Unit 3 Environmental Science

Area of Study 2: BiodiversityBritt Gow, 2011

Definition:

• Biodiversity (biological diversity) is the total sum of all the living organisms that exist on our earth.

• This living wealth is the product of hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history.

• “The variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” International Convention on Biological Diversity.

Three Levels:

• Genetic Diversity – genes on chromosomes determine the specific characteristics (physical, emotional) of individual organisms.

• Species Diversity – variety of different types (species) of organisms

• Ecosystem Diversity – variety of different ecosystems from marine to desert to tropical rainforest to temperate Eucalypt forest to wetlands etc.

Australian Biodiversity

• Australia has an incredibly diverse range of life due to it’s isolation from other continents.

• Australia is recognised as one of the most mega-diverse countries on the planet, with many endemic species, such as our iconic marsupials and monotremes, banksias, eucalypts and grevilleas.

Why Conserve Biodiversity?

• Ecosystem services• Biological resources• Social benefits

Conservation of Biodiversity

• Genetic – variety of breeding pairs in captive programs, different groups in separate locations

• Population – conserving a particular population within a precise geographic area

• Species – preserving different species of organisms (management plans)

• Ecosystem – National parks and conservation reserves

Assessment of Biodiversity

• Species richness (no. of different species)• Species diversity (abundance of each different

species)• Simpson’s Index • Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index

Threats to Biodiversity

• Climate Change• Habitat destruction• Introduced animals• Pollution• Pest plants• Over-harvesting

Conservation Categories

• Extinct• Extinct in the wild• Critically endangered• Endangered• Vulnerable• Conservation dependent• Data deficient• Low risk• Not evaluated

Strategies for protecting Biodiversity

• Action plans• Captive breeding programs• Conservation reserves• Revegetation and habitat restoration• Feral species control• Ecotourism• Education

Project Eden: Shark Bay, WA

Keeping Feral Species Out