...Biodiversity Paper A Freedom (n.d.), according to the In Environmental Encyclopedia Conservation biology is the application of ecological and biological science to the conservation and protection of Earth’s biodiversity. Conversation biology represents an integration of theory, basic and applied research and broader educational goals. “Biodiversity also called biological diversity, the variety of life found in a place on Earth or often the total variety of life on Earth. A common measure of this variety, called species richness is the count of species in an area” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). A species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural population, which are reproductively isolated from other such groups” (Hunter & Gibbs, 2007). “Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants, fungi, etc) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future” (Wikipedia, 2013). For example, one Threatened species would be Whale; unfortunately, the Whales are being killed for their body parts as well they are facing series threats in regards to entanglement in fishing gear, harvest, and habitat impact. Further, an endangered species is specie that is a risk of extinction for example; Giant Panda is at risk due to “habitat fragmentation and loss. The area in which the pandas live in is becoming smaller due to human activities such as logging, farming in forests and road building” ( San Diego Zoo Animal, 2013). Extinct species, is a “species, organisms...
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...Organizational Development and Change Professor : Fr. Jovic Lobrigo Reflection Paper on Biodiversity The seminar on biodiversity was indeed refreshing and an eye opener to those silent and unaware of what is happening in our environment. It discussed what biodiversity is, why it is important, how to conserve and what people can do to maintain and ensure the constant provision of ecosystem services. The earth is facing a menace on ecological imbalance. Natural disasters occur more frequently. Global warming is indeed a global issue which government of different countries has an undergoing study to mitigate and control this world challenge and problem. Philippines is considered as one of the mega diverse country in the world. With more than 7,100 island, it has numerous living organisms, plants, and animals both land, salt and freshwater. The country is blessed with numbers of natural habitat, forests and mountains, islands and islets, coral reefs, coastal marines, lakes and other freshwater bodies. But Philippines of today can be considered as a biodiversity hotspot. National ecosystem is in the midst of destruction. Biodiversity conservation is a concern of every Filipino for many reasons. Almost all of the needs of mankind are derived from biological resources such as food, shelter, clothing, water, and even medicines. Discoveries of medicines will be more feasible if we have richer biodiversity. Economical growth, healthier life, and we will have adaptive responses to natural...
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...o What are the characteristics that classify all the species you have selected in the kingdom Animalia? Animalia is defined as the “taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct animals” (Animalia, 2006). There are 1.4 million species recorded in the world, but the number of actual species are probably closer to 10 million. 70 percent of the world species can be found in the following countries (Species Estimate, 2007) : Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, and Zaire. The Kingdom Animalia includes the following species: mammals, insects, birds, echinoderms, and etcetera. In this paper we will discuss two from the following areas: mammals (cats and dogs), insects (ants and flies), pigeon and chicken (birds) and echinoderms (star fish and sand dollar). o Mammals The domestic cat or also known as species Felis catus (Cat, 2009) can be dated back about 3500 to ancient Egypt. They were used as pets and mousers. Over time, cats have been worshipped or deemed evil because of their association with witches. The weigh an average of 6 to 10 pounds. Cats unlike dogs move by using their front and back legs on one side first, then the other. Cats like dogs are also very smart and carnivorus. Like dogs, they are skillful hunters, but unlike dogs, they are very nimbled and skilled on their feet. The domestic dog or also known as the species Canis lupus familiaris (dog, 2009) may have been around for almost 60 million years in what...
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...populations. Possible factors contributing to this decline include changes in food, loss of genetic variation, cover availability, evolution of predation, microclimatic effect, and lack of recolonization following extinctions. Habitat loss and fragmentation are processes that separate small populations, which have higher extinction rates that may lead to a reduction in biological diversity. Recent dramatic declines in forest management have brought some undesirable consequences for forest health and wildlife (Jack Ward, T. (n.d). Standing back and letting nature take its course has become increasingly prevalent. Unfortunately, while appealing as this sounds, this is not tenable in the long-term as it will not protect forests, retain biodiversity, and provide some wood products over time. We are increasingly depending on places beyond our borders to provide our wood places with far less resources and knowledge about how to manage forests responsibly. By importing wood products, we export not only environmental consequences but jobs and dollars ( Jack