{Biodiversity

Components and Benefits

One important renewable resource is biodiversity: The different life forms and life sustaining processes

Biodiversity has four main components

Species Diversity Genetic Diversity Ecological Diversity Functional Diversity

Biodiversity

The number and abundance of species present in different communities

Species Diversity

The variety of genetic material within a species or population

Genetic Diversity

The variety of ecosystems found on an area or on earth

Ecological Diversity

The biological and chemical processes such as energy flow and matter recycling needed for the survival of living things.

Functional Diversity

Biodiversity provides us with:Natural Resources (food water, wood, energy, and medicines)

Natural Services (air and water purification, soil fertility, waste disposal, pest control)

Aesthetic pleasure

Why Should We Care About Biodiversity?

Fossil Evidence, chemical analysis, Ice Core samples, and DNA analysis demonstrate that the biodiversity today is different from the biodiversity in the past

Biodiversity of the Past

Figure 4-4

Ecosystem Services Ecosystem Function Food Security Drugs and Medicine Tourism and Recreation Keeping in Touch With Nature

Benefits of Biodiversity

Service that nature provides humans/ecosystems

Clean air from plants

Ecosystem Services

Increased biodiversity means more stability and better chance at bouncing back

Keystone species: take it away, ecosystem fumbles

Ecosystem Function

Increased biodiversity (of crops) means more stable (disease resistant, tougher)

Is this better for the future? Seed banks

Food Security

Lots of drugs come from plants and other organisms (mostly the rainforest)

Aspirin

Drugs and Medicine

Ecotourism (should have a balance between money and ecosystem)

Great Barrier Reef Costa Rica Fishing/Hunting

Tourism and Recreation

Biophilia: the need to connect with nature

Outdoor activities People “need” this Nature-deficit

disorder Children/people are spending less and less

time outdoors

Keeping in touch with Nature

Closer to the mainland, increased biodiversity Bigger island, increased biodiversity Habitat fragmentation:

The disruption of an organisms environment

Island Biogeography