Biology
Chapter 6
6.3 Biodiversity
I. Value of Biodiversity
Biodiversity
biological diversity
Sum total of genetically based variety
of all organisms in the biosphere
Ecosystem Diversity
Variety of habitats, communities and
ecological processes in the living
world
Species Diversity
Number of different species in the
biosphere
Genetic Diversity
Sum total of all of the different forms
of genetic information carried by all
organisms living on Earth today
***Biodiversity is one of Earth’s
greatest natural resources. Species of
many kinds have provided us with
foods, industrial products and
medicines—including painkillers,
antibiotics, heart drugs,
antidepressants and anticancer drugs.
II. Threats to Biodiversity
***Human activity can reduce
biodiversity by altering habitats,
hunting species to extinction,
introducing toxic compounds into
food webs and introducing foreign
species to new environments
Extinction
Species disappears from all or part of
its range
Endangered Species
Species whose population size is
declining in a way that places it in
danger of extinction
III. Habitat Alteration
Habitat Fragmentation
Land is developed – natural habitats
may be destroyed
Development often splits ecosystems
into pieces
a. Remaining pieces of habitat
become biological “islands”
Biological Islands
Any patch of habitat surrounded by a
different habitat
IV. Demand for Wildlife Products
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Bans international trade in products
derived from a list of endangered
species
a. Cannot enforce laws in remote
wilderness
V. Pollution
DDT
First pesticide widely used
a.
b.
c.
d.
Cheap
Remains active for a long time
Kills many pests
Disease-carrying mosquitos
Hazardous
a. Nonbiodegradable
Not broken down by
metabolic process by bacteria,
plants or animals
b. Picked up organisms – cannot
eliminate it from their bodies
Biological Magnification
Concentrations of a harmful substance
increase in organism at high trophic
levels in a food chain or food web
a. Affects the entire food web – toplevel carnivores are at highest risk
VI. Introduced Species
Invasive Species
VII. Conserving Biodiversity
Conservation
Apparently harmless plants and
animals that humans transport around
the world either accidently or
intentionally
Organisms introduced into a new
habitat which lacks the parasites and
predators that control their
population of the new organism
Preserving Earth’s biodiversity for
future generations
Ecology – wise management of natural
resources including the preservation
of habitats and wildlife .
***Conservation efforts focus on
protecting entire ecosystems as well
as single species. Protecting an
ecosystem will ensure that the natural
habitats and the interactions of many
different species are preserved at the
same time.
Hot Spots
A place where significant numbers of
habitat and species are in immediate
danger of extinction as a result of
human activity.