Summary
Biodiversity exists at multiple levels of organization and is measured in different ways depending on the goals of those taking the measurements. These include a number of species, genetic diversity, chemical diversity, and ecosystem diversity. Humans use many compounds that were first discovered or derived from living organisms as medicines: secondary plant compounds, animal toxins, and antibiotics produced by bacteria and fungi. Ecosystems provide ecosystem services that support human agriculture: pollination, nutrient cycling, pest control, and soil development and maintenance. Biodiversity loss threatens these ecosystem services and risks making food production more expensive or impossible. The core threats to biodiversity are human population growth and unsustainable resource use. Climate change is predicted to cause extinction in the coming century significantly. Exotic species have been the cause of a number of extinctions and are especially damaging to islands and lakes. International treaties such as CITES regulate the transportation of endangered species across international borders. The Endangered Species Act protects listed species in the United States but is hampered by procedural difficulties and a focus on individual species. The Migratory Bird Act is an agreement between Canada and the United States to protect migratory birds. Presently, 11 percent of Earth’s land surface is protected somehow. Habitat restoration can restore ecosystems to previous biodiversity levels before species become extinct. Examples of restoration include the reintroduction of keystone species and the removal of dams on rivers.
Chapter Attributions:
Essentials of Environmental Science by Kamala Doršner is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Discovering How Populations Change” by Open Stax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified from the original by Matthew R Fisher.
Importance of Biodiversity by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified from the original by Matthew R. Fisher.
Biosphere by Connexions <https://archive.org/details/cnx-org-col11325/mode/2up. Modified from the original by Tom Theis and Jonathan Tomkin.
Threats to Biodiversity by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified from the original by Matthew R. Fisher.
Preserving Biodiversity by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified from the original by Matthew R. Fisher.
OpenStax College. (2013). Concepts of biology. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/b3c1e1d2-839c-42b0-a314-e119a8aafbdd@8.10. OpenStax CNX. Available under Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC BY 3.0). Modified from Original.
