Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Biodiversity, and Us

Questions What is an ecosystem? What is biodiversity? Why is it important? Should we focus on the preservation of endangered species and not the species ecosystem or vice versa? Why or why not?

Important terms… Ecosystem Endangered Species Biodiversity Niche Alien Species Strategic Habitat Conservation

Endangered Species are… A population of organisms of which are at risk of becoming extinct Species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

A community is… The group of interacting species in any given area

A habitat is… The geographical locations and environmental conditions where a plant or animal species lives

An ecosystem is… Everything that exists in a particular environment An ecosystem includes living things, such as plants and animals, and things that are not living, such as rocks, soil, sunlight, and water. A community and the physical environment in which the community lives The combination of habitats and communities

Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Biodiversity is… In an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals Is a measure of the health of ecosystems The totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region The existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in an environment The degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet Video

Three levels of biodiversity Species diversity Ecosystem diversity Genetic diversity

Why biodiversity is important… Every species has a right to exist Species value of its usefulness, directly or indirectly to humans Insurance policy for economic activity\Provision of environmental services Genetic resources

Why biodiversity is important…

Do we need to really care about every species? Some people don’t think so Who Cares?

Every species has a place and a purpose

Causes of endangered species & biodiversity degradation… Introduction of alien species Overexploitation Habitat conversion Deforestation Urbanization Conversion to agriculture

Habitat conversion has… Eliminated almost 20% of Earth’s forests Altered 8% of Earth’s grasslands Increased croplands by 500%

So who is responsible Humans are

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) Instead of species-by-species management HCP are a more effective ecosystem approach They are a long-term management plan for the conservation and protection of species and their habitats on Wildlife Areas.  

We are responsible! We can help! Ultimately… We are responsible! We can help!

One last thought… If we only protect endangered species instead of preserving ecosystems, who will protect humans once the entire world’s ecosystem has been destroyed

Resources Biodiversitya-z.org Environmental Science Eswr.com Fws.gov Globalchange.umich.edu Kidsplanet.org Student.calumet.purdue.edu Wikipedia.org