BIODIVERSITY What is biodiversity It is the variety

BIODIVERSITY What is biodiversity? It is the variety of all the different living things and their homes on the planet

BIO DIVERSITY Bio= biological • diversity= the amount organisms of variation -living things! very diverse=very different! Biodiversity: the variation of biological organisms

Biodiversity is the variety or richness of life at all structural levels (molecular/genetic, species, ecosystem). It is an essential renewable resource. The current rate of biodiversity loss is comparable to previous extinction events.

Why do we need Biodiversity? • The natural world is very complex, with many intricate relationships between species and habitats. • We refer to them as food webs and food chains or eco systems. • The plants and animals rely in many ways on those on either side of them.

Biological diversity is important because of the way these relationships can combine to provide yet more variation in the living world. Any human activity that diminishes this 'bio-diversity' could therefore impoverish our own quality of life, reduce the resources available to us and ultimately jeopardize the survival of our descendants.

WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT? Biodiversity provides us with: Ø Natural Resources (food, water, wood, energy, and medicines) Ø Natural (Ecosystem) Services including: air and water purification, soil fertility, waste disposal, pest control Ø Aesthetic pleasure

WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT? An Earth rich in wildlife is a sign that it is a healthy planet for us to live on too When we pollute the air, water and soil, we risk destroying biodiversity

WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT? Trees make oxygen for us to breath. Plants need insects for pollination. Animals and birds need to eat plants. Some animals need to eat the animals that eat the plants! But most importantly everything we use comes from nature!

Some factors that affect the biodiversity of an area 1. Historical Events Time 2. 3. 4. 5. Habitat conditions Habitat structure Climate stability Competition Predators Keystone species 6. Disturbance

“The decline of Earth’s biodiversity is an unintended consequence of multiple factors that have been enhanced by human activity. They can be summarized by the acronym HIPPO, with the order of the letters corresponding to their rank in destructiveness. ” H Habitat loss, including that caused by human-induced climate change. I Invasive species (harmful aliens, including predators, diseases, and competitors that displace native species P Pollution P Population, Human overpopulation to be exact, a root cause of the other four factors O Overharvesting, Overuse (hunting, fishing, gathering)

Habitat loss/destruction http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Lacanja_burn. JPG Habitat loss is the greatest reason for biodiversity loss. Habitat loss is due to: • Conversion of natural areas to farms, houses, etc • Fragmentation of ecosystems by human activities, housing, transportation, agriculture etc. • Simplification of genetic diversity and complex ecosystems by planting/selecting monocultures.

Tropical forests are so important because they harbor at least 50%, and perhaps more, of world's biodiversity Direct observations, reinforced by satellite data, documents that these forests are declining. Half of our tropical rain forests are GONE!! Loss is ~ 2% annually

Invasive / Exotic Species With our help, species have the ability to get virtually anywhere in the world Invasive, exotic species introduced from elsewhere outcompete native species because they: Have no natural predators Colonize & reproduce quickly Carry parasites & disease Compete with native species http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Kudzu_on_trees_in_Atlanta, _Georgia. jpg

Invasive species • Burmese pythons are large snakes native to Asia — over the past 11 years, however, they have been found in the wild in South Florida in great numbers and are known to be reproducing as well. These pythons either escaped from or were released by their owners. • Burmese pythons pose a risk to the ecosystems and the animals that live in them, including many including threatened and endangered species.

Lionfish In less than a decade, the Indo-Pacific lionfish has become widely established along the Southeast U. S. and Caribbean. Lionfish are presently invading the Gulf of Mexico and South America. Recent estimates of lionfish densities indicate that lionfish have surpassed some native species with the highest estimates reporting over 1, 000 lionfish per acre in some locations. Compete with native species Monopolize food sources

Pollution (Oil spills, human agricultural waste, fertilization, pesticides, acid deposition, greenhouse gases etc) caused by human activities has a negative effect on biodiversity http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Alfed. Palmersmokestacks. jpg

Threats to Biodiversity Toxic chemicals (PCB’s and dioxins) accumulate in fatty tissues

