Global Biodiversity

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Global Biodiversity

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What is Biodiversity? Well get to that, but
first. . . .

• Lets take a step back in time.

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Whatever Happened to HIM??
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. . . or Them ???
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Almost all dinosaurs became extinct. But why?
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Does anyone really know?It was 65 million years
ago!!!!!
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Could it have been natural extinction?
Natural extinction happens when a species fails
to adapt to the environment (or changes in the
environment) as efficiently as other species and
eventually dies off.
May have played a role, but scientists think
there was a more dramatic contributing cause . .
.
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Thought to Be Global Climate Change of Unknown
Cause (External or Internal Sudden or Gradual)
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Mass Extinction

• When more than 50 (half) of all known, living
  species become extinct in a short period of time
  (less than 2 million years)

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Is this just irrelevant ancient history?
NO! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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Why its relevant

• The mass extinction involving the dinosaurs was
  only one in a series of known mass extinctions.
  There have been others. Some scientists think we
  are on the verge of yet another in our lifetimes.

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Tiger
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Elephant
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Manatee
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Bald Eagle
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Northern Wild Monkshood
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Dwarf Lake Iris
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Hungerfords Crawling Water Beetle
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Karner Blue Butterfly
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What do these species have in common with
dinosaurs?
They, too could become EXTINCT!
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Species

• Group of organisms capable of interbreeding
  (reproducing) with each other but not with other
  groups.

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Species at Risk2 types

• Endangered Species Species that are at risk
  of becoming extinct in the near future throughout
  much or all of their habitat range.
• Threatened Species Species that are at risk
  but not yet in as much danger as endangered
  species. They are likely to become endangered in
  the near future.

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Notes About Endangered and Threatened Species

• NOT JUST ANIMAL SPECIES! Includes plant and
  insect species as well.
• Worldwide, there are at least 1832 endangered or
  threatened species. And thats just the official
  list!
• Over 1,000 are found in the United States.
• About half the counties in the U.S. contain
  endangered or threatened species.

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Whats the connection between endangered species
and biodiversity?
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Biodiversity is

• Variety among all levels of life on Earth. The
  two main levels for thinking about biodiversity
  are the species level and the ecosystems level.
• Well discuss the current threats to biodiversity
  by first looking at species, then well discuss
  ecosystems. The same threats affect both levels
  of biodiversity.

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(Among other things) WE DO!!
What threatens biodiversity today?
Human civilization and economic activity put
pressure on aspects of biodiversity. The present
rate of extinction is believed to be much higher
than can be explained totally by natural causes.
We must be careful to balance our needs with
those of other species.
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Three major human-related threats to biodiversity

• Trade (and illegal poaching)
• Development/ Loss of Habitat
• Pollution

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Threat One Trade

• What is trade? Trade is traffic in goods, such
  as by gift, barter (swapping), or sale.
• People all over the world engage in trade, on the
  local, national, or global level.
• Sometimes when species are taken from the wild or
  from other settings to be traded, we refer to
  this as harvesting the species.

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How do harvesting and trade affect species?

• Some species are hunted for their meat, their
  fur, or other parts of their body (such as
  elephants for their ivory). Some are sought as
  pets. Some of this trade is legal, but some is
  illegal (poaching).
• If too many species are hunted or harvested too
  quickly, the species population may shrink. Not
  enough young are born to become adults and make
  up for those being harvested.
• Other animals can be indirectly harmed in the
  process of other animals being hunted or
  harvested (such as dolphins caught in tuna nets).
  

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What is Poaching?

• The illegal practice of trespassing on private or
  protected property (such as national parks or
  wildlife preserves) to hunt, fish, or steal game.
• Also includes illegally removing game, fish,
  plants, or parts of animals to trade illegally.
• Illegal hunting is a major problem for certain
  wildlife populations around the world. In some
  areas poaching is devastating wildlife and its
  ecosystems.

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Elephant poaching is a problem in many countries.
They are hunted mainly for their ivory tusks.
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In some countries, such as India, tigers are
poached for their skins, bones, and claws. These
poachers were caught by Indian authorities.
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Why poach?

• As species become more and more endangered, each
  remaining specimen becomes more and more
  valuable. Some people are willing to pay a lot
  of money to get rare goods associated with these
  species. This creates an incentive for people to
  hunt, or take the species, even though they are
  protected by law. The poachers want to make
  money from this, which usually is more than they
  could make at other jobs.

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Regulating Poaching

• Many individual countries have enacted specific
  laws outlawing poaching of various species and
  their products.
• Some international laws have also been put in
  place to outlaw trade in endangered species.
• But the behavior is difficult to control. Sale
  of poached goods provides income for the
  poachers, who do not want to stop.

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Some plants are illegally traded too!

• Agarwood, the fragrant wood produced by a
  species of the Asian Aquilaria tree family, may
  be over-exploited to commercial extinction due
  to over harvesting and illegal trade.
• Ocean plants are also sometimes illegally traded,
  which harms other species in their ecosystems

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Threat Two Development
Development refers to processes that transform
a place to make it suitable for commercial or
residential purposes.
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Development can threaten biodiversity by
Destroying animals habitats Destroying some
animals food sources (such as plants) Bringing
pollution to previously clean areas
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Case Study in Development The Everglades
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Where and what are the Everglades?
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The Everglades is home to a variety of plant and
animal species, such as. . .
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Mangrove trees
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Blue Herons
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Florida Panthers
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Florida Alligators
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How are the species of the Everglades threatened
by development?

• 900 people move to Florida each day
• 39 million people vacation in Florida annually
• 12 million people spend the winter in Florida

And all those people need
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Places to live,.