Biodiversity

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• Biodiversity
• C-6-3

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• Biodiversity
• - the sum of all genetically based org. in the
  biosphere

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Other types of diversity

• Ecosystem diversity - includes habitats,
  communities, and processes
• Species diversity - of dif. species in
  biosphere
• Genetic diversity - all dif. forms of genetic
  info for all life forms on the planet!

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Benefits

• food
• medicine - pain killers, antibiotics, heart
  drugs, anticancer drugs etc.
• industrial products

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Threats to biodiversity

• Human impact is 1

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Threats to biodiversity

• 1.) Habitat alteration
• land development splits habitats and
  destroys others
• this makes the species that live there more
  fragile and open to harm from further change

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Threats to biodiversity

• 2.) Demand for wildlife products
• hunting has made some species extinct!
• fur, meat, body parts thought to have
  medicinal qualities
• most endangered species are now protected
  from hunting - but poaching continues to be
  huge problem

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Threats to biodiversity

• 3.) Pollution - major factor is toxic compound
  accumulation - Biological magnification - fig.
  6-16

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Threats to biodiversity

• 4.) Invasive species - non-native species that
  reproduce rapidly due to lack of predators.
• often overcrowd native species and overtake the
  habitat thus destroying or changing the ecosystem
• ex zebra mussles - in Lake Erie - have pushed
  some species to near extinction!

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Conservation Strategies

• captive breeding programs at zoos
• set aside land to protect certain ecosystems
  - parks/reserves
• limiting hunting and fishing to certain
  seasons
• imposing stricter laws against pollution
• and mining for natural resources