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AS Biology (Unit 2: F212) > Conserving biodiversity > Flashcards

Conserving biodiversity Flashcards

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1
Q

What human activities are reducing biodiversity?

A
  • Increase in human activity, greater demand for food and natural resources.
  • Killing for protection, attempts to eliminate a vector of disease/pest/predator to livestock.
  • Hunting/poaching, for food or other precious animal products.
  • Pollution/pesticides.
  • Habitat destruction, clearing habitats for development/agriculture (e.g. deforestation).
  • Introduction of alien species which is either a new predator or new competitor.
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2
Q

Why do we need to conserving species?

A

We often depend on aspects of nature, whether it be for food or designing new machines. The answer to a problem can usually be found in nature, where it has taken nature millions of years to solve. However, loss of biodiversity is leading to the loss of some of these answers before we can discover them.

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3
Q

What are the economical reasons for conserving species?

A
  1. Growth of timbre, food, fuel, medicine…
  2. Ecotourism.
  3. Maintaining fertile soil for agriculture.
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4
Q

What are the ecological reasons for conserving species?

A
  1. Maintain biodiversity.
  2. Maintain habitats.
  3. Part of food chain/web.
  4. Helps regulate climate; remove carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
  5. Regulation of atmosphere and climate.
  6. Purification of water.
  7. Recycling nutrients to maintain fertile soil.
  8. Removal of waste.
  9. Maintains genetic diversity.
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5
Q

What are the agricultural reasons for conserving species?

A
  1. Decomposers, recycles nutrients and maintains soil fertility.
  2. Genetic resource, wild species can be bred with domestic species for characteristics like disease/pest resistance.
  3. Greater diversity of crops, less susceptible to disease.
  4. Pollinators of fruits and vegetables.
  5. Natural predators to pests.
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6
Q

What are the aesthetic reasons for conserving species?

A
  1. Give enjoyment/beauty/wellbeing/health.

2. Source of therapy and rehabilitation.

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7
Q

What are the ethical reasons for conserving species?

A

All species have the right to live and exist. It is our duty (especially if we’re responsible) to conserve a dying ecosystem/population and prevent extinction.

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8
Q

What is the importance of maintaining genetic diversity?

A

Genetic diversity and greater genetic variation allows a species to evolve and adapt to changes in the environment like:
- Change in climate.
- Increase in pollution.
- New disease.
- New pests/predators.
Reducing genetic diversity reduces the chances of an individual being more adapted to one of these changes and increases chance of species becoming extinct.

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9
Q

What human factors affect the loss of genetic diversity?

A
  • Loss of habitat due to deforestation etc. reduces population size of some species.
  • Reducing population size reduces gene pool size.
  • Agriculture uses monocultures that have been modified for maximum yield. This may lead to extinction of some varieties within species.
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10
Q

What are the effects if climate change on biodiversity?

A
  • Climate change in one area may force some species to migrate to a more suitable area.
  • Barriers to this migration includes:
    1. Human developments (cities, towns…).
    2. Agricultural lands.
    3. Bodies of water.
    4. Human activity.
    As a result, most species will not survive the migration and will die in the process.
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11
Q

What factors of climate change influence agriculture?

A
  • Higher carbon dioxide levels influence photosynthesis.
  • Higher temperatures increase growth rate.
  • Longer growing seasons.
  • Greater precipitation.
  • Change in precipitation pattern.
  • Loss of land due to rising sea level.
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12
Q

How does climate change affect agriculture?

A
  • Climate change may allow some crops to be grown in areas that were previously unsuitable for that crop. For example, if Britain increases in temperature, we may be able to grow tropical plants.
  • Some crops have been selected specially for the climate of an area. If the climate of that area changes, those crops will become redundant. This may cause some problems for some countries. Also, monocultures are increasing the risk of no varieties of some crops being suitable for future climates.
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13
Q

How does climate change affect the spread of disease?

A
  • Many plants and livestock are adapted to cope with diseases and pests that prevail in their climate. However, due to a change in climate and the absence of genetic variety, new diseases and pests may emerge that no crops are resistant to, wiping out the whole harvest.
  • Climate change is seeing some climates in some countries becoming more hospitable for tropical human disease carrying vectors like the female anopheles mosquito for malaria. This can prove devastating for some populations.
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14
Q

What is conservation in situ?

A

Conserving a species in its normal/natural environment.

