Transcript Biodiversity is decreasing Humans Causing Harm

DO NOW
Get out Community Interactions HW
1. What is commensalism?
2. How is predation different from
parasitism?
3. E.coli in our stomach helps us break
down the food that we consume. What
type of symbiosis (community
interaction) is this an example of?
Biodiversity
The variety of life in the world,
habitat, or ecosystem
Why is Biodiversity Important?
-
Medicine
Ecological Services – clean water/soil
Economic Services – Food, recreation, materials
Adjust to disturbances
Prevent disease
What is happening to
Biodviersity?
Biodiversity is decreasing
Humans Causing Harm:
Remember CHIPPO
• Climate change
• Habitat destruction, degradation, and
fragmentation
• Invasive (nonnative) species
• Population and resource use growth
• Pollution
• Overexploitation
How are humans causing harm?
Climate Change- higher average
temperatures and melting sea ice
How are humans causing harm?
Habitat loss -  range,  ability to survive
Habitat Fragmentation
Division of large
continuous habitats
into smaller
patches of lower
total area.
Habitat Fragmentation
How are humans causing harm?
Invasive Species (Biotic Pollution)
– Non-native foreign species into ecosystem
– Problems with competition and
predators
– Usually caused by humans
• EX. hyacinth , cane toads, zebra mussel,
kudzu
Some Harmful Nonnative Species
in the United States
Deliberately Introduced Species
Purple loosestrife European starling
African honeybee
(“Killer bee”)
Nutria
Salt cedar
(Tamarisk)
Marine toad (Giant Water hyacinth
toad)
Japanese beetle
Hydrilla
European wild
boar (Feral pig)
Fig. 9-11a, p. 200
Some Harmful Nonnative Species
in the United States
Accidentally Introduced Species
Sea lamprey
(attached to lake
trout)
Argentina fire ant
Brown tree snake
Eurasian ruffe
Common pigeon
(Rock dove)
Formosan termite
Zebra mussel
Asian long-horned
beetle
Asian tiger
mosquito
Gypsy moth
larvae
Fig. 9-11b, p. 200
How are humans causing harm?
Population Growth and increase use of
resources
How are humans causing harm?
Pollution- acid
rain, ozone
depletion, global
warming, chemical
runoff, acid mine
drainage, thermal
pollution
How are humans causing harm?
Overexploitation
– species sometimes threatened due to
deliberate efforts to control
populations (gray wolf, Carolina
parakeet, “pests”) by hunters, gamers,
farmers, ranchers
– unregulated hunting (bison, pigeon)
– poaching (Rhino, tiger, gorillas,
leopards) for value on black market
– commercial harvest ~ collection of live
organisms (pet trade) on black market
Ivory
International trade in wild plants and
animals
•
•
•
•
•
•
Live mountain gorilla ($150,000)
Panda pelt ($100,000)
Chimpanzee ($50,000)
Imperial Amazon Macaw ($30,000)
Rhino horn ($13,000 per pound)
As commercially valuable species become
endangered, the black market demand soars
What Can We Do?
Conservation Biology – investigates how
humans impact organisms & ways to
protect diversity
How can we protect diversity?
1. Habitat Protection – MOST EFFECTIVE
- Conserve entire ecosystems
- Wildlife refuge, sanctuaries, forests
-
1st wildlife refuge = 1903 Pelican Island, FL
- Conserve 10% of total land mass
-
Is this doable????
How can we protect diversity?
2. Restoration
- Returning degraded land to prior state
- regenerates soil, rebuilds communities
- very $$$, time consuming, usually
forced through legislation.
How can we protect diversity?*
3. Zoos/Seed banks
- Deliberate reproduction to save species
- Captive breeding necessary
- Seed storage for conservation of species
How can we protect diversity?
4. Legislation