Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach

Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach

 A Disturbing Message from the Birds

• Approximately 70% of the world’s 9,775 known bird species are declining in
numbers. A 2006 review of more than 200 scientific articles by the World
Wildlife Fund projected that climate change during this century could drive
up to 72% of world’s bird species into extinction. The report found that
groups of birds with the highest risk from climate change are migratory,
mountain, island, wetland, Arctic, Antarctic, and sea birds.
 Indicators

• Conservation biologists view this decline of bird species with alarm. One
reason is that birds are excellent environmental indicators because they live
in every climate and biome, respond quickly to environmental changes in
their habitats, and are fairly easy to track and count
Threatened natural capital: Some of the many threatened species of U.S. songbirds are
(left to right) the Florida scrub jay, Kirtland’s warbler, the black-capped vireo, Bachman’s
warbler, and Henslow’s sparrow.
 What role do humans play in the premature
extinction of species?

• The current rate of species extinction is at least 100 times the rate that
existed before modern humans arrived on earth, and is expected to increase
to between 1,000 and 10,000 times the earlier rate during this century.
 Types of extinction
• Biologists distinguish among three levels of species extinction. LOCAL
EXTINCTION occurs when a species is no longer found in an area it once
inhabited but is still found elsewhere in the world. Most local extinctions
involve losses of one or more populations of species. Ecological extinction
occurs when so few members of a species are left that it can no longer play
its ecological roles in the biological communities where it is found. In
BIOLOGICAL EXTINCTION, a species is no longer found anywhere on the
earth Biological extinction is forever and represents a loss of natural capital
Lost natural capital: some animal species that have become prematurely extinct largely because of human activities,
mostly habitat destruction and overhunting. Question: Why do you think birds top the list of extinct species?

According to the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the current rate of species
extinction is at least 100 times the rate that existed before modern humans appeared about
150,000 years ago This study and several others found that some types of species were more
threatened with premature extinction than others were
Species that are endangered or threatened with premature extinction largely because of human
activities. Almost 30,000 of the world’s species and 1,260 of those in the United States are officially
listed as being in danger of becoming extinct. Most biologists believe the actual number of species
at risk is much larger.

• Conservation biologists project that the extinction rate caused by habitat loss, global
warming, and other effects of human activities will increase to 1,000–10,000 times
the natural rate during this century
• This amounts to an annual extinction rate of 0.1% to 1% per year
 Why should we care about preventing species
extinction?

Species Are a Vital Part of the Earth’s Natural Capital

So what is all the fuss about? If all species eventually become extinct, why should
we worry about losing a few more because of our activities? Does it matter that the
bird species pic-1,remaining orangutans pic-2, some unknown plant or insect in a
tropical forest becomes prematurely extinct because of human activities?
New species eventually evolve to take the places of those lost through
mass extinctions. So why should we care if we speed up the extinction
rate over the next 50–100 years? The answer is: because it will take 5–10
million years for natural speciation to rebuild the biodiversity we are
likely to destroy during your lifetime.

• instrumental value—their usefulness

• genetic information that allows species to adapt to changing environmental
conditions
• Natural capital: nature’s pharmacy. Parts of these and a number of other plants and
animals (many of them found in tropical forests) are used to treat a variety of human
oilments and diseases. Nine of the ten leading prescription drugs originally came
from wild organisms. About 2,100 of the 3,000 plants identified by the National
Cancer Institute as sources of cancer-fighting chemicals come from tropical forests.
 How Do Humans Accelerate Species
Extinction?
• The greatest threats to any species are (in order) loss or degradation of its
habitat, harmful invasive species, human population growth, pollution,
climate change, and overexploitation.
• Conservation biologists summarize the most important secondary causes of
premature extinction using the acronym HIPPCO: Habitat destruction,
degradation, and fragmentation; Invasive (nonnative) species; Population
growth (too many people consuming too many resources); Pollution;
Climate change; and Overexploitation
 Facts

• The global legal and illegal trade in wild species for use as pets is also a huge
and very profitable business. Many owners of wild pets do not know that for
every live animal captured and sold in the pet market, an estimated 50
others are killed or die in transit. Most people are also unaware that some
imported exotic animals can carry dangerous infectious diseases.
 How Can We Protect Wild Species from
Premature Extinction?

• We can use existing environmental laws and treaties and work to enact new
laws designed to prevent species extinction and to protect overall
biodiversity.
• We can help prevent species extinction by creating and maintaining wildlife
refuges, gene banks, botanical gardens, zoos, and aquariums
 What can you do?

• Do not buy furs, ivory products, or other items made from endangered or threatened animal
species.
• ■ Do not buy wood or paper products produced by cutting old-growth forests in the tropics.
• ■ Do not buy birds, snakes, turtles, tropical fish, and other animals that are taken from the wild.
• ■ Do not buy orchids, cacti, or other plants that are taken from the wild.
• ■ Spread the word. Talk to your friends and relatives about this problem and what they can do
about it.

• Question: Which two of these actions do you believe are the most important? Why?
• Why do conservation biologists consider birds to be excellent
environmental indicators?
• Describe the three types of species extinction. Define the terms
endangered species and threatened species. ?
• In addition to national and international laws and treaties, describe other
ways that can be used to prevent species extinction.?
 Biodiversity of plants

• Plants I decided to compare:

1. Pumpkin

2. Tomato

3. Watermelon
 Growing a pumpkin from seeds

• Pumpkin seeds typically germinate in about 10 days. There aren't usually any
issues with this stage.
• About eight weeks (or 50-55 days) after that, you should start seeing flowers.
This is about halfway depending on the variety
• Generally, pumpkins take 90-120 days to mature after seeds are planted,
depending on the variety. Pumpkins are ripe when they are fully colored and have
a hard rind and woody stem.
 Early leaves of the pumpkin 

Here it’s about 6-8 days :

Pumpkins which were in the garden :
 pumpkins’ Flowers’ blossom

• In about 45-50 days of their life pumpkins show us their flowers: Yellow
• Usually with five joined leaves… . .
small Pumpkins
 Have to mention!

• I have to mention that there are over 150 separate species of pumpkin
plants and many hundreds of varieties of every shape, colour, and size you
can imagine.
 Some facts about pumpkins

• Although we often think of pumpkins as vegetables, they're actually

fruits! ...
• Each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds.
• Pumpkins are 90% water, which makes them a low-calorie food.
• From a Greek word ‘pepon’ pumpkin is known as ‘large melon’ in some
countries of the Central America