1. BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 1. biodiversity
2. the variety, of organisms in a particular ecosystem/biome
3. the abundance of different species of an ecosystem

2. Why is Biodiversity Valued?
Ecosystem stability • a diverse community is a stable community Species interact and depend upon one another for necessities such as food & habitat.
Species as resources • foods, medicine An anthropocentric view. Species might prove beneficial to us
Intrinsic value • the ‘right’ for each species to exist A moral/ethical position. One species (i.e. Homo) does not trump the rights of other species

3. The Sixth Extinction? • Long history of extinction on Earth,
its part of the evolutionary process.
However current rates far exceed those of past events
• Extinction origin is unique as well : the impact of a species, vs an abiotic event
• Earth is currently faced with a loss of species on the scale of the five mass extinctions of the geological past. 30,000 species per year?

4. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
Sudden Oak Death
Himalayan Blackberry
Strip Mining