Biodiversity Final

Non-Timber Forest Products

Any product from a forest that is not wood which includes fruit, resins, fibers, medicines, and beverages

Stimulating Beverages

Any drinks with stimulants, typically caffeine or a similar compound. These drinks include coffee, tea, and cocoa

Caffeine

A type of alkaloid that works on the CNS to increase alertness but can also have negative effects

Coffee

Within the genus Coffea and includes 60 species but Coffea arabica is the most popular variety

Essential Oils

Volatile substances that give herbs and spices their scent, taste, and aroma

Herbs

Plants that lack a woody stem and grow in a temperate region. Includes four families, mint (Lamiaceae), parsley (Apiaceae), mustard (Brasicaceae), and allium (Amarylliaceae)

Spices

Produced from the seeds, bark, roots, or fruit of plants that grow in tropical regions

Poisonous Plants

Many poisonous plants to humans are used in landscaping and decorations including yews, American laurels, tulip, daffodil. Other plants are poisonous to livestock like white snakeroot, Indian hellebore

Plants Causing Mechanical Injury

Some plants can harm humans by cutting the skin (cacti, stinging nettle) or irritating the skin (St John’s wort)

Allergenic Plants

Cause allergic reactions in humans due to them inhaling the pollen or coming into direct contact with the plant. Some examples include, ragweed, tree pollen, poison ivy, latex allergy)

Biome

A large geographical area that is categorized by the animal life, plant life, and climate. There are 8-14 types of biomes the location of which is influenced by the latitude and precipitation

Tropical Rainforest

Most are found within 10 degrees of the equator and have hot temperatures and heavy rain fall year-round. The soil is nutrient poor due to the heavy rain fall and speedy decomposition. Trees are the dominant species and form four layers of the forest allowing for a lot of biodiversity

Tropical Dry Forest

Categorized by having hot temperatures by highly seasonal rainfall which results in many plant species entering a state of dormancy in the dry season. Most are in the range of 10 to 25 degrees from the equator past the tropical rain forests. Have decently rich soils but prone to erosion in the wet season. Plants have waxy layer and deep roots to maximize water. Has similar animal species as tropical rain forest

Ecosystem

Includes all the living things in a region interacting with their nonliving environment

Ecosystem Services

The goods that humans receive from the ecosystem that contribute to their wellbeing

Provisioning Services

Materialistic benefits received from the ecosystem including timber, medicine, food, fibers, water, and economic benefit

Regulating Services

Natural processes preformed by an ecosystem that are beneficial for humans such as flood control, air purification, pollination, and temperature regulation

Supporting Services

The ecosystem provides space for plants and animals to grow along with the soil needed to grow food

Cultural Services

Non-material ecosystem services that help to improve human mental health like recreational activities, tourism, research, education, and spiritual experience

Option Value

The value placed on maintaining a service even if it is unlikely to be used in the future so that it is not lost

Bequest Value

The value that is placed on a service in the context of it being crucial for future generations

Existence Value

A service is valued by people for it existing even if they do not directly use the service

Intrinsic Value

A service is important for existing even though people may not appreciate it

Threats to Biodiversity

The seven major threats are, habitat destruction, alteration of disturbance regimes, pollution, overexploitation, global climate change, invasive species, disease

Habitat Destruction

Many species are being lost as various biomes are being converted into land for human use. Loss of virgin forest (old growth) causes species to be lost that do not occur in new forests. This is the worst threat to biodiversity

Alteration of Disturbance Regimes

Natural disasters, especially fires and hurricanes are becoming more common and eliminating species who are not used to these conditions

Pollution

Biodiversity is lost due to the various environmental pollution. A persistent pesticide used from 1940-1960 called DDT caused major issues primarily with Peregrine falcons

Biomagnification

Harmful chemicals like pesticides become more concentrated higher up the food chain. This creates problems for humans and top predators

Theo Colborn

Discovered that some chemicals leeched into the environment were endocrine disruptors that negatively impacted the reproduction of wildlife

Overexploitation

The uncontrolled unsustainable harvest of natural resources for human use resulting in loss of species partially caused by the increase in human population

Domino Effect

As one species become rare due to overexploitation, harvesters will substitute it with another species and overexploit that one

Climate Change

Altered patterns in the global average temperature and other weather events. Human activity is producing more greenhouse gases which results in more heat being trapped in the atmosphere rather than being released into space

Weather

Daily fluctuations in temperature and precipitation

Climate

The long-term average weather that defines a particular region

Anomaly

A difference from a reference value or a long-term average relating to climate

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific body that was established by the United Nations that synthesizes data on climate change to advise policy

Phenology

The study of timing in animal and plant life cycles. Phenological shifts are occurring due to climate change frequently causing events such as budding to occur earlier in the season

Invasive Species

Second biggest impact on biodiversity loss as a result of invasive species taking the niches of native ones. Many of these are introduced accidentally or intentionally by humans although they are sometimes naturally introduced. One example is purple loosestrife

Native Species

Living within its natural range of dispersal

Non-native Species

Living outside its natural range of disperal

Invasive Species

A non-native species that causes harm to the ecosystem

Weed

A plant growing where it is unwanted, not necessarily non-native

Tens Rule

Of 1,000 species introduced only 100 will survive. Of the 100 that survive only 10 will establish. Of the 10 that establish 1 will become invasive

Direct Mechanisms

Invasive species compete for food and resources

Indirect Mechanisms

Invasive species fill or overtake a niche which skews the food pyramid

Disease

The consequences of human disturbances results in altered epidemiology of various concerning diseases. Increased stress makes wildlife more likely to become diseased

Crowding Effect

Habitat loss results in increased contact between species that increases the spread of diseases

Spill-over

The transmission of disease from domestic animals to closely related wildlife

Zoonotic

Refers to diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans

Spill-back

Diseases that are spread from wildlife to closely related domestic species

Dilution Effect

The mechanism by which biodiversity inhibits infectious diseases. For example, having more variety of mammals prevents ticks from attaching to mice. This would limit the number of ticks that carry Lyme disease

Conservation Strategies

Includes in-situ and ex-situ conservation and policy change

Lacey Act 1900

Prohibits interstate trade of any wildlife, fish, or plants that were illegally acquired

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) 1972

Prohibits the taking or trade of marine mammals or marine mammal parts

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 1973

It is illegal to harm or trade endangered species including their parts

Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES) 1975

Regulates trade in living specimens and parts of species that are listed

Ecological Footprint

A global measure of the rate at which we are consuming resources and generating waste

Algae

Photosynthetic, aquatic organisms that lack true structures. Reproduce sexually or asexually. Are the ancestors of land plants. They are split into three major groups of green, brown, and red algae.