Biodiversity and Conservation5.2- Threats to Biodiversity part 2

SPI 4 Predict how various types of human activities affect the environment.

SPI 5 Make inferences about how a specific environmental change can affect the amount of biodiversity.

SPI 6 Predict how a specific environmental change may lead to the extinction of a particular species.

Pollution:contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms

Pollution Statistics• More than 1 billion people worldwide don’t have

access to safe drinking water.• 5000 people die every day as a result of

drinking unclean water.• People who live in high-density air pollution

area, have 20% higher risk of dying from lung cancer.

• More than 3 million kids under the age of 5 years die every year due to environmental factors like pollution.

Pollution Statistics• The United States produces 30% of the world’s

waste and uses 25 % of the world’s natural resources

• Every year around one trillion gallons of untreated sewage and industrial waste is dumped in the U.S water.

• Composting and recycling alone have prevented 85 million tons of waste to be dumped in 2010.

2010 BP Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico *206,000,000 gallons spilled

*<25% recovered

*Tens of thousands of fish, reptile, and mammal deaths

*Tens of billions economic damage

Biological magnification

Non-lethal amounts of chemical pollutants can be passed up the food chain, becoming more concentrated at each stage until it reaches lethal levels even to large organisms.

Eutrophication• Occurs when fertilizers,

and waste flow into waterways, causing extensive algae growth.

• Algae out-competes all other vegetation, causing massive plant die off

• Plant die off causes absence of oxygen in the water

Invasive Species

• Non-native species that are either introduced intentionally or unintentionally.

• Outcompete native species for resources, often not recognized as predators by native animals