Population, Human overpopulation that is. 7 Billion and counting. The expansion of human population and affluence, especially in the developing world harms natural ecosystems. http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: World_population. svg

Overharvesting, Overuse, Overexploitation Overhunting, overfishing, destructive harvesting practices (poison, dynamite), illegal trade, exotic pet industry http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Fishing_down_the_food_web. jpg

At $16, 000 per pound, and $40, 000 to $100, 000 per horn, it is little wonder that some rhino species are down to only a few thousand individuals, with only a slim hope of survival in the wild

The Blobfish The poor blobfish has the distinction of being far too easy a target for such an unimaginative name. Despite sporting a most unusual look, the blobfish is in danger of extinction due to deep sea commercial fishing and the blobfish’s inherent lack of defense mechanisms. The blobfish dwells at depths of 800 meters or more, and its body is comprised of a gelatinous mass slightly less dense than seawater, allowing it to hover just above the seafloor, ingesting food as it drifts by.

Exotic animal black market The international animal trade is thriving, and smugglers are illegally hunting, buying and selling species ranging from Tigers to Turtles. Depending on the species, the animals are sold either alive or dead. Buyers are looking for strange animals for a plethora of reasons. Some seek exotic animals, such as big cats and rare parrots, for pets. Others believe that certain animal parts have medicinal properties.

Dodo’s & Calvaria Tree The seeds of the tree Calvaria major (also called the dodo tree), now found exclusively on the island of Mauritius (in Indian ocean), must pass through the abrasive gut of a large animal in order to germinate. *seed is similar to a peach seed* None of the animals currently on Mauritius have that ability. The dodo was hunted to extinction in the late 17 th century. It was probably was the bird that was able to break the seed coat down in its gut. Some seeds, abraded, roughened, and excreted by dodos, germinated and grew. Today, no seeds germinate, and only 13 old trees now survive. Recently discovered that some species of turkeys can break the seed coat apart & the tree is making a recovery

Humans The blackfooted ferret was once very abundant in the western prairies. It preyed upon prairie dogs and used their burrows to nest in. Poisoning of prairie dogs (considered a pest) has greatly reduced their abundance, and the blackfooted ferret is now the rarest mammal in North America

Other threats to biodiversity Climate Change Climate changes have been a cause of previous mass extinctions Couple this with lower abundance, invasive species and other problems, a severe impact is likely from climate change Climate change will also trigger additional biological responses (e. g. malaria in temperate places)

indirect impacts Another problem is the removal of top predators, which may cause the ‘ecological release’ of mesopredators

Threats to Biodiversity “Snowballing” effect of the invasion of the alien root pathogen

Threats to Biodiversity “Snowballing” effect of the invasion of the alien root pathogen Indirect effects

Characteristics shared by many endangered species include: • Low reproductive rate • Large body size • Specialist Specialized feeding habits Specialized nesting and/or breeding areas Fixed migratory patterns Found in one place or region • Rare • Commercially valuable • Negative human interactions including attacks on people or livestock

Most experts estimate the world's species diversity at 10 to 30 million, but that is very approximate. Only 1. 4 million species are "known to science" -- meaning that they have been classified by a specialist.

The frilled shark is a unique animal, looking almost nothing like the sharks we are familiar with today. That is because the frilled shark is the only type of this ancient species left on Earth today. It has some resemblance to the characteristic head features of a shark, but its body descends into a shape like that of an eel, and scientists know very little about it. It can dwell in depths anywhere from 50 -1500 meters, and preys on other shark species, squid, and deep sea fish.

Global distribution Biological diversity is greatest near the equator, and declines towards higher latitudes. Tropical rain forests are especially known for their exceptional diversity. Some locations known as "hotspots" harbor an unusually rich local diversity, perhaps because conditions favor evolutionary diversification.