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15
Q

What are the principles behind choosing a reserve area?

A
  • Comprehensiveness: What variety of species and habitats are being protected?
  • Adequacy: Is the area large enough/have enough resources to sustain it communities long term?
  • Representativeness: Is there a wide range of species/habitats in the area worth protecting?
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16
Q

What are the advantages of conservation in situ?

A
  • Larger population of plants and animals protected.
  • Maintains biodiversity and whole ecosystems.
  • Generates money from ecotourism.
  • Less disruptive to the population.
  • Opportunity for ecologically sustainable land use.
  • Facilitates scientific research.
  • Helps restore biodiversity to an area by repopulation.
17
Q

What are the disadvantages to conservation in situ?

A
  • Conflict of interest with locals, especially those living within the area.
  • Difficult to control poaching, predators, climate change, disease.
  • Requires rangers, wardens and a wide range of other maintenance staff.
18
Q

What are some examples of conservation in situ?

A
  • National parks.
  • National Nature Reserves (NNRs).
  • Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
  • Local nature reserves.
19
Q

What does conservation ex-situ mean?

A

Conserving an endangered species by activities that take place outside its normal environment.

20
Q

What are some examples of conservation ex situ?

A

Botanic gardens: Controlled environment with a variety of rare plant types used for education, display and breeding programmes.
Zoos: Breeding programmes used to increase population. Makes money from tourists used to fund more breeding programmes or reintroduction to the wild.
Seed banks: Stores a variety of different seeds from different plants in the hope of maintaining genetic variation.

21
Q

What are the disadvantages of animal breeding programmes?

A
  • Animals are not in their natural habitat and may fail to breed.
  • There is limited genetic variation and diversity, and danger of inbreeding.
  • Bred individuals are less likely to be able to survive in the wild, especially a change in environment.
  • Once introduced into wild, they don’t have the skills necessary to compete with other species.
  • Difficulty in acceptance by wild members of own species so breeding becomes problem.
22
Q

What are the advantages of animal breeding programmes?

A
  • Easy to check health and spread of disease.
  • Protection from predators.
  • Decreases competition for resources, increases chances of survival.
  • Manipulative breeding (IVF, sperm bank…) to ensure breeding success.
  • Increases population ready for reintroduction to the wild.
23
Q

What are the disadvantages of plant breeding programmes?

A
  • Collection of wild seeds may disturb natural ecosystem.
  • Collected samples are limited and do not represent full genetic diversity.
  • Some seeds collected from an area may be very specific and cannot survive in other areas.
  • Some seeds become inviable after too long.
  • Asexual reproduction of plants decreases genetic diversity.
24
Q

What are the advantages of plant breeding programmes?

A
  • Population can be built up and reintroduced into wild.
  • Seeds can be stored for a long time.
  • Reserve for genetic resources in case wild species become extinct.
  • Controlled environments to ensure survival of plants.
25
Q

How do scientists ensure seeds stay viable for a long time?

A
  • Seed conditions closely monitored.
  • Remove samples and germinate them periodically.
  • Uses petri dishes to test the success rate of germination.
  • Stored under cool temperatures and very low moisture levels.
  • Continued research into more efficient methods of seed storage.
26
Q

What is CITES?

A

The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

27
Q

What are the aims of CITES?

A
  1. Regulate and monitor international trade of endangered species.
  2. Prohibits trade of wild plants for commercial purposes.
  3. Allows the trade of artificially propagated plants.
  4. Monitors trade of less endangered species.
28
Q

What is the Convention on Biological Diversity?

A

Convention signed by over 150 governments and recognises the need to maintain global biodiversity.

29
Q

What are the aims of the convention on biological diversity?

A
  1. Conservation of global biodiversity.
  2. Sustainable use of ecological resources.
  3. Sharing and preservation of genetic resources.
  4. Sharing of scientific knowledge and technologies to maintain biodiversity.
  5. Fair access to beneficial genetic resources.
30
Q

What is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

A

A procedure to assess the likely significant effects that a proposed development may have on the environment.

31
Q

What are the reasons for EIAs?

A
  1. To ensure that a development doesn’t affect biodiversity too much.
  2. To ensure that endangered species are accounted for and appropriate actions are taken.
  3. Helps developers modify their development to minimise impact on the environment.
  4. Give locals an opportunity to contribute/object the development.

AS Biology (Unit 2: F212) (13 decks)

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