Biodiversity Flashcards
Biodiveristy
Totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a given area
Three dimensions of biodiversity
Genetic, species and ecosystem diversity
Global factors affecting biodiversity
size, history, isolation and altitudinal range
Regional factors affecting biodiversity
Productivity, habitat architecture and habitat heterogeneity
Local factors affecting biodiversity
succession, interaction of species, disturbances and dispersal
Human factors affecting biodiversity
land use/clearance, species introduction, climate change, population growth and science advancement
Global distribution of biodivesity
Strongly correlated with latitude, highest levels generally occurring in tropical countries. But some anomalies such as Australia
Hotspot
An area containing a huge number of species a large percentage of which are endemic. Cover less than 2% but contain 44% of worlds species
Hotspot categories
Continental, large island and small island
Value of ecosystems
Goods such as timber
Regulating services such as carbon sinks
Cultural services
Supporting services like nutrient cycling
Distribution of threatened areas
Over time, species have become extinct due to climate change, catastrophic events, predation, disease and competition with other species. Various ways of auditing threatened ecosystems; economic scorecard, ecological footprint and millennium ecosystem assessment
Factors that threaten biodiversity
population growth, inequality in ownership and management, legal systems that promote unsustainable exploitation and lack of knowledge for management
Global factors threatening climate change
Climate change, deforestation and pollution
Local factors threatening climate change
Habitat change, recreational use and mineral exploitation
Disruption of ecosystems processes
Two processes are fundamental to ecosystem functioning. Energy flows which is affected by hunting or dietary changes and nutrient cycling which is affected by deforestation soil degradation
Alien species
enhanced survival rate due to lack of predators and not susceptible to diseases so are hard to control
Nutrient Overload
Excess nutrients in water increase growth of water plants, this blocks light. Zooplankton feed on the alga but as large plants die fish take to eating more zooplankton so algae builds up which uses up waters oxygen killing plants and animals
Economic development and ecosystem degradation
Less development means near pristine systems, maximum industrial development lowers biodiversity but possible improvement from conservation strategies of developed countries. But a lot more complex than that
Sustainable yield
The safe level of harvest that can be obtained without harming the individual ecosystem
Measures of sustainable yield
Maximum sustainable yield and optimum sustainable
Key players in Biodiversity
individuals, NGO’s, governments, scientists, TNC’s…
Global Players
RAMSAR, world heritage convention, CITES
World bank, WTO. Range of NGO’s like WWF
Total protection strategy
areas are fenced of from outside impacts
Biosphere reserves
Ideas of creating large reserves connected by open corridors
Restoration
Restoring highly degraded ecosystems, such as recreating wetlands
Conservation
Ex situ conservation, captive breeding and release schemes
Biodiversity futures
only 12% of earths land surface is designated as needing protection, shortage of funding, protected areas are unevenly distributed. Just because somewhere is declared protected doesn’t guarantee success
MEA’s 4 scenarios
Global orchestration, order from strength, adapting mosaic and techno garden
