state standard sb4d. assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment...

State Standard

SB4D. Assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment such as global warming, population growth, pesticide use, and water and power consumption.

Conserving Biodiversity (5.3)

What trend about

resource use does the

graph reveal?

Biodiversity and Conservation

Natural Resources

In today’s world there is a high demand for natural resources

The consumption rate of natural resources is not evenly distributed

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Natural Resources are categorized as either renewable or nonrenewable.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Nonrenewable resources are found on Earth in limited amounts or those that are replaced by natural processes over extremely long periods.

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Examples:•Tin, silver, gold uranium, copper (limited amounts)•Phosporous (recycled slowly)•Topsoil (forms slowly)•Fossil fuels (form slowly)

Natural Resources

Renewable resources are replaced by natural processes faster than they are consumed.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Renewable Resources

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Examples:•Plants•Crops•Animals•Water•Various types of energy

Human population growth & economic development are driving a steadily increasing demand for water & power supplies.

While there is no shortage of water globally, much of it is inaccessible for human use and unevenly distributed.

More power is required to access water and treat it so that it can be used.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Water & Power Consumption

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The negative environmental effects of burning fossil fuels calls for development of & use of environmentally friendly sustainable energy sources.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Water & Power Consumption

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Sustainable use means using resources at a rate in which they can be replaced or recycled while preserving the long-term environmental health of the biosphere.

Natural Resources

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Pollution Pollution and atmospheric

changes threaten biodiversity and global stability.

Pollution is the contamination of soil, water, or air as a result of human activity.

Pollution has increased as countries have become more industrialized.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Air Pollution & Global Warming

The measured increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is largely due to burning of fossil fuels.

As CO2 levels have increased, the average global temperature has increased

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Air Pollution – CO2 & Ozone

Excess CO2 can contribute to the Greenhouse Effect (where gases in the atmosphere trap radiant energy from the sun, causing the earth to stay warm)

Release of CFCs from making coolants & styrofoam has thinned the Ozone layer, which protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation overdose

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Air Pollution Also includes dust, smoke, ash, carbon

monoxide, sulfur oxides. Contains gases & particulates (harmful solids) Smoke, gas, & fog combine to form smog.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Air Pollution - Acid Precipitation

Smog containing Sulfur and nitrogen compounds react with water and other substances in the air to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

Acid precipitation removes calcium, potassium, and other nutrients from the soil, depriving plants of these nutrients.

Also damages crops, aquatic ecosystems, and weathers buildings.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Pollution & Pesticides

Biological magnification is the increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as trophic levels increase in a food chain or food web. Ex: DDT

Overuse of pesticides has also caused a rise in pesticide-resistant insect populations (natural selection)

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Water Pollution

Threats to Biodiversity

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• Caused by contaminants from sewers, industries, farms, & homes, which enter water sources such as lakes, rivers, groundwater, & oceans

Biodiversity and Conservation

Water Pollution - Eutrophication

Eutrophication occurs when substances rich in nitrogen and phosphorus (fertilizers) flow into waterways, causing extensive algae growth.

The algae use up the oxygen supply during their rapid growth and after their deaths during the decaying process.

Other organisms in the water suffocate.

Threats to Biodiversity

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EXTINCTION

The gradual process of species becoming extinct is known as background extinction.

Threats to Biodiversity

Biodiversity and Conservation

Mass extinction is an event in which a large percentage of all living species become extinct in a relatively short period of time.

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Biodiversity and Conservation

EXTINCTION FACTORS

Humans are changing conditions on Earth faster than new traits can evolve to cope with the new conditions.

The current high rate of extinction is due to the activities of a single species—Homo sapiens.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

EXTINCTION FACTORS

Bison Passenger pigeons Ocelot Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

Overexploitation, or excessive use, of species that have economic value is a factor increasing the current rate of extinction.

Ocelot

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Biodiversity and Conservation

EXTINCTION FACTORS

- Habitat Loss

If a habitat is destroyed or disrupted, the native species might have to relocate or they will die.

The destruction of habitat, such as the clearing of tropical rain forests (deforestation), has a direct impact on global biodiversity.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

EXTINCTION FACTORS

- Habitat Loss

The declining population of one species can affect an entire ecosystem.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

FRAGMENTATION OF HABITAT

The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces of land is called habitat fragmentation.

The smaller the parcel of land, the fewer species it can support.

Fragmentation reduces the opportunities for individuals in one area to reproduce with individuals from another area.

Carving the large ecosystem into small parcels increases the number of edges—creating edge effects.

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Biodiversity and Conservation

INTRODUCED SPECIES

Nonnative species that are either intentionally orunintentionally transported to a new habitat are known as introduced species.

Introduced species often reproduce in large numbers because of a lack of predators, and become invasive species in their new habitat.

Threats to Biodiversity

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Conserving Biodiversity

Biodiversity and Conservation

Currently, about seven percent of the world’s land is set aside as some type of reserve – especially where there are endemic species and a large portion of the habitat has been lost.

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Biodiversity Hot Spots

Corridors Between Habitat Fragments

Biodiversity and Conservation

Improve the survival of biodiversity by providing corridors, or passageways, between habitat fragments

Creates a larger piece of land that can sustain a wider variety of species and a wider variety of genetic variation

Conserving Biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Conservation

Bioremediation

The use of living organisms, such as prokaryotes, fungi, orplants, to detoxify a polluted area is called bioremediation.

Conserving Biodiversity

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Biological Augmentation

Biodiversity and Conservation

Ladybugs help control aphid populations.Photo courtesy of Nature’s Control

Adding natural predators to a degraded ecosystem is called biological augmentation.

Conserving Biodiversity

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