2 Conservation of Biodiversity: __** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Conservation Biology ** : Effective conservation strategies are based on principles of ecology. Natural resources included. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Legal Protections of Species: ** The US Endangered Species Act became law in 1973. The law made it illegal to harm any animal on the endangered or threatened species list. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** [|Preserving Habitats] ** : One way that habitats have been protected is through the creation of natural preserves and parks such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Crater Lake, and Sequoia. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Habitat Corridors ** : A general strategy for protecting the biodiversity of an area is to protect the largest area possible, but this results in inbreeding. Therefore, another strategy for preserving biodiversity is with habitat corridors. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Working with People ** : Preserved areas does not always have means of protecting species from human activity. The philosophy of sustainable use strives to allow people to use natural resources in ways that will help maintain the ecosystem. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Reintroduction and Species Preservation Programs ** : Animals bred in captivity are often introduced to the wild to repopulate their species. These programs are often at a global or national scale and work with zoos and aquariums. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Captivity: ** An organism that is held by people. Sometimes the organism faces extinction because it is not in its natural environment. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Protecting Plant Species ** : A plant species often grows in its natural environment, but sometimes it forces extinction upon itself. We can reintroduce the plants because seeds can be stored for a long period of time.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Biodiversity Quiz.pptx]