STUDY UNIT 4: POLLUTION, OVERHARVESTING

AND INVASIVE SPECIES

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Wilson & Primack: Chapter 7
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 STUDY UNIT 4: POLLUTION,
OVERHARVESTING AND INVASIVE SPECIES

Study unit is divided into study sections:

4.1 Pollution
4.2 Overharvesting
Text book chapter 7: pp. 204-218
4.3 Invasive species
Habitat loss and climate change are the most prominent threats facing
biodiversity and will play an increasingly important role in conservation
biology.

Additional pressures are primarily from overharvesting, invasive species

and disease.

Pollution is also a great threat to biodiversity.

Textbook (W/P): 204

Youtube Video: Besoedeling / Pollution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0sQ3lwX8FE
Biomagnification (also called bioaccumulation): a process through which
pesticides and other toxins accumulate and become more concentrated in animals at
higher levels of the food chain.

Youtube Video: Bioaccumulation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq0mM_vhhDU

W/P p. 204

Pollution in its many forms. Textbook: 205

In the 1970s, many industrialised countries recognised the dire situation and banned
the use of DDT. However, DDT continues to be widely used in Africa to control
malaria mosquito, tsetse fly (Glossina spp.), and other disease vectors.
Pesticides and other pollutants claim 1.4–2.2 million human lives in
Africa each year.

Also many non-target species,

including economically important non-target organisms.

For example, pesticide drift from cotton fields in Benin

has caused extirpation of freshwater fish.

To make matters worse, many pollutants take many

years to biodegrade!!

Youtube Video: Pesticides Wheat aphid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bqoj1BIC0k
Long-lived pollutants is persistent organic pollutants (POP). – W/P p.
207. The most famous POP is DDT.
DDT was banned for general use in South Africa in 1974.

Pollution in its many forms. Textbook (W/P): 206-207

Many types of persistent inorganic pollutants find their way into the
environment on a daily basis.

Some of these include heavy metals such as mercury, cobalt, copper,

lead, and arsenic. W/P p. 206

Youtube Video: DDT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UiCSvQvVys
Water pollution. Textbook: 207-208

The accidental or intentional dumping of pesticides; herbicides; oil

products; fertilisers; sewage; industrial waste; detergents; and other
foreign chemicals and objects into aquatic environments.

Arguably the biggest current pollution concern in Africa.

Sewage

Plastics
Ground water Pollution
Oil pollution. Textbook: 208
Involves the release of petroleum products into the environment,
which can originate from damaged ships, failed drilling rigs, leaking
offshore platforms, or other unexpected events.

Plastic pollution. Textbook: 208

Big problem – Explain why!
Microplastics. Textbook: 210 Youtube video: Plastic pollution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA9O9YUbQew
Nutrient pollution represents another growing threat to Africa’s aquatic
environments. High concentrations of essential nutrients, such as nitrates and
phosphates accumulate in lakes and dams.

Eutrophication – What is it – Explain. Textbook: 210

Groundwater pollution is the release of pollutants

into aquifers and other sources of groundwater.
Textbook: 211

Youtube Video: Eutrophication

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LAT1gLMPu4
Hydraulic fracking: The liquids used in fracking contain toxic chemicals which
pose a high risk for groundwater pollution. Textbook: 211

Youtube Video: Hydraulic fracking

https://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=hydrofracking+youtube+video

Air pollution: Air quality has diminished over time and scientists have
documented that air pollution can cause irreparable harm to ecosystems
and human health, often far from the original sources. Textbook: 212-
213.
Hydrocarbons, which are released during fossil fuel burning are
important air pollutants.

These hydrocarbons originate from transport,

power generation, and industrial activities.

When exposed to sunlight, these chemicals can react with other gases
and particles in the atmosphere to produce photochemical smog.
Textbook: 212-213

Youtube Video: Photochemical smog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CWsGwtiiSio
Burning fossil fuels also releases sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere, where they combine with water
vapour to produce nitric and sulphuric acids. In that way acid rain is
formed. Textbook: 212-213
4 N O 2 ( g ) + O 2 ( g ) + 2 H 2 O ( l ) → 4 HN O 3 ( aq ) Nitric acid .

H2O (l) + CO2 (g) ⇌ H2CO3 (aq)  Carbonic acid

H2O (l) + SO3 (g) ⇌ H2SO 4 (l) Sufuric acid
2H2O (l) + 4NO 2( g ) + O2(g) ⇌ 4HNO 3 (aq) Nitric acid 

Youtube Video: Acid Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDjVDIrFec
Soil pollution: Textbook: 213-214
This pollution is often associated with industrial activities that extract
resources from the earth, agricultural runoff, pesticide use, oil spills, acid
rain, improper treatment of sewage, and improper disposal of waste.
The improper disposal of electronic waste (or e-waste in short) is a
particularly serious form of soil pollution.
Textbook: 214
 SELF READING:

Light pollution. Textbook: 214

Noise pollution. Textbook: 216
Thermic pollution. Textbook: 216

Thermal pollution is any deviation from the natural temperature in a

habitat and can range from elevated temperatures associated with
industrial cooling activities to discharges of cold water into streams below
large impoundments.

Youtube Video: Thermal pollution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaAGM6XeTpA
Thermal Pollution
Solutions:
Plant-based solutions?

• Conservation;
• Urban afforestation;
• Phytorremediation;
• Etc.
END OF POLLUTION