Reading in Textbook: Chapter 10 Unit 2B- Biodiversity Reading in Textbook: Chapter 10

Biodiversity the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biosphere: All Life on Earth Biodiversity: short for biological diversity – usually this term is used to refers to the variety of different species in a given area

What kinds of biodiversity are out there?

Insects…

Fungi…

Arachnids…

Nematodes…

Bacteria…

Plants…

Mollusks…

Algae….

Others…

Protozoans…

Crustaceans…

Vertebrates…

How do we measure biodiversity?

Levels of Biodiversity Species- variety of different organisms Ecosystem- variety of habitats and organisms Genetic- variability within a species (DNA)

Species Diversity Species diversity refers to the measure of diversity in an ecological community. Species diversity takes into consideration species richness, which is the total number of different species in a community. It also takes into account evenness, which is the variation of abundance in individuals per species in a community

Genetic Diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.

Ecosystem Diversity Ecological diversity is a type of biodiversity. It is the variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet.

Why is biodiversity important?

Agriculture…. Components of biodiversity that support ecosystem services upon which agriculture is based. These include a diverse range of organisms that contribute to nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, pollination, pollution and sediment regulation, maintenance of the hydrological cycle, erosion control, and climate regulation and carbon sequestration.

Medicine…Many of our drugs are from the rainforest! Biodiversity plays vital roles in maintaining human and animal health. A wide variety of plants, animals and fungi are used as medicine, essential vitamins, painkillers etc.

Ethical Human domination of Earth's ecosystems is markedly reducing the diversity of species within many habitats worldwide, and is accelerating extinction. Why does the loss of biodiversity matter? It is assumed the survival of humanity itself is ultimately dependent on the ecological integrity of the biosphere and therefore that no special pleading is required for ecosystems or other species in their own right.

Aesthetic

EcoTourism Where nature and $$ co-exist Countries set aside national park land Wealthy people from other countries pay to visit Typically in biodiversity “hotspots” Rainforests, exotic ecosystems End Goals: Host country makes $$ Eco-tourists leave happy Ecosystem remains (relatively) undisturbed

Aesthetic

Aesthetic

Species Survival Bottlenecks and founder effects. Genetic drift can cause big losses of genetic variation for small populations. Population bottlenecks occur when a population's size is reduced for at least one generation.

Stability of Ecosystems

Potential???