BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

1
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
2
Biodiversity

• The variety of life in an area
• Important because all organisms depend on each
  other!
• Food webs
• Medicine
• Food sources
• CO2/O2

3
Threats to Biodiversity

• Habitat Destruction
• Definition Destruction or removal of the habitat
• Examples clear cutting in rainforest, coral reef
  bleaching
• Why its Bad Biggest threat to biodiversity

4
Threats to Biodiversity Habitat Destruction
5
Threats to Biodiversity

• Habitat Fragmentation
• Definition Division of habitats
• Examples roads, subdivisions
• Why its Bad larger predators need territories,
  migration routes are altered, organisms isolated

6
Threats to Biodiversity Habitat Fragmentation
7
Threats to Biodiversity

• Habitat Degradation
• Definition Damage to the habitat by pollution
• Examples Air, water, land pollution
• Why its bad Destroys the environment!

8
Threats to Biodiversity Pollution
9
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 its bad Typically lack competition AND
  predatorsno way to keep populations in check!

10
Threats to Biodiversity Invasive Species
11
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

12
Loss of Biodiversity Threatened Species
13
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

14
Loss of Biodiversity Endangered Species
15
Environmental Issues Air Pollution

• Caused by
• Increase in green house gasses
• CO2, CFCs, CH4, N2O
• Gasses trap heat within the atmosphere
• Burning of fossil fuels
• Oil, coal, natural gas
• Forest fires, volcano eruptions

16
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
  earths natural temperature fluctuations

17
Environmental Issues Global Warming

• Effects of Global Warming
• Melting ice sheets
• Rising sea level
• Changes to global weather patterns
• Warmer watermore intense hurricanes
• More frequent droughts

18
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

19
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
  cant be depleted or are constantly renewed so
  that they are never used up
• Ex wind, solar power, freshwater, trees

20
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
  nonrenewablefossil fuels
• Fossil Fuels coal, oil, natural gas
• Pressure, heat, and time have converted the
  remains of organisms into oil and natural gas

21
Conservation Biology

• Methods and creates plans 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

22
The Environment Environmental Awareness

• Education
• Cant expect people to care about things they
  dont 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