2.7.2D EXPLAIN THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY. 2.7.2B EXPLAIN BIODIVERSITY AS INCLUDING GENETIC VARIATIONS WITHIN POPULATIONS AND VARIATION OF POPULATIONS WITHIN ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKEUP THE BIOSPHERE. 2.7.2D EXPLAIN THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY.

Turn in “Most Wanted” invasive species poster to the red bin. :)

Biodiversity Definition: the number of different species in a given area

Biodiversity of the biosphere …biome …ecosystem/community …population However, we can look deeper into the diversity of different types of areas... Biodiversity of the biosphere All the species on Earth …biome All species in similar areas on Earth …ecosystem/community All species in a smaller area on Earth …population All the individuals of one species in an area on Earth

Genetic Diversity The total number of genetic characteristics in a given population These variations serve as a way for a population to adapt to changing environment. Greater variation increases the chance that some individuals of that population will possess variations that are suited to the new environment. They’ll live and pass on those traits to the next generation, preventing extinction of their species!

Imagine: One individual has a mutation that makes it darker color than the rest of the population. A volcanic eruption occurs, so the environment is no longer pale yellow, but dark. The darker individual will then survive in the new environment and reproduce more than the other individuals, passing on “dark color” genes to the next generation.

Evolution Peppered moths in England after the Industrial Revolution

Variation in an Ecosystem Every organism has a role to play in its environment. This role, which includes where it lives in the environment, what it uses, what it eats, and who eats it, is called its niche. No two species can ever share the SAME niche.

Variation in an Ecosystem When a species is lost in a diverse ecosystem, then another species may take over its role… Or all the organisms that depend on it may die if there is not a diversity of organisms already in that ecosystem. But it takes a LONG time.

Loss of Biodiversity The greatest threat to biodiversity is habitat loss. Habitats (places where organisms live) are “lost” due to land use changes Agriculture Urbanization Deforestation

Habitat Fragmentation Fragmentation is the process that divides large ecosystems into smaller, isolated parts. As a habitat gets smaller, more and more species are affected. Smaller habitats -> less diversity -> less of a chance to recover from changes in the ecosystem