Biodiversity • Variety of living things, number of kinds • Ecological diversity – different habitats, niches, species interactions • Species diversity – different kinds of organisms, relationships among species • Genetic diversity – different genes & combinations of genes
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 2
Benefits of Biodiversity • Ecosystem functions • Ecosystem services • Cleaning water, habitat & breeding areas for wildlife • Aesthetic and cultural benefits
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 3
Benefits of Biodiversity • New food sources – Grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish
Biodiversity • How much biodiversity 1.7—2.0 million species Estimates to 100 million
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 6
Biodiversity • Where is the biodiversity – Everywhere • Every continent and habitat has unique life forms – Concentrated in the tropics • Panama: > 500 species of breeding birds • Arctic: 50-100 species – Dense concentrations
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 7
Threats to Biodiversity • Extinction and population reductions – Hunting and overharvesting • Tiger • Dodo • Whales • Sharks – Habitat loss
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 8
Threats to Biodiversity • Extinction and population reductions – Pollution – Climate change – Invasive species
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 9
Protecting Biodiversity • How can we protect biodiversity – Stop overharvesting • Sustainable yield • Hunting & fishing laws (every state ?) – in developing nations ? – Refuges, parks, preserves – Endangered Species Act
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 10
Protecting Biodiversity • Refuges, parks, preserves – How big should refuges be? – Where should they be? – McArthur & Wilson “Theory of Island Biogeography” • colonization rate • extinction rate (local) • predicts number of species
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 11
Protecting Biodiversity • Effect of island size • Effect of island distance
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 12
Protecting Biodiversity • McArthur & Wilson “Theory of Island Biogeography” – colonization rate – extinction rate (local) – predicts number of species
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 13
Protecting Biodiversity • Island Biogeography – Island size predicts number of species
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 14
Protecting Biodiversity • Island Biogeography – Everyplace is an island – Habitat fragmentation • Smaller fragments hold fewer species
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 15
Protecting Biodiversity • How can we protect • http://www.fws.gov/ biodiversity endangered/ • Endangered Species Act (1973) – Listing of “endangered” and “threatened” species – Restricts development of habitats – Captive breeding programs • Release of captive bred stocks to enhance or recover wild populations.
24 March 2009 Biodiversity.ppt 16
Protecting Biodiversity • Biodiversity “hotspots” – Protection of habitat