Conservation 11.6-11.8 Flashcards

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1
Q

What are human influences on biodiversity?

A
  • deforestation
  • agriculture ( reduces natural fauna and puts monoculture crops)
  • climate change ( Co2 increase, reduces habitats and warms oceans, coral reefs dying)
  • littering and pollution can cause harm to environments
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2
Q

What does deforestation do to biodiversity?

A
  • Reduces population of the species of trees
  • Gets rid of animals habitats so they migrate or die
  • Removes food source for organisms living there
  • Means more CO2 is in the air because fewer trees to take it in.
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3
Q

What does agriculture do to biodiversity?

A

Removes all plants that naturally live there, and plants one type of crop which is a monocultural crop

  • Sometimes deforestation to make room for them
  • Removal of hedgerows also gets rid of species that inhabit the area
  • Herbicides can be used to kill weeds as they compete for sun and nutrients
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4
Q

Statistical evidence of climate change

A
  • Warming trend over the last 50 years
  • Sea level rising
  • Ocean temps rising
  • Mountain glaciers and snow declining
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5
Q

How can climate change affect biodiversity?

A
  • Melting of polar ice caps means extinctions of animals that live there like a polar bear, some may migrate
  • Low lying land will be flooded if sea levels rise, gets rid of habitat for species including people
  • Higher temps in the ocean are destroying coral reefs
  • Higher temps also means species will fail like plants
  • Insect life cycles will also change which means they can go extinct and lose biodiversity
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6
Q

Why should you maintain biodiversity?

A
  • Aesthetic reasons
  • Ethical reasons
  • Social reasons
  • Economic reasons
  • Ecological reasons
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7
Q

What are the aesthetic reasons?

A
  • Presence of plants and animals enriches our lives, helps us relax
  • Patients can recover quicker from illness when supported by the natural environment
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8
Q

What are economic reasons?

A
  • Soil erosion and deforestation reduces crop yield and can affect peoples food
  • Need to conserve resources for things we use like wood, we can’t just exploit it all or we will run out
  • High biodiversity protects against abiotic stresses like natural disasters and extreme weather which could cost a lot to repair damage
  • Areas rich in biodiversity are attractive as travel destinations and can attract tourists
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9
Q

What are ecological reasons?

A
  • All organisms depend on each other to survive, so if one species is harmed, all other species will also be impacted. For example, if bees species declines, the plants won’t be pollinated, they won’t grow, animals won’t have any food to eat, humans won’t be able to eat either. Bees are a keystone species as they have a large effect on an ecosystem
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10
Q

What is in-situ conservation?

A

Conservation within the natural habitat

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11
Q

What is ex-situ conservation?

A

Conservation outside the natural habitat

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12
Q

What are the rankings of preservation for species?

A

Extinct - no species
Extinct in wild- none found in the wild
Endangered - in danger of extinction
Vulnerable - Considered likely to become endangered

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13
Q

What is sustainable development?

A

Providing economic needs for us now without limiting the future generations resources

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14
Q

Give two examples of in-situ conservation?

A
  • Wildlife reserves

- Marine conservation zones

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15
Q

What happens in wildlife reserves?

A
  • Controlled grazing
  • Restricting human access
  • Controlling packing
  • feeding animals
  • reintroducing species
  • removing invasive species
  • halting succession
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16
Q

Give 3 examples of ex-situ conservation?

A
  • Botanic gardens
  • Seed banks
  • Captive breeding programmes
17
Q

What are botanical gardens?

A

They are places where plants can be grown successfully as their optimum conditions are known. Thye are actively managed to make sure they get the right nutrients and soil and also remove pests

18
Q

What are seed banks?

A

This is a store of the genetic material for plants so that new plants may be grown in the future if anything happens to the species and are backups for extinction The seeds are dried and frozen to keep them preserved. Some seeds die during this process such a rainforest seeds

19
Q

What is the captive breeding programme?

A

This is where animals are bred and produce offspring in human controlled environments such as zoos and aquatic centres. They use this so the population can remain stable and healthy before they are reintroduced back into their natural habitat. It provides animals with everything they need to thrive like food and also mates

20
Q

Why may it be hard to maintain biodiversity in these breeding programmes?

A

There may only be a small number of breeding partners available so genetic problems related to interbreeding can occur and therefore embryos or semen from animals in different captive breeding programmes may be brought in.

21
Q

Why may it be difficult to release animals into the wild?

A
  • The animals may have weakened resistance to diseases in the wild
  • Some animals behaviour is different to animals in the wild like animals not knowing how to hunt food
  • The genetic makeup of the animals in captivity may be different from animals of the same species the wild, so interspecific competition can occur
  • They have to make sure the environment can handle the new animals being reintroduced without putting abiotic stress if there isn’t enough food or territory
22
Q

Why do we have conservation agreements?

A

Animals don’t respect countries borders, therefore we come to an international agreement on things to protect the animals and ensure their survival

23
Q

Name 3 conservation agreements

A
  • IUCN
  • the Rio convention
  • The countryside stewardship scheme
24
Q

What is IUCN?

A

The international union of the conservation of nature is an organisation between international governments and once a year they publish a red list with all the endangered and threatened animals. They also were involved in starting CITES.

25
Q

What is CITES?

A

The convention of international trade in endangered species regulates the international trade of wild plants and species, safeguarding them so they are not overexploited

26
Q

What is the Rio convention?

A

This was a meeting in Rio where 172 countries made agreements:

  • The convention of biology diversity requires countries to make plans for strategic development to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity
  • The united nations framework convention of climate change required countries to take steps to decrease greenhouse gas concentration
  • The united nations convention of combat desertification prevents the transformation of fertile land into desert and stops the effects of drought
27
Q

What is the countryside stewardship scheme?

A

This was more local and consisted of payments from the government to farmers to conserve the English landscape and make conservation a part of normal farming. For example:

  • sustaining the beauty and diversity of landscape
  • improving wildlife habitats
  • improving opportunities for countryside enjoyment