Transcript Biodiversity - Lake Station Community Schools

16 June 2010
Biodiversity.ppt
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Biodiversity
• Variety of living things,
number of kinds
• Ecological diversity
– different habitats, niches,
species interactions
• Species diversity
– different kinds of
organisms, relationships
among species
• Genetic diversity
– different genes &
combinations of genes
within populations
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Benefits of Biodiversity
• Ecosystem functions
• 1-Ecosystem services
• Cleaning water,
• Cleaning air,
• Habitat & breeding
areas for wildlife, …
• 2- Aesthetic and
cultural benefits
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Benefits of Biodiversity
• 3- @New food sources@
– Grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish
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Benefits of Biodiversity
• 4- @Medicines@
• Plants
• Jellyfish & sea
anemones
• Nudibranchs
• Marine slugs
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Threats to Biodiversity
• Extinction and population
reductions
– 1- Hunting and overharvesting
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Tiger
Dodo
Whales
Sharks
– Habitat loss
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Threats to Biodiversity
• Extinction and
population reductions
– 2-Pollution
– 3-Climate change
– 4-Invasive species
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Threats to Biodiversity
– Development often
splits ecosystems into
pieces, a process
called habitat
fragmentation, leaving
habitat “islands.”
Threats to Biodiversity
• Island Biogeography
– Everyplace is an island
– 5- @Habitat
fragmentation
• Smaller fragments hold
fewer species@
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Protecting Biodiversity
• How can we protect
biodiversity
– Stop overharvesting
• Sustainable yield
• Hunting & fishing laws
(every state ?)
– in developing nations ?
– Protect habitat
• Refuges, parks, preserves
– Endangered Species Act
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Protecting Biodiversity
• @Ecological “hotspots”
– Protection of habitat@
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What are some benefits to
Biodiversity?
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Medicine
Food
Aesthetic views
Services
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What are some threats to
Biodiversity?
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Hunting
Habitat fragmentation
Pollution
Invasive species
Climate change
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Chapter 6
6.4 Meeting Ecological
Challenges
Ecological Footprint
– The Ecological Footprint describes the total area of
functioning land and water ecosystems needed both to
provide the resources an individual or population uses
and to absorb the wastes that individual or population
generates.
– The per person use of resources in America is almost
twice that in England, more than twice that in Japan,
and almost six times that in China.
Ecology in Action
– @The future of the biosphere depends on our
ecological footprints, global population growth,
and technological development.@
– Ecological research, properly collected,
analyzed, and applied, can help us make
decisions that will produce profoundly positive
effects on the human condition.
Case Study #1: Atmospheric
Ozone
– Between 20 and 50 kilometers above Earth’s surface,
the atmosphere contains a relatively high
concentration of ozone called the ozone layer.
– @By absorbing UV light, the ozone layer serves as a
protective barrier@
Researching the Cause: CFCs
– @In 1974 a research team demonstrated that
gases called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
could damage the ozone layer.@
– CFCs were once widely used as propellants
in aerosol cans; ex: refrigerators, freezers,
and air conditioners; and in the production of
plastic foams.
Changing Behavior: Regulation of CFCs
– Once the research
on CFCs was
published and
accepted by the
scientific community,
the rest was up to
policymakers.
– 191 countries
signed a major
agreement, the
Montreal Protocol,
which stopped most
uses of CFCs.
Case Study #2: Climate
Change
– This increase in average temperature is called global warming
– There is much physical and biological evidence that has
contributed to our current understanding of the climate change
issue.
Physical Evidence
– Between 1906 and
2005, Earth’s average
global temperature rose
0.74°C
Physical Evidence
– Sea level has risen since 1961 at a rate of 1.8 mm each year.
This increase is caused by warmer water expanding and by
melting glaciers, ice caps, and polar ice sheets. Satellite data
confirm that arctic sea ice, glaciers, and snow cover are
decreasing.
Researching the Cause:
Models and Questions
– The IPCC report documents that concentrations of
carbon dioxide and several other greenhouse
gases have increased significantly over the last
200 years. Several kinds of data suggest this
increase is due to the burning of fossil fuels,
combined with the cutting and burning of forests
worldwide.
– @This added carbon dioxide is strengthening the
natural greenhouse effect, causing the biosphere
to retain more heat.@
Possible Effects of Climate
Change
– Some climate changes are likely to threaten
ecosystems ranging from tundra and northern
forests to coral reefs and the Amazon rain
forest.
– Sea levels may rise enough to flood some
coastal ecosystems and human communities.
– Some models suggest that parts of North
America may experience more droughts
during the summer growing season.
Changing Behavior: The
Challenges Ahead
– The changes in behavior needed to cut back
on greenhouse gas emissions will be major
and will require input from economics and
many other fields beyond biology.
– @Some changes will rely on new technology
for renewable energy and more efficient
energy use. @
What is the ozone layer and how
was it being destroyed?
• Protective barrier against UV light
• Was being destroyed by CFCs
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What has been the cause of
climate change?
• Deforestation
• Burning of fossil fuels
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What have we been doing to
change?
• Cutting back on fossil
• Utilizing renewable energy sources
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