A4.2 Conservation of Biodiversity Flashcards
what is biodiversity
means the total number of different species living in a defined area or ecosystem
ecosystem diversity
the range of different habitats or number of ecological niches per unit area in an ecosystem
species diversity
the variety of species per unit area
includes the number of species present and their relative abundance
genetic diversity
the range of genetic material present in a gene pool or population of a species
richness
term that refers to the number of species in an area
evenness
refs to the relative abundance of each species
community with high evenness means what
similar abundance of all species, suggests complex ecosystem with many niches that support many species
low evenness suggests what
there is a handful of species dominating
simpsons reciprocal index
can be used to describe and compare communities
what should be considered when comparing communities
low diversity could indicate pollution, eutrophication or recent colonization of a site
number of species in an area is often indicative of general patterns of biodiversity
what is the estimation of numebr of species on earth
around 9 million in total
radiometric data
is able to show the age of fossils by measuring the amount of naturally occuring radioactive substances such as carbon 14
steps that a fossil undergoes
petrifiation - organic matter of the dead organisms replaced by mineral ions
organic matter decays, leaves a mould filled by mineral matter
impression is made and then preserved
anthropogenic
causes of species of extinction caused by humans
what were the north island giant moas
species of flightless birds found in new zealand
how did the north island giant moas go extinct
maori arrived in 1280 and they were hunted for food.
extinct by 1500
their habitats/forests were also cleared for farming
the effects of the extinction of giant moas
they were large so played a major role in shaping the structure and composition of vegetation communities
their extinction of moa could have affected new zealand’s ecosystems through altering vegetations composition and structure
caribbean monk seals
declared extinct in 2008
widespread distribution through seas of mexico, caribbean, atlantic etc
first seal to become extinct because of human causes
how did caribbean monk seals go extinct
hunted for fur, meat, blubber, display
overfishing activites also disrupted their prey
they were easy to kill because of tame behaviour
effect of caribbean monk seals going extinct
top predator so extinction meant some species of fish expanded at the expense of others, significantly altering the biodiversity of the areas where the seal had been found
falkland island wolf
was the only native land mammalof the falkland islands
their diet consisted of birds, grubs, insects and seashore scavenging
why did falkland island wolf go extinct
they were considered a threat to the settlers sheep
huge scale operation of poisoning and shooting with the aim of extinction
successfully removed the top predator of the islands
ecosystem
a community of organisms and their surroundings the environment in which they live and which they interact
community
a group of different species living in an area
they form an ecosystem by its interactions with non living environment
why are tropical rainforests an area of high biodiversity and richness
constant warm temperatures, high sunlight and high rainfall of rainforests leads to high levels of photosynthesis and high productivity. this leads to high amount of bio matter and food, leading to ecosystem complexity, abundant resources and niches
causes of deforestation and degradation
caused by demands for wood , land and plantation crops
why are rainforests quite vulnerable to disturbance
grow on thin and easily eroded soil which clears when the forest has been cleared making it hard to reestablish a forest cover
dipterocarp trees and their removal
found in south east asia
large areas been cleared to grow oil palms for palm oil
once removed, nutrient recycling also lost and addition of fertilizers has negative environmental impacts
the great barrier reef
important part of australian culture and popular tourist destination
they are quite diverse with many species of fish, coral etc
how is the great barrier reef being damaged
damaged by boats, overfishing, fertilizer run off, sewage and pollution, climate change and sedimentation
habitat of many species are being damaged by humasn and can cause reduction in population numbers
citizen science
scientific research is carred out by amateur scientists
four common features of citizen science
anyone can participate
participants use same protocol so data can be combined
data can help professional scientists
wide community provides data which anyone can access
what is the outcome of citizen science
large quantities of data are collected which could not be done by scientists alone
how has population growth put pressure on earth
exponential growth of humans means more resources are needed, causing biodiversity loss, pollution and invasive species being spread
why are rainforests vulnerable to exploitation
provide optimal conditions for farming and rich in natural resources so highly sought after
agriculture leads to destruction of native habitats and replacement with monocultures, causing loss of diversity
how does pollution affect habitats and animals
leads to loss of life and reduction in number of species
humans also spread disease of which small population are prone to being affected by disease due to reduced gene pool
what are lionfish and why are they invasive
very venomous and aggressive marine fish. they expanded into atlantic oceans where they were never seen before and have been able to rapidly multiply due to lack of competition
unable to be eaten by predators and species are forced to move away into new habitats
water hyacinths as an invasive species
introduced to USA from south america
gorws rapidly forming dense mats across water surfaces. this reduces algae and other such food for fish and other wildlife
destroy waterways, reproduce very quickly and crowd out native species
what does conservation aim to do
aims to slwo the rate of extinction caused by the knock on effects of unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and to maintain biotic interactions between species
in situ conservation
the conservation of species in their natural habitat
what does in situ conservation require
active management
vital habitat
create community support for the area
receive adequate funding
relevant research and monitoring
protected by legislation
have policing and guarding policies
site has economic value
what needs consideration when planning nature reserves
biogeographic factors affect species diversity and need to be considered
what do nature reserves that are better for conservation have
large to support great range of habitats and higher population numbers of each species
low perimeter to reduce edge effects
if area is divided, fragmented areas need to be in close proximity to allow animals and plants to move
rewilding
aims to restore ecosystems and reverse declines in biodiversity by allowing wildlife and natural processes to reclaim areas no longer under human management
form of environmental conservation that increase biodiversity in an area
three main principles of rewilding
core habitat areas that support biodiversity are established
connectivity
carnivores to maintain ecological balnce
benefits of rewilding
increase storage of carbon from atmosphere
helping wildlife adapt to climate change
reversing biodiversity loss
supporting economic opportunties for local people
improving health and well beinge
ex situ conservation
preservation of species outside their natural habitats , such as in zoos
what is the purpose of germ plasm conservation
most successful method to conserve the genetic characteristics of endangered and commercially valuable species is
how was the golden lion tamarin saved
was criticially endangered because their habitat had mostly been lost and was thought to carry some human diseases
captive breeding programs have increased number allowing them o be released into the wild. attempts at preserving forest also made
how has the bengal tiger been saved
was under threat from habitat loss and poaching
reserves have been established all over india along with captive breeding to help maintain genetic diverstiy and genetic integrity
phylogenetic diversity
an important aspect of biodiversity which measures the evolutionary history represented by a set of specieswha
what are EDGE species
represent the opportunity to stop the loss of phylogenetic diversity
