11. How do we know that we are facing a biodiversity crisis? Flashcards
what does IUCN tell us
tell us which species are going extinct
red list tells you which species is at risk
what are 2 UN led intiatives
IPBES - biodiversity crisis
IPCC- climate crisis
indicators of biodiversity decline
( most obvious )
higher vertebrate extincion, tracked by IUCN
which taxonomic group in IUCN has decreased so dramatically
Corals
do non assesed species have same threatened rate as the ones assessed
yes we assume so
which type of plants are most threatened
cycads
what types of invertebrates are most threatened
warm water reef forming corals
which mammals are most threatened
Sharks, amphibians and mammals
which species are most critically endangered
cycads
amphibians
conifers
mammals
cycads
ancient group of gymnosperms
living fossil from long time ago
distribution of red-listed species
MOST AT RISK SPECIES are at biodiverse places
central Asia is high
at areas where there are less resources put for conservation
overfishing and by-catch
human impact and biodiversity locations
where human activity is more, diversity is more threatened
agro-biodiversity
most domesticated animals bred fro specific traits, uniqueness is being lost
why is agro biodivesrity at risk
less animal breeds being maintained
lots at risk of extinction due to local adaptations
how many percnt of all breeds are endangered or more severe
17%
which breeds are most at risk because of agro biodiversity
rabbits
alpacas
llamas
geese
chicken
pigeons
why are crop wild relatives also at risk
hotpsots are at risk as it jeopardizes genetic diversity that could be used to develop new varieties
hotspots are in arab countries and europe
what is a crop that is importaant but has low prioirty
wheat
which crops should we be most concerned about
rice and maize
other declines in nature
natural ecosystem decline
species extinction risk
abundance of naturally presenting species have declined, not introduced by people
bigger animals are fewer
indigenous communities have deterioration of elements of nature
has earth seen rapid loss of biodivserity before
yes 5 mass extinctions
due to CO2 implications
What are the 5 events that caused biodiversity loss in the past
ordovician event
devonian event
permian event
triassic event
cretaceous event
most species were lost in which event in past
Permian event
what are some hypothesized causes of these events
glacial episodes
mountain formation
CO2 sequestered
global cooling then warming
volcano eruptions
asteroid impact
75% threshold for many taxa and it has only been
500 years
we currently are in our…
6th mass exticntion
based on threshold hit
indiret drivers of biodiversity decline
anthropogenic mainly
demographic
sociocultura
economic
technological
governance
conflicts
epidermics
direct drivers ofo biodiversity decline
actual causes of decline
land use change
exploitation
climate change
pollution
invasive alien species
primary factor causing biodiversity decline on land is
human driven land use change
most important driver of biodiversity decline in marine systems
exploitation such as overfishing
are land and sea still pristine (in original state)
no, mainly due to anthropogenic reasons
what are the 2 main drivers of natural ecosystem decline dependent on habitat
climate change
sea and land use change
climate change is most obvious in which habitats
polar and alpine (tundra)
land use change example
clearing of tropical forests is huge factor
do protected areas represent significant wilderness
no
protected areas are an example of
driver of biodiversity loss
are major rivers of the world free flowing
no
most remainting long free flowing rivers are in the
arctic
or in rivers too large to be devleoped
what impacts river connectivity
fish harvesting
loss of flow
connectivity disturbed
making dams
irrigation systems
least flow rivers are in
northern africa
most floow rivers are in
north america
russia
south america
how does population and economics affect biodivesrity
indirect driver
increased consumption
higher GDP
higher global trade
how does nature’s material contribution demand affect biodiversity
25% of biomass is extracted and used
extraction of living materials increased
what is the most extracted resource from nature
non metallic minerals like stones and salt and rocks for construction
biomass is second, food and crops residues
higher income countries vs lower income countries on biodiversity loss
footprint oof high income countries exported to middle and lower income countries, increasing extraction of living materials
richer countries consume most, but extract less because this job left for lower income countries
poorer countries lost biodiversity more but still lower GDP growth
richer countries have gained intactness and gone richer
higher income countries benefitted economically from biodiversity loss in other poorer countries
wealth and biodiversity loss
all indirect drivers except protected areas correlate negatively with biodiversity
less space per person is associated with better or worse biodiversity
better