Group Number of Described Species Bacteria and blue-green algae 4, 760 Fungi Algae 46, 983 26, 900 Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) Gymnosperms (conifers) Angiosperms (flowering plants) Protozoans Sponges Corals and Jellyfish Roundworms and earthworms Crustaceans Insects Other Arthropods and minor invertebrates Mollusks Starfish Fishes (teleosts) Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals Total 17, 000 750 250, 000 30, 800 5, 000 9, 000 24, 000 38, 000 751, 000 132, 461 50, 000 6, 100 19, 056 4, 184 6, 300 9, 198 4, 170 1, 435, 662

Important Laws Protecting Biodiversity Lacey Act (1900) forbids interstate commerce of illegally killed wildlife. Modifications of act prevent importing dangerous non-native species. Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 makes it illegal to kill, trap, uproot (plants), modify the habitat of, or engage in commerce of an endangered species or its parts. To designate a species as endangered or threatened, Fish and Wildlife Service or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must: • List species • Designate critical habitat areas where species is found • Develop a recovery plan to help species survive and thrive

The rich variety of the natural world that Charles Darwin memorably imagined as an "entangled bank", and that E. O. Wilson labeled "biodiversity", is in crisis. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calculates that one-fifth of mammals and nearly one -third of amphibians are threatened with extinction. Some estimate that only half of the species alive today will survive to 2100. Others describe the pace of biodiversity loss as 100 times the rate of natural extinctions. Less-diverse ecosystems are less productive, less stable and less robust. So loss of biodiversity may weaken ecosystems and make them more fragile, especially in the face of climate change, with grave consequences for food security, among other things. Sara Abdulla, Chief Commissioning Editor, Nature March 2010

Current Patterns of Global Endangerment Best data on global endangerment are collated in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www. redlist. org) All species placed into one of 9 categories (3 primary categories: Critically Endangered, Vulnerable) To date, only 2. 5% of species evaluated (and 41% considered endangered)

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment…the US Proportion of sp threatened in US

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment Threatened species in other countries Unfortunately, many countries lack solid data on what and how many species are actually in trouble Some countries have a high proportion of the flora and fauna at risk E. g. Madagascar 80% of plants and 30% of vertebrates

Madagascar It broke away from the Gondwana supercontinent more than 160 million years ago. Over the course of time, the isolation of Madagascar allowed for the evolution of unique plants and animals. The country’s geographic seclusion has resulted in one of the most biodiverse nations on the planet, but it is also currently one of the most endangered.

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment What types of species are most vulnerable? Through studies, we have determined there are ‘suites’ of characteristics that make some sp more vulnerable E. g. large range requirements, narrow habitat range, rarity, low reproductive rate, extreme specialization or co-evolutionary dependencies

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment Top carnivores with low densities, large ranges, large body size, are often cited as being vulnerable to habitat degradation, as well as overexploitation For marine animals, body size itself does not appear to be a problem, but is associated with another… low reproductive rate

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment vent sp big cats raptors Island sp bats seabirds

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment At the other end of the economic spectrum, billions live in poverty 1 B < $1/day 2. 7 B < $2/day As a result, unsustainable levels of burning, smallscale agriculture, grazing and bushmeat hunting occur wherever these practices help people survive

Deforestation Although deforestation meets some human needs, it also has profound, sometimes devastating, consequences, including social conflict, extinction of plants and animals, and climate change— challenges that aren’t just local, but global

When an area is completely deforested for farming, the farmer typically burns the trees and vegetation to create a fertilizing layer of ash. After this slash-and-burn deforestation, the nutrient reservoir is lost, flooding and erosion rates are high, and soils often become unable to support crops in just a few years. If the area is then turned into cattle pasture, the ground may become compacted as well, slowing down or preventing forest recovery.

Consequences of the unsustainable and illegal commercial trade in wildlife species known as the bushmeat trade include biodiversity loss, compromised ecosystem services, and increased incidents of zoonotic diseases

Current Pattern of Global Endangerment Solutions will include: Establishing protected areas Targeted interventions at the genetic, species, and ecosystems levels Restoration of damaged ecosystems Recovery of endangered species Creation of sustainable forms of development

The worst thing that can happen…. is not energy depletion, economic collapse, limited nuclear war, or conquest by a totalitarian government. As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired within a few generations. The one process ongoing … that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly that our descendents are least likely to forgive us. - E. O. Wilson, 1985

Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, shall they be saved. ” ~ Jane Goodall