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Understanding Biodiversity: Importance, Value, and Threats to Life on Earth

This official video commemorates the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, exploring the rich variety of life on Earth, encompassing wild and domesticated species, their genetic diversity, and the ecosystems they inhabit. It highlights the instrumental and intrinsic values of wild species, emphasizing ecosystem sustainability, agriculture, medicine, recreation, and ecotourism. The video addresses the decline of biodiversity due to habitat loss, pollution, exotic species introduction, and overconsumption, while estimating the unknown diversity of life that exists.

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Understanding Biodiversity: Importance, Value, and Threats to Life on Earth

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  1. Biodiversity

  2. Official video of the International Year of Biodiversity 2010 [www.keepvid.com].mp4

  3. What is biodiversity? • The variety of life on Earth • Includes wild and domesticated species, diversity of their genes, and the variety of ecosystems

  4. Value of Wild Species • Instrumental value: a species of individuals organisms existence is beneficial (usually to humans) • Intrinsic value: a species or individual has value for its own sake, it does not need to be useful to us

  5. Instrumental value • Ecosystem sustainability • Source of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture • Source of medicine • Recreational value • Aesthetic value • Scientific value • Commercial value – ecotourism

  6. Intrinsic Value • Do species other than humans have inherent rights? • Organisms with no obvious value to humans have existed for thousands or millions of years and represent a unique set of biological characteristics

  7. Decline of Biodiversity • Physical alteration of habitat (36%) • Exotic species introduction (39%) • Overuse (23%) • The Population factor • Pollution

  8. How many species are there? • We have identified almost 2 million • Estimates are from 5 million to 100 million • Why don’t we know? • We have identified most organisms larger than a fly • Most work has been done in the developed world, but there are biodiversity hotspots • Recently discovered new species

  9. Biodiversity Loss • Habitat Loss • Introduced species • Pollution • Population Growth • Over-consumption

  10. Habitat Loss • Conversion • Natural areas are converted into farms, subdivisions, … • Fragmentation • Natural areas usually have large patches of land well connected to other patches • Simplification • Removing debris, managing forests for one species, channelization of streams

  11. Introduced Species • Introduced, or exotic species, are not native to the area and have been deliberately or accidentally transported by human activity

  12. Zebra Mussel Competes for food Hinders native clams Alters water clarity

  13. Brown-headed cowbird Competes for food Nest parasite Harmful to neotropical migrants

  14. European Starling Competes for food Competes for nesting holes, affecting native woodpeckers

  15. Pollution • Creation of “dead zones” • Oil spills • Chemicals (ex. DDT) • Acid Deposition • Global Warming

  16. Overuse/Overconsumption • Killing individuals of a particular species faster than they can reproduce will lead to the ultimate extinction of the species • Hunting • Trafficking in wildlife and products • Consumers • Exotic pet • Poor management of forests and woodlands

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