Conservation of biodiversity

• Reasons for conserving biodiversity:

  • Resources
  • Bio-mimetics
  • New food species
  • Medicines
  • Genetic resources
  • Physiological research
  • Pest control species
  • Ecosystem services
• Resources:

  • Wood - buildings, tools and furniture
  • Fibers - cotton, wool, paper, silk, rayon
  • Oils - foods, lubricants and soaps
  • Fuels - wood, charcoal, alcohols and vegetable oils
  • Food - plants, animals, algae and fungi
• What type of species are more used to local conditions?

  Indigenous species
• What is used to enhance desirable characteristics of species?

  Selective breeding
• Plant species with potential for commercial cultivation:

  • Potato bean (North america) - high protein content
  • Morama bean (southern africa) - drought resistant
  • The yehab tree (somalia) - produces edible nuts, is drought resistant and can grow in low quality soils
  • Spinach family - can grow in very saline soils and so can be used in crop breeding programmes
  • Kernza (USA) - it is perenial so accessible all year round
• Many animal species have been considered for potential domestication such as:

  • American bison
  • Common eland
  • Common ostrich
  • Cane rats
  • Emu
  • Giant land snail
• Biomimetics involves the use of knowledge of adaptations of other species to improve the designs of manufactured items
• The splayed wingtip of the bird was copied to help reduce wind turbulence and drag on planes, it also increases the fuel efficiency
• Humpback whales have tubercles (bumps) on their flippers that increase hydrodynamic efficiency by allowing them to turn in tight circles when swimming around fish, this has been added to the rudders of ships so that they can turn in tighter circles
• Shark skin has been copied and used in surfaces in hospitals as bacteria dosen't stick easily to shark skin, this will help control bacterial infections
• Velcro was inspired from burrs sticking onto clothes which were then copied into velcro
• Inspired by gecko feet, scientists created synthetic materials that mimic the structure of gecko feet, these materials could potentially replace duct tape or glue
• The ventilation systems created in termite mounds were copied for the ventilation systems in the gherkin in london
• Lotus flowers have water repelling properties this has been copies to produce self cleaning glass
• Some natural materials have properties that can be applied to the manufacturing of synthetic materials. The silk produced by spiders is being copied to produce better car air bags and body Armour
• Many plants produce toxins to defend themselves from predators, these can be useful as medicines in carefully controlled amounts
• What two painkillers are poppies cultivated to produce? morphine and codeine
• Which plant produces quinine which is used to treat malaria? cinchona tree
• Where is aspirin extracted from?

  The bark of willow trees
• Which plant produces digitalis which is used to treat heart problems? foxglove
• Taxol is extracted from the yew tree and is used to treat many forms of cancer
• the Mexican yam from central american rainforests was the source of diosgenin that is used to make steroid medicines including the pill and to help allergic reactions
• Sea sponges contain ATZ that help treat HIV and AIDS
• AD 114 is being extracted from shark blood to be a cure for fibrosis
• The alkylglycerols and polyhydroxylated fatty acids are found in shark liver lipids and can be used to suppress the growth of cancer tumors
• The drug AD 114 being tested as a cure for fibrosis of the lungs, is based on an antibody extracted from shark blood
• Marsupials such as kangaroos can be studied when pregnant as they grow the baby in their pouch, this has helped us understand developmental problems in babies
• Hippopotamus skin secretes hipposudoric acid which is a natural sun cream, this is being studied to help burns victims
• Embryos of the purple sea urchin are used to test weather new medicines are teratogenic and could cause abnormal embryo development in humans
• Squid nerves are used instead of human nerves to study as they are much larger, this can help research diseases such as heart disease and kidney disease
• The cactoblastis moth was introduced into Australia from south America to eat the invasive prickly pear cactus
• Encarsia formosa is a parasitic wasp that is released into greenhouses to control whitefly pests on crops such as tomatoes
• Characteristics introduced from CWR species:

  • Disease resistance - sugar cane protected from mosaic virus by cross breeding with Indonesian variety
  • Salt tolerance - Wild rice characteristics has been bred with commercial species = increased salt tolerance
  • Resistance to drought - Amazonian cacao bred with commercial cacao = improved drought tolerance
• Characteristics introduced from CWR species:

  • High yield-Oil palm yields increased from breeding with African species
  • Improved taste/appearance-Sweeter pineapples have been bred since the 90s
  • Nutrient uptake-New wheat now forms better connections with mycorrhizal fungi than before for better nutrient uptake
• Characteristics introduced from CWR species:

  • Disease resistance
  • Salt tolerance
  • Resistance to drought
  • High yield
  • Improved taste or appearance
  • Nutrient uptake
• What is a Vavilov centre?

  Areas of the world with high concentrations of close relatives of an important crop species (= Centres of diversity)
• What is a gene-pool?


  The total number of different genes present in all individuals in a population of a particular species. A large population may not always have a large gene pool as they might all be genetically similar
• Gene pool problems:

  Often domestically cultivated crops have a very small gene pool making the very susceptible to environmental change and disease, it also has a much higher risk of inbreeding
• Ecosystem services - Atmospheric composition, the hydrological cycle, biogeochemical cycle, soil maintenance, interspecies relationships, food, pollination, seed dispersal and habitat provision
• Atmospheric composition (ecosystem services):

  • Photosynthesis and aerobic respiration by plants regulate the atmosphere and create "dynamic equilibrium"
  • These processes largely go unnoticed as there is no overall change