A4.2 conservation of biodiversity

what is biodiversity?

the variety of life found in an area, at its best when many types of life forms are present in reasonable numbers.

what is ecosystem diversity?

considers diversity from the largest overall viewpoint. for example, the great barrier reef is a good example because its made out of 3000 individual reefs with each having its own ecosystem and high level of biodiversity, meaning that the total ecosystem biodiversity in the region is very high.

what is species diversity/richness?

the number of different species in a community

what is species evenness?

a measure of the relative abundance of each of the species in a community. because it takes into account species proportion it is often more important and indicates a healthier ecosystem than species biodiversity (total number of species)

what is genetic diversity?

greater genetic diversity = bigger gene pool. all gene types or alleles found in an entire population is called a gene pool.

what happens if the population of an organism falls to low levels?

because populations with greater diversity can withstand environmental pressures like diseases or extreme weather, when the population of an organism is lacking, the gene pool becomes very small and any genetic disease is more likely to be expressed.

what does the fossil record suggest about biodiversity?

there are more species alive today than at any other geological time period. however, the number of species alive today and the number of species alive in the past are both estimates. this is bcs biologists are still discovering new species every day and the fossil record is incomplete.

what does the evolutionary theory tell us about the abundance of species at present compared to other time periods?

speciation occurs under certain conditions. any prolonged period of time where the rate of speciation is greater than the rate of extinction will result in a higher total number of species. despite the last few hundred years of high extinction rates, there have been many long periods when speciation rate was higher than extinction rate.

what is the current sixth mass extinction?

most extinction in the last few hundred years have had anthropogenic (human) causes. there were five previous mass extinction events before humans evolved. the one we are currently in is the first extinction caused by anthropogenic events.

case study of moa extinction due to anthropogenic activities

the North Island giant moa lived in New Zealand up until 1300 CE. it was hunted to extinction because it had no wings and were too friendly, and they were also very big so good source of food

case study of monk seal due to anthropogenic activities.

the caribbean monk seals were extinct by 2008 due to overhunting for its oil. the seals often landed on beaches and did not show any fear of approaching humans, so they were easy targets. some were also killed for scientific specimens.

ib requires you to have a third case study of an extinct animal because of anthropogenic activities of your choice in an area near or familiar to you.

just include where they were from, physical or behavioral characteristics, the year they became extinct and why they became extinct.

what has caused ecosystem loss?

mostly due to human activities both directly and indirectly like deforestation and pollution

case study mixed dipterocarp forests destruction

the dipterocarps are a family of hardwood (tropical trees) of about 500 species. they were found all around southeast asia, but recently southeast asia has been losing around 1% of its rainforests every year due to clear-cutting for agricultural use. most of these clear cut lands are made for palm oil production aka monoculture (mono agriculture)

ib requires you to have a second case study of a destroyed ecosystem l because of anthropogenic activities of your choice in an area that is NOT near or familiar to you.

include family, where they were located, severeness of destruction (in statistics), why they’re getting destroyed

what is the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)?

a report filled with a range of habitats and research projects by university and governmental research projects. shows extinction risks, total number of species still existing, and other relevant information on many species including plants

what is the IUCN Red List?

a continuously updated list of the world’s threatened species, one of the most comprehensive and trusted sources of information on extinction status.

how were these sources made?

both expert scientists and citizen scientists. although mostly from research papers and projects, some sources come from indigenous tribes with local information only they know concerning species

what are human causes for the current biodiversity crisis?

population growth (the overarching cause)

overhunting

urbanization

deforestation for agriculture

pollution

diseases

invasive species due to global transport

what is the connection between in increase in human population and biodiversity crisis?

humans need resources to survive, so they produce waste and pollution which increases as the population grows

what are in situ conservation efforts?

the protection of species and their habitats within their natural environment. ex national parks, nature reserves, restoring and reclaiming damaged areas and degraded landscapes

what are ex situ conservation efforts?

the preservation of species outside their natural habitats. ex breeding programmes in zoos, botanic gardens, seed banks, animal tissue bank (storing reproductive cells of species)

what is EDGE?

a global programme with the goal of selecting evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species. a selected species is then promoted for priority status in conservation programmes. the higher the EDGE score the more endangered the species is

what is the rationale behind EDGE?

aims to inform governments, conservation organizations and local populations of the ecological peril of different species. hopes to help ensure that species that are both endangered and evolutionarily distinct will be given the highest priority when deciding which species to protect.