Transcript Bio Ch 6 Humans in the Biosphere

Biology – Chapter 6
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Our Earth is an ISLAND
Unlimited Resources?
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Resources
Environmental resources classified as either:
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Renewable – resources
that replenish through
natural processes (not
always unlimited)
Nonrenewable –
resources that cannot
replenish by natural
processes
Human activities can affect the quality and
quantity of otherwise renewable resources
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Biodiversity
Biological diversity (biodiversity) is essential for biosphere
survival – allowing the differences in biological systems to
absorb any drastic changes that may happen.
Biodiversity =
the amount of
variation in life
in a given
species,
ecosystem,
biome or planet
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Types of Biodiversity
 Ecosystem diversity – variety of habitats,
communities & ecological processes in the biosphere
 Species diversity – the number of different species in
the biosphere
 Genetic diversity – the total of all the different forms
of all the different organisms in the biosphere
Biodiversity is one of the Earth’s greatest natural
resources – providing us with medicines, building
materials, artistic inspiration and food.
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Threats to Biodiversity
Human activity can be a threat to biodiversity by:
 Changing natural habitats
 Land development, deforestation
 Hunting species to extinction
 Food, “pests”
 Introducing toxic compounds into food
webs
 Pollution, biological magnification
 Introducing foreign species into new
environments
 Invasive
species
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Conserving Biodiversity
Conservation – the
management of natural
resources to preserve
biodiversity for future
generations
Sustainable Development
- A way of using natural
resources for human
needs without depleting
them or causing long term
environmental harm
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Conservation Strategies
Protection of species & ecosystems
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As of the year 2000, more than 35 biodiversity
“hotspots” have been identified
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