biodiversity

    Cards (46)

    • resources
      Textiles
      Food
      Manufacturing 
      Building
      Biofuel -algae 
      75% of the world's food is generated from only 12 plant and 5 animal species, though over 2000 species are used as a food resource
    • biomimietics
      Humans copying nature 
      Using knowledge of adaptations of other species to improve the designs of manufactured items
    • medicines
      Cinchona tree- quinine-fights malaria 
      Poppies- opiates- morphine 
      Willow bark-aspirin-blood thinner shark blood- AD114- lung fibrosis 
      Tropical marine sponges- AZT- AIDS drug
    • Physiological research
      Squid nerves bigger than human nerves-easier to see effects of drugs on nerve. 
      Ultrasound- dolphins sending out soundwaves 
      Sea urchin- cell division and replication is same a cell development in embryos-test medication for pregnant mothers -teratogenic
    • pest control species
      Uk pest control- problem with monoculture
      Prickly pear- out of control in australia introduces a cactablashas moth 
      Parasitic wasp control white fly to stop eat it through tomato leaves 
    • genetic resources
      CWR- crop wild relatives- drought resistant and diseases resistant 
      Sugar cane, sea kale, pineapple, wheat, cacao, palm oil
    • vavilov centres
      Centres of diversity, centres of origin
      Shows where the CWRs are
    • gene pool problems
      Gene-pool is genetic variation within a population
      Domesticated species have a small gene pool 
      This makes it vulnerable to the same environmental changes and disease
      Has happened to bananas
    • ecosystem services
      The benefits provided by ecosystems that contribute to making human life both positive and worth living
      Atmospheric composition- photosynthesis by plants reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere
    • Hydrological cycle- trees provide interception to stop oversaturation of ground which will caise surface run off- this can cause soil erosion which may affect the quality of a water source by making it more turbid and increasing the amount  of nitrogen and phosphorus in it if it is by a farm. It can also make soil less fertile by removing organic matter 
      Trees and plants also do transpiration
      Biogeochemical cycle- plant photosynthesis 
      Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, nitrifying bacteria,
    • interspecies relationships
      No species can live in ecological isolation because their survival relies in other species for a range of resources + ecological services
      Food- all heterotrophs rely on other organism as a source of energy+ nutrients 
      Pollination- allows dispersed population of plants,  
      Brazil nut tree +Agouti - even the fall of several hundred feet doesn’t crack them - Agouti doesn't’ eat all of the nuts- buries the nuts-forgets where they were buried- large proportion left till it grows. 
      Habitat provision- trees hermit crabs with shells. 
      Population control
    • Many species have been overexploited as a food resource
      Overfishing of cod-  swim at button of the ocean- demersal fish 
      Catch techniques- demersal fishing- nets along the bottom 
      Mesh size- smaller fish trapped inside the smaller net size- can’t reproduce to help the population to grow. 
      Government error- they didn’t know cod population- didn’t know the population size was decreasing- capture recapture-linkon index
    • fashion
      Many species are overexploited as a fashion resource 
      Fur coats, leather, use of animal skins
    • furniture and ornaments
      Mahogany tree-  
      Piano keys -black- ebony wood
      Rosewood tree- furniture and instruments
      Ivory from elephants and rhinos
    • traditional medicines
      Tiger claws- alcoholism, sedative, skin disease
      Rhino horn- nosebleeds, smallpox
      Seahorses- infertility, baldness and arthritis
    • Temperature-  migratory birds migrate and temperature changes could mean that their food resource has already been taken
      Aspen tree- lives in colder temperature- has to increase latitude- only so far they can go- fewer insects to eat them 
      Hot effluent will increase the growth rates of aquatic vegetation- thermal pollution
      water turbidity-  changes the quality of the water- ploughing, mining and dredging may increase water turbidity-this reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis and filter feeding. 
      algae- cant photosynthesis as effectively
    • pH- oysters and coral- carbonic acid in the water causes the shells and skeletons to dissolve-more hydrogen ions and not enough carbonate ions
      Acidic conditions can be caused by mine drainage water, pollutant gases from burning fossil fuels and smelting metals
      The lower the pH of the water the more readily heavy metals will dissolve-heavy metals causes cellular activities to slow down 
      Fish can't produce eggs
    • Dissolved oxygen- fish downstream of river affected  by dams, corals 
      Fertiliser- algal blooms- increased oxygen-fish affected.  
      Sewage- bacteria use the oxygen to break down the sewage 
      Physical damage-   deforestation-habitat loss- orangutang -pollutants in water -nurdles- used for plastic 
      Water availability -  elephants have to walk much further-
      Wetlands disappearing- more evaporation 
      Amphibians and newts also affected
    • commenalism
      The bromeliads benefit by occupying space on the lomb receiving rain and sunlight, but do not harm the trees
      Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed.
    • Endemic species are only found in one geographical area 
      Many endemic species are found on oceanic islands i.e the galapagos islands or madagascar
      Also species whose range of tolerance is at high latitudes or high altitudes 
      Marine iguana 
      Bornean orangutan 
      Madagascar lemur
      Gammapagus penguin
      Gallapagus seal
    • Keystone species play an important role in maintaining the ecological structure of a community 
      They are often an apex predator -jaguar 
      But not always- bees , bucket orchids
    • A flagship species is a species with a high public profiles
      By conserving flagship species other species will benefit too 
      Snow leopard- can now be adopted
    • The more threatened a species habitat is the more at threat a species is 
      Their status may be used as an indicator for the entire ecosystem 
      Bornean orangutan, sumatran tiger,
    • Fragmented habitat- not even- competition for resources- separated from resources- smaller gene pool with higher chance of passing on recessive genes that are not beneficial 
      dormice -mechanisation of farming- tear down hedgerows 
      Cheetah- ice age. Dispersed over africa too quickly- humans have put fences, cheetahs blocked from getting together( genetic bottleneck) - cheetahs have smaller muscle mass. 
    • designation- Legally protected area for protection of plant and animal species AND their habitats
    • Legal protection of habitats and species:The wildlife and countryside act(1981) is a UK law that protects wildlife- cant uproot plants but can cut them 
      Designates protected area ( SSSIs- sight of special scientific interest , MCZs-marine control zones)
    • designated impacts-
      -protect species
      -protects habitats
      -restrictions on activities WITHIN protected areas
      -Restriction of activities OUTSIDE the protected area
      -management agreements  between landowner and the designating authority 
      -Access restrictions
      -International cooperation
    • SSSI case study
      Hunted osprey to extinction in the UK as it was affecting farming 
      Historically has always been part of northumber;and marshes 
      Extinct in England in 1847
      Tend to nest in prominent trees 
      Installed a number of nesting platforms 
      2021- 16 healthy youngsters sledging form Kielder
    • MCZ case study
      Seahorse wraps around the seagrass
      Boats can uproot seagrass 
      Dorset- didn’t want MCZ as they were losing tourists -5yrs uproar 
      Studland bay dropped as ans MCZ in 2012 and then re-designated in mAy 2019 
    • MPA's not working
      Half of all offshore MPa designated to protect the seabed before 2018 have experience at least 1,000 hours of demersal fishing between 2015 and 2018 
      12% of aal offshore benthic MPA’s designated before 2018 have experienced at least 5,000 hours of demersal fishing between 2015 and 2018
    • CITES
      Appendix 1- 3000 endangered species can not be trade at all
      Appendix 2- 28,000 threatened plants and 3100 threatened animal species which can only be exported if the importer/ exporter has a permit
      Appendix 3- 390 vulnerable species which can not be traded in certain countries
    • legally traded trees
      1. African cherry tree- european pharmaceutical companies-treating prostate conditions 
      2. Big Leaf mahogany- resistant- furniture
      3. romene - furniture
    • international whaling commission
      Regulates and manages whaling 
      Whale populations rising 
      Aims-
      Total protection for certain species
      Protection of suckling mothers and their calves 
      Carrying out research into whale biology and activities that threaten whales such as ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets 
      Designation of whale sanctuaries
      Setting limits on numbers and sizes of whales that can be taken
    • ITTO
      • The international tropical timber organisation aims for the sustainable management of tropical rainforests 
      • 1996 Mha in 1990 to 1770 in 2015
      That is more than 0.bkm^2 lost every minute of every day and over 315 thousand km^2 lost every year
    • sustainable exploitation
      Common fishery policies of the EU regulates the fishing in EU territories to ensure they are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. 
      Holes in nets had to be a certain size-mesh size
      Quotas limited 
      Fishing boats can’t be too big 
      Can't dump bycatch ( fish not intended to catch)
    • white tailed eagle- Removed from wild in Britain and France early 20th century 
      3 lessons to learn: basic flight; how to hunt; advanced flight 
      Wild white-tailed eagles could soon be flying in the alps.
    • hybridisation -Closely related species produce offspring..
      … which are usually insterile
    • cryopreservation- The freezing of gametes or embryos. Offspring can be produced without the parents meeting. Can be stored for many years.
    • artificial insemination- Collecting and inserting semen into female. This avoids transportation if the male, injury from mating and non acceptance of partners. 
      african lion
    • micropropogation- Taking a sample from a plant; which are then cultivated into individuals
    See similar decks