Maintaining Biodiversity Flashcards
Consequences of global climate change on biodiversity
Changing patterns of agriculture
CO2 higher, more photosynthesis
Growth rates increased
Growing season increased
More evaporation water, more precipitation
Precipitation distribution changes
Land loss (soil salinity and sea level rise)
Domesticated organisms selectively bred for specific conditions, have little variation, can’t adapt to changing environment. Decreases yield of traditional crops. Farmers need to change their crops and animals.
Spread of disease
New diseases and pests, crops won’t have resistance to them, longer growing seasons means more time for pest population increase, lower yields, less food for humans, human disease migration.
Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining biodiversity
Maintain variation and genetic diversity, prevent extinction of some varieties within a species, so maintain the ability of the species to evolve (can adapt to changing environment and climate).
Higher yields, more food for humans.
Natural solutions to some problems, medicines, technology
Breed new crop varieties that can cope with new conditions
Prevent loss of useful alleles for resistance or tolerance
Maintain amount of pollinators
Maintains amount of predators
Conservation in situ
Conserving a species in its normal environment
Attempt to minimise human impact
Protect natural environment
Pass legislation to stop hunting, logging, land clearing
Hard to persuade countries to pass legislation
Hard to enforce legislation
Conservation parks
National parks, nature reserves, private land, farm sites
Stop unacceptable activities
Choose a reserve park by how many species are in the area, what are the prevailing environment conditions, is it large enough for long-term survival of all, is there a full range of diversity within each species
Permanently protects biodiversity and ecosystems
Protects natural and cultural heritage
Allows management of areas, ensures ecological integrity maintained
Gives opportunity for sustainable land uses
Facilitates scientific research
Shouldn’t exclude human activity
Needs to meet needs of local indigenous people
Protected animals may raid crops out of reserve
Illegal harvesting of timber and plant products
People hunt protected animals
Tourists feeding the animals or leaving litter
Conservation ex situ discuss
Not in normal habitat In captivity Captive breeding programmes Individuals collected from several different areas to increase genetic variation by reducing risk of interbreeding Housed in separate areas to lessen risk of losing all individuals by spread of disease, natural disaster and human action Fed uncontaminated food Monitor health of individuals Treat for disease Incubate eggs artificial,y Hand rearing Reduces mortality of young Can manipulate breeding Protect fro hunting/ predation Competition reduced between individuals and species
Discuss botanic gardens in ex situ conservation of rare plant species/ those extinct in the wild
Increases numbers of individuals very quickly
Provides large supply of individuals for research
Captive bred individuals can be replanted in the wild
Plants reproduce asexually
Plants bred asexually are genetically identical, so reduce genetic diversity further
Conclusions from small sample research may not be valid for whole species
Outline reasons for conservation of species
Economic (solves technical problems)
Ecological (atmosphere+climate regulation, water purification, soil formation, nutrient recycling, waste recycling+detoxification, crop pollination, timber, food, fuel)
Ethical (right to life)
Aesthetic (joy and wellbeing, patient recovery, health)
Discuss ex situ seed banks
Most plants produce an excess of seeds
Can be collected without damaging plants
Takes up little space
Able to store many species
Easy/cheap to transport
Remain viable for long periods of time
Less susceptible to disease, pests and environmental change
Need very dry of freezing conditions
Seeds stored for decades may deteriorate, can’t germinate, not useful
Need to test seeds at regular intervals for germination rates and monitoring the condition of stored seeds
Discuss the importance of international cooperation in species conservation
Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species
Monitor trade in selected species
Ensure trade doesn’t put wild populations at risk
Prohibit commercial trade in wild plants
Allow trade in artificially propagated plants
Allow trade in less endangered species subject to permit
Hard to enforce policies
Smuggling live organisms and their products
Rio Convention on Biodiversity
Sustainable use of organisms/habitats/ecosystems
Share genetic resources
Share access to scientific knowledge
Promote ex situ conservation method
Raises profile of biodiversity with government/public
International cooperation on biodiversity issues
Discuss the significance of environmental impact assessments for local authority planning decisions
Local scale procedure to assess likely significant effects a development may have on the environment
Allows opportunity for more environmentally acceptable improvements/alternative approaches
Minimises significant adverse effects on biological diversity
Considers Biodiversity Endangered species Rarity of habitat Current legal status Effect of viability of ecosystem Effect on movement of species Potential strategies to minimise effects
