What Is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, threatened, or endangered, but every living thing — even organisms we still know little about, such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates.
What Causes Biodiversity?
Human population growth & overexploitation of resources:
The human population is a major factor affecting the environment. We have overpopulation which means that there are more people than there are resources. Al the environmental problems we face can be traced back to the increase in population in the world. The effects of overpopulation and overconsumption are not only felt locally or nationally, the population in one region can effect the air, water, vegetation or animals. The effect of CO2 changes, loss of biodiversity and marine pollution ultimately affect everyone in the world. Overharvesting and habit loss often removal of an organism from its environment can have irreversible impacts on the environment itself. Human have historically exploited plant and animal species to maximize short-term profit, at the expense of sustainability of species or population.
The human population is a major factor affecting the environment. We have overpopulation which means that there are more people than there are resources. Al the environmental problems we face can be traced back to the increase in population in the world. The effects of overpopulation and overconsumption are not only felt locally or nationally, the population in one region can effect the air, water, vegetation or animals. The effect of CO2 changes, loss of biodiversity and marine pollution ultimately affect everyone in the world. Overharvesting and habit loss often removal of an organism from its environment can have irreversible impacts on the environment itself. Human have historically exploited plant and animal species to maximize short-term profit, at the expense of sustainability of species or population.
Habitat loss: Three major kinds:
Habitat Destruction: The single most important causes of the loss of rainforest directly related to human population growth. Rainforest is convertes to ranches, agricultural land, urban areas and human usages. Many species are widely distributes, habitat destruction only reduce local population numbers. Most habitats being destroyed are those contain the highest levels.
Habitat Fragmentation: A landscape scale process involving both habitat loss and the breaking apart of habitat. Humans produce habitat fragmentation from agricultural land conversion, urbanization, pollution, deforestation. Human caused wildfires as well as the fire suppression.
Habitat Degradation: Pollution, invasive species and disruption of ecosystem processes.
Habitat Destruction: The single most important causes of the loss of rainforest directly related to human population growth. Rainforest is convertes to ranches, agricultural land, urban areas and human usages. Many species are widely distributes, habitat destruction only reduce local population numbers. Most habitats being destroyed are those contain the highest levels.
Habitat Fragmentation: A landscape scale process involving both habitat loss and the breaking apart of habitat. Humans produce habitat fragmentation from agricultural land conversion, urbanization, pollution, deforestation. Human caused wildfires as well as the fire suppression.
Habitat Degradation: Pollution, invasive species and disruption of ecosystem processes.
Pollution and contamination:
Biological systems respond slowly to changes in their surrounding environment. Human activity influences the natural environment producing negative, effects that alter the flow of energy, the chemical and physical constitution of the environment and abundance of the species.
Biological systems respond slowly to changes in their surrounding environment. Human activity influences the natural environment producing negative, effects that alter the flow of energy, the chemical and physical constitution of the environment and abundance of the species.
Climate change:
Climate change has the potential to threaten approximately one quarter or more of all species on land with extinction by the year 2050, and warm up the Earth's surface by 6 degrees Celsius or more by the year 2100, assuming that current trends in burning fossil fuels. The average temperature of the Earth's surface during the peak of the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago was only about 6 degrees Celsius cooler than it is now, which may cause a serious threat to slow growing communities which cannot respond quickly, and may shrink the range of plants. May increase the frequency of climatic disturbances such as fires, insects, diseases, storms, etc. More CO2 in atmosphere which is more CO2 in ocean it increasing ocean acidification, increasing oceanic dead zones.
Climate change has the potential to threaten approximately one quarter or more of all species on land with extinction by the year 2050, and warm up the Earth's surface by 6 degrees Celsius or more by the year 2100, assuming that current trends in burning fossil fuels. The average temperature of the Earth's surface during the peak of the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago was only about 6 degrees Celsius cooler than it is now, which may cause a serious threat to slow growing communities which cannot respond quickly, and may shrink the range of plants. May increase the frequency of climatic disturbances such as fires, insects, diseases, storms, etc. More CO2 in atmosphere which is more CO2 in ocean it increasing ocean acidification, increasing oceanic dead zones.