Biodiversity The variety of life in an area

Biodiversity • The variety of life in an area • Important because all organisms depend on each other! – Food webs – Medicine – Food sources – CO 2/O 2

Threats to Biodiversity • Habitat Destruction – Definition: Destruction or removal of the habitat – Examples: clear cutting in rainforest, coral reef bleaching – Why it’s Bad: Biggest threat to biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity: Habitat Destruction

Threats to Biodiversity • Habitat Fragmentation – Definition: Division of habitats – Examples: roads, subdivisions – Why it’s Bad: larger predators need territories, migration routes are altered, organisms isolated

Threats to Biodiversity: Habitat Fragmentation

Threats to Biodiversity • Habitat Degradation – Definition: Damage to the habitat by pollution – Examples: Air, water, land pollution – Why it’s bad: Destroys the environment!

Threats to Biodiversity: Pollution

Threats to Biodiversity • Introduced/Invasive Species – Definition: species NOT native to an area – Examples: In GA: KUDZU, zebra mussels, Chinese privet; rabbits and camels in Australia – Why it’s bad: Typically lack competition AND predators—no way to keep populations in check!

Threats to Biodiversity: Invasive Species

Loss of Biodiversity • Threatened Species: – Populations begin rapid decline – In danger of becoming endangered! – Examples: African Elephant, Gopher Tortoise, Tree Frogs in Amazon River Basin, Sea Otter, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Florida Manatee

Loss of Biodiversity: Threatened Species

Loss of Biodiversity • Endangered Species – Population numbers are so low, extinction is possible – Examples: Black Rhino, Giant Panda, Sumatran Tigers, Grizzly Bears, several freshwater mussel species in GA

Loss of Biodiversity: Endangered Species

Environmental Issues: Air Pollution • Caused by – Increase in green house gasses • CO 2, CFCs, CH 4, N 2 O • Gasses trap heat within the atmosphere – Burning of fossil fuels • Oil, coal, natural gas • Forest fires, volcano eruptions

Environmental Issues: Global Warming • Gradual increase in the average global temperatures – Linked to greenhouse gasses in atmosphere – Drastic changes in last 200 years – Some scientists believe that it is a result of increased greenhouse gasses due to burning of fossil fuels – Other scientists believe that it is part of the earth’s natural temperature fluctuations

Environmental Issues: Global Warming • Effects of Global Warming – Melting ice sheets – Rising sea level – Changes to global weather patterns • Warmer water = more intense hurricanes • More frequent droughts

Environmental Issues: Water Pollution • Common sources – Fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture – Runoff from roads, construction sites, unlined landfills, etc – Soil erosion • Fresh water is a very limited resource! – 80% is locked up in polar ice caps – 99. 5% of what is left is unusable

The Environment • Renewable Resources – Resources that can be replaced at the same rate that they are consumed – Renewable resources are either so large that they can’t be depleted or are constantly renewed so that they are never used up – Ex: wind, solar power, freshwater*, trees*

The Environment • Nonrenewable Resources – Resources that are formed at a much slower rate than they are consumed – Most of the energy sources we use today are nonrenewable—fossil fuels – Fossil Fuels: coal, oil, natural gas • Pressure, heat, and time have converted the remains of organisms into oil and natural gas

Conservation Biology • Study of methods to protect biodiversity • Conservation – Protect existing natural areas – Establishment of national parks/wildlife refuges • Restoration – Cleaning and restoring a damaged area • Sustainability – Using areas and resources without damaging them • Reintroduction – Releasing organisms into their natural habitat

The Environment: Environmental Awareness • Education – Can’t expect people to care about things they don’t know about – Ecotourism supports conservation and educates while “entertaining” people • Advocacy – Conservation groups work on local, regional, national, international levels – Organizations like Green Peace, The Nature Conservancy, riverkeeper groups lobby government officials about environmental decisions

The Environment • Humans depend on the environment for food, water, fuel, and many other resources • As our population increases, our need for resources puts more pressure on the environment. • Learning how our actions impact the environment helps us find better ways to take care of the planet so that it can continue to support us and other species.