1. Biodiversity Ch. 10 Notes

2. Definition: Biodiversity Bio = life Diversity = variety  Variety of species in an area  However, many species are unknown to humans  Deep oceans, jungles, volcanoes

3. Levels of Diversity  3 types:  1.) Species diversity  Variety of species  2.) Ecosystem diversity  Variety of habitats  3.) Genetic Diversity  Variety of genes

4. Genetic Diversity  Variety of genes and traits  A few will survive new / changing conditions  Evolution: some traits will be “best” and passed on  Helps with survival

5. Species Diversity  Number of different species, and their abundance  Fills and replaces niches  Greatest at the equator, decreasing toward the poles

6. Ecosystem Diversity  Variety of ecosystems / biomes / habitats  Different conditions support different species  Allow for different tolerances

7. Benefits of Biodiversity 1. Ecosystem stability  Replacements / alternatives  Keystone species show the importance of stability  Ex.) Kelp in the Pacific Ocean 2. Species Survival  Prevent a bottleneck and losing genes 3. Economic value  Harvest / use  Use “best” individual or trait (Table 1) Pg. 243 4. Aesthetic value/Ethical Value  It’s “nice” or it’s the “right” thing to do  Ecotourism is a big part of this 5. Scientific value

8. Biodiversity at Risk: 10.2 Extinction  2 Types:  1.) Background extinction  Slow, gradual  More common in small habitats and islands  2.) Mass extinction  Lots of species in a short time  Due to major disasters, continental drift, climate change

9. Extinction  Occur occasionally  444 mya, 360 mya, 251 mya, 200 mya, 65 mya  One may be occurring now  Extinction rate is 1,000 times greater than normal

10. Species Prone to Extinction:  Rats are not likely to go extinct…why?  2 types prone to extinction:  1.) Endangered : likely to become extinct if nothing is done  2.) Threatened : likely to become endangered if no measures are taken  Table 3, Pg. 246

11. Factors that Threaten Biodiversity  1.) Overexploitation  Too much use  Usually Value  Ex.) The Lorax  Over hunting as well  Poaching : illegal hunting of  Even though illegal many reasons why it still happens

12. Continued…  2.) Habitat Loss :  Destruction  Cleared for farms or houses  Disruption  Organism removed  Food web interrupted / lost

13. Continued…  3.) Habitat Fragmentation  Broken into “islands”  Creates many edges that can be hard to live in

14. Continued…  4.) Pollution :  Toxins  Can affect all organisms  Often magnified as you move up the food chain  Ex.) DDT -illegal here not illegal in other countries

15. Pollution Continued…  Acid rain  Dissolves nutrients out of soil  Eutrophication  Fertilizers drain into water and help algae take over

16. Continued…  5.) Introduced Species :  Prey on, or out-compete, many existing species  Ex.) Zebra mussels, kudzu (U.S.)  Almost ~40% of all extinctions since 1750 have come from introduced species

17. Areas of Concern  Hot spots (Pg. 250)  Special protections due to lots of biodiversity  Many endemic species found only there (Jungles)  Rainforests, coral reefs, Islands  Why?

18. Protecting Biodiversity: 10.3  Protected areas  Parks, preserves, zoos  Captive-breeding programs:  Breeding-in captivity  Ex.) California Condor  9 left now over 160  Preserving Genetic Material:  Germ-plasm : genetic material  Used for future animal survival

19. Legal Protections for Species:  US laws:  1973: Endangered Species act  (Tb. 4, Pg. 255)  2002 : 983 species were on endangered species list  4 different provisions:  We will talk about each

20. Endangered Species act  1.)US fish and wildlife Service:  Must compile a list of endangered species  2.) Endangered species may not be caught or killed  No selling or trading any part of an endangered species  3.) Federal Gov’t cannot carry out a project that jeopardizes endangered animals  4.) Must prepare a species recovery plan

21. International Cooperation:  International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)  Collaboration of many groups  Publish red list of endangered species

22. Private Conservation Efforts:  1.) World Wildlife Fund  Sustainable use  2.) Nature Conservancy  Protect and buy habitat  3.) Conservation International  Identify hotspots  4.) Greenpeace International  Organize confrontational activities

23. How do they help?  International Trade and Poaching:  CITES Treaty :  Introduced to stop slaughter of elephants  Banned sale and trade of ivory saving elephants from extinction  Earth summit: 1992 in Rio de Janeiro  100 world leaders, 30,000 occupants  Biodiversity treaty : preserve biodiversity and sustain the fair use of genetic resources

24. Restoring Biodiversity  Bioremediation  Use living things to clean up pollution  Bacteria, fungi  Ex.) Oil spills, mine contamination  Bioaugmentation  Adding predators to limit one population  Opens up the habitat for other species  Ex.) Ladybugs/ Aphids