Biological Diversity PDF

Biological Diversity Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area. In other words, it is the concept of having many different living things on Earth. Importance of Biodiversity Increases th...

Biological Diversity Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area. In other words, it is the concept of having many different living things on Earth. Importance of Biodiversity Increases the stability of an ecosystem Contributes to the health of the biosphere Using materials for food and fuel Extracting substances to use as medicine  plants and other organisms Recycling materials and purifying water decomposers Providing oxygen  plants  Habitat loss, alteration, or fragmentation Acid Rain Biodiversity Pollution Threats to Biological Magnification Overexploitation Introduced species Eutrophication Most of the effects that threaten biodiversity result from human activity. 1. Habitat loss, alteration, and fragmentation When land is developed, natural habitats may be destroyed. As habitats disappear, the species that live in those habitats vanish. Organisms either move or die. Development that divides land causes fragmentation (splitting into pieces) of land. The smaller the land, the less species it can accommodate, decreasing diversity. Fragmentation causes isolation of individuals of similar species from each other, preventing them from reproduction. Edge effects occur at boundaries between pieces of an ecosystem. 2. Pollution Pollution is the addition of harmful substances in an ecosystem, affecting the organisms that live there. a. Acid Rain Acid rain is related to pollution because it results from toxic chemicals in the atmosphere. Sulfur and nitrogen compounds react with water and other substances in the air to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Acid precipitation removes calcium, potassium, and other nutrients from the soil, depriving plants of these nutrients.  b. Biological Magnification Biological magnification is the increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as trophic levels increase in a food chain or food web. For example, a small fish containing 0.5 ppm of a toxic substance will be eaten by a larger fish. The larger fish consumes more than one small fish, causing the toxic substance to accumulate into the body of the larger fish. 3. Overexploitation Overexploitation is the overuse of a species for its economic value and the benefit of humans. It causes species to gradually decrease in number. Threatened species Endangered species Extinction A species whose population A species that is decreasing A species disappears from all size is declining that is in in number or part of its range. It danger of extinction doesn't exist anymore. 4. Introduced species Introduced species, also known as invasive species, are nonnative species that are either intentionally or unintentionally transported to a new habitat. They compete with animals in the new habitat and reproduce quickly. With a lack of a natural predator, they overpopulate. 5. Eutrophication Eutrophication is a process in which water bodies become enriched with minerals, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. This leads to an algae bloom, where algae grow rapidly on top of the water. This growth has two major disadvantages: Blocks sunlight so other organisms cannot reach it  photosynthetic organisms at the bottom of the aquatic food chain die  larger organisms die too Consumption of oxygen  organisms suffocate Conservation biology is a goal-oriented science that seeks to counter the biodiversity crisis. It protects ecosystems and preserves biodiversity, allowing humans to benefit from resources with reduces negative effects on different ecosystems. Natural Resources Materials used by humans and existing without human action Renewable resources Nonrenewable resources Can be replaced quickly Cannot be replaced or take a very long time to be Such as water, air, sunlight, biomas s and replaced geothermal energy Such as coal, oil, natural gas, rocks, soils Conservation can be practiced in many ways to preserve ecosystems. Some of those ways include: Sustainable use Sustainable agriculture, including: Cover crops Contour plowing Controlled grazing Biological pest control Crop rotation Bioremediation Biological Augmentation Sustainable use means using resources at a rate in which they can be replaced or recycled while preserving the long-term environmental health of the biosphere. In other words, it is using only as much of the resources as is needed, not more. Bioremediation is the use of organisms such as plants, prokaryotes, or fungi to detoxify a polluted area. An example is the use of specific types of bacteria to clean up oil spills in the ocean. Biological Augmentation is adding natural predators to a degraded ecosystem. This prevents overpopulation of other species. An example is when ladybugs are introduced into an area to control populations of aphids.