biodiversity is the combination of which two words?
biological diversity
biodiversity is a measure of…
the variety of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels
what does ‘habitat biodiversity’ mean?
habitat biodiversity means the range of different habitats (the environment in which a species normally lives,) in an ecosystem (interaction between a community and the abiotic parts of the environment,) or biome (a collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions)
what is species diversity?
species diversity refers to a combination of the number of species in an area and their relative abundance (the overall distribution of the species)
what is genetic diversity?
genetic diversity refers to the variation in genes between individuals within a species
what is resilience?
resilience refers to the ability of a system to maintain equilibrium and avoid tipping points
where does biodiversity come from
biodiversity arises from evolutionary processes
what is species richness?
species richness refers to the number of species in an area
what is species evenness?
species evenness refers to the relative abundance of each species
what are the indirect human threats to biological diversity
- habitat loss
- climate change
- pollution
- introduction of invasive alien species
what are the direct human threats to biological diversity
- overharvesting and hunting
- poaching
- illegal pet trade
what is an example of overharvesting
North Atlantic cod in the 1960’s and 1970’s led to a significant reduction in population size
what are some reasons why animals are hunted?
- food
- medicines
- souvenirs
- fashion
- to supply the exotic pet trade
what is poaching?
poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wildlife
what are some examples of poaching
- hunting elephants for their ivory tusks
- hunting of tigers for their skins and bones
- between 1970 and 1992, 96% of the critically endangered black rhinoceros population was lost due to poaching
what does The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aim to do
CITES acts to prevent the illegal trade in wildlife
what are some examples of habitat destruction
- agricultural practices (fragmentation and loss)
- mining of coltan for phone production in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Sugar plantations on mangrove forests in Australia
- Palm oil plantations in South-East Asia
what are some factors used to determine a species’ conservation status on IUCN’s ‘Red List’
- number of individuals
- reduction in population size
- geographic range
- distribution
- breeding potential
what are the 5 main arguments for preserving species and habitats
- economic arguments
- ecological arguments
- aesthetic reasons
- ethical arguments
- social arguments
what does conservation mean?
conservation means ‘keeping what we have’
what is in situ conservation
in situ conservation is the conservation of species in their natural habitat
what is ex situ conservation
ex situ conservation is the preservation of species outside their natural habitats (usually in botanic gardens and zoos)
pros and cons of ex situ conservation
pros
- attracts attention and therefore funding
- successfully preserves genetic diversity for future restocking of habitats
cons
- if ecosystem is not treated as a holistic unit, it will be difficult to preserve species in, or return them to, their natural habitat
- inability to replicate natural ecosystems
pros and cons of in situ conservation
pros
- preserves an entire ecosystem
- less expensive than ex situ
- allows for natural evolution
cons
- vulnerability to natural disasters and human impact
- difficulty protecting against disease and invasive species
