2.3.15 Conservation of Species

8/7/2019 2.3.15 Conservation of Species

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Conservation of Species

2.3.15



How human activities affect

nature� Through thousands of years humans have developed to become less like their

hunter- gatherer ancestors and have become more self-reliant in some ways. Only inrecent years has:

� Human population risen dramatically± http://www.optimumpopulation.org/opt.earth.html

� Earth¶s resources being used more than it ever has before

� Other species have been harmed by our activities, even becoming endangered, andthen extinct

± Species endangered include the African elephant, Tigers and the Polar Bear .

± Species extinct by human activities include the Dodo

� There has also been a loss of biodiversity



Extinction

� The records of extinction show a current rate of 100-1000 times the normalµbackground¶ rate of extinction, and with the large increase of population of humans,there is growing speculation that us humans are the main cause of extinction of species.

� In the more recent times human society has increased dramatically, there have been784 recorded extinctions since the year 1500

� It is thought that 20% of species alive today could be extinct by 2030, and by the year

2100, up to 50% of species could be extinct.� Although extinction is a natural process by evolution, the rates are high enough to

show that it is indeed humans, who speed up this process at a faster rate.



Loss of Biodiversity

A decrease in the number of species leads to a loss of biodiversity. This occurs in many ways;

� Loss of Natural Vegetation± Humans clear large areas of natural vegetation to provide food for the growing

population. Unfortunately these areas are the habitats for a wide range of diversespecies, and taking away these habitats lead to extinction in the species.

� Replaced by Monoculture± A monoculture is a habitat which has a very low diversity, so there is smallchance of species populating in that area. A monoculture contains a single typeof crop only, which makes harvesting easier .

± Palm oil, an essential product in human society, is taken from the oil palm. Theseoil plant plantations are responsible for 87% of deforestation in Malaysia, with afurther 6 million hectares being scheduled for plantations in the future. Indonesiahas a further 16.5 million hectares are also scheduled to be cleared for the same

reason.

http://i.treehugger.com/



Human Activities� The reasons behind the loss of biodiversity and cause extinction include:

± Over-harvesting� Hunting for food, such as over-fishing which brings many fish species to the brink of

extinction

± Killing competitors for food� These competitors include insects and fungi, which we kill by using pesticides

± Pollution� ³Many toxic substances that are released inadvertently or in the process of waste disposal

are very similar to pesticides.´± http://library.thinkquest.org/25014/why/indirect.pollution.html

± Habitat destruction� This is the build up of monoculture areas and break down of natural vegetation, as well as

deforestation, as mentioned in the previous slide

± Inadvertent introduction of new predators and competitors to natural flora andfauna

� New species more often than not devastate the other species in the area they are bought to. The species can easily become involved in the food chain, becoming a new predator or prey, bring new pathogens or parasites which may kill many species, or even destroy thenatural habitat.

± With ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction#Predation.2C_competition.2C_and_disease

± Killing for Protection� Insects that are vectors for disease such as the female mosquito bringing malaria, or simply

removing a predator if it is deemed as a threat to the humans in the area .



Why humans need to conserve

species

� Biomimcry- using nature as design. Many designshave been based upon ideas in nature, and areimportant as an economical and ecological aspect.

± Gecko tape is covered in nanoscopic hairs that

mimic those found on the feet of a gecko. Thesehairs provide a van der Waals effect, which overall provides a powerful adhesive tape.

± Turbine blades have been developed to improveefficiency in wind and hydroelectric turbines, whichhave been based on the flippers of humpback

whales.Using such blades to catch the wind ascommunities and nations switch to renewable

sources could provide a 20% increase in efficiencythat will help to make wind power generation fullycompetitive with other alternatives.

± R eference: http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/




species

� Other ways natural ecosystems areimportant to humans include:

� Regulation of atmosphere and climate� By processes such as photosynthesis

� Purification and retention of fresh water

� Such as the plant Sparganium,

a genus of flowering plants� Formation and fertilisation of soil

� ³Soil is made up of a mixture of decayed organic material, livingorganisms, and minerals.´

� http://www.tqnyc.org/2004/NYC040803/madeof.html

� Recycling of nutrients� ³Together with different species of fungi, various types of bacteria

are able to drive the process of decomposition. As well asrecycling valuable nutrients, this also removes most of thephysical evidence of the dead organism. Without their activity, wewould be literally knee deep or even buried by the bodies of everything that had lived before us!´

� http://www.typesofbacteria.co.uk/bacteria-recycle-nutrients.html

Simplestem Bur-reed

( Sparganium erectum)

Taken from Wikipedia.com




species� Detoxification and recycling of wastes� ³Worm composting is a method for recycling food waste into a

rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner .´1

� Crop pollination� ³Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed

by insects, particularly bees, Lepidoptera (e.g. butterflies andmoths), flies and beetles.´ Many crop plants are pollinated

including broccoli, cauliflower, and watermelon.� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_bees

� Growth of timber, food and fuel.

1 Picture of worm composting,

taken from

http://www.cityfarmer.org/pour ingwormsweb.jpg

www.sciencedaily.com



Why humans need to

conserve species� There are also ethical and aesthetical reasons;± Extinction of a species should not come about merely by the µfault¶

of humans; all species have the right to survive and live the life inwhich they have evolved into and into which they have becomeadapted.

± It is of our nature as humans to automatically enjoy the natural

world around us and all its aesthetic qualities. Research hasshown that owning a cat or dog reduces stress and anxiety levels,and that patients recover more quickly when they are in a morenatural environment.

www.tork.com.au

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2.3.15 Conservation of Species