Biodiversity and Aquatic Pollution

Genetic Bio Diversity

Is the variation of inheritable traits (characteristics) in a species
• For example, if you chose the trait of fur color, in cats what is the
variation – black, grey brown, tan, white, calico etc.

Species Biodiversity

Is the number of different kinds of organisms in an ecosystem or
community
• An ecosystem with high species diversity is usually more stable than
one with low species diversity

Ecological Biodiversity

looks at the complexity of a community in terms of niches (functions),
trophic levels, and numbers of species present
• it can also address the idea of ecosystem service: what does this
ecosystem provide on a global scale?

Biodiversity Hotspots

are areas with a high diversity of species that occur no
where else in the world. Hot spots are also areas with a
high risk of human disturbance

Major threats to biodiversity

1. ***Habitat Loss due to Destruction/Fragmentation***
• 2. Invasive Species Introduction
• 3. Overexploitation (such as overfishing)
• 4. Disruption of interaction networks, such as food webs
• 5. Pollution and Climate Change also threaten biodiversity

Benefits to biodiversity

-food

-drugs/modern medicine

-ecological/agricultural (soil formation, pest control etc)

-aesthetics/recreational activities

High rate of exticntion

entering the next phase of mass extinction and humans are contributing to this with degradation, climate change, pollution and etc

Why/how Benthic Macro invertebrate organisms are used as biological indicators of water quality

-Shift in a particular group (ie filter feeder, grazers) can give indication
of disruption to food web
• Because they have differential tolerance to pollution; presence or
absence of particular taxa can be related to time or to point source
pollution

Types of BMIs

• Shredders (stoneflies)
• Filter feeders collectors (caddisflies)
• Grazers(snails, beetles)
• Predators (dragonflies)

Biological Magnification

as a pollutant is taken up into the food chain and moves from one trophic
level to the next, it becomes more concentrated. What was fairly
harmless at the base of the food chain is a real problem for organisms
higher up.

DDT and connection to biological magnification

-Became concentrated as it moved up the food chain until it was at
high concentrations in the shells of birds (Bald Eagles). There was so
much DDT in the eggshells that the number of chicks hatching
seriously declined and eagles were on the brink of extinction.
• DDT was banned in Wisconsin in the late 1960’s and throughout the
US sometime later.

Silent spring book

written by rachel Carson and brought awareness about the dangers of ddt pestcide

 Poisoned Waters DVD

clean water act protected water sources but were still polluted by:

-new pollutants

-disruptors in water that cause odd mutations

-agricultural run off

-pcb chemical

-stormwater run off