biodiversity

• 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,
• Soil maintenance- worms can aerate the soil  to help increase drainage also  increases rate of decomposition  -worms also secret hummus which makes soil peds stick together 

  Detricores break up dead organic matter to increase soil fertility 

  Plants roots can help bind the soil together

  Interception allows for water to drain into soil  
• 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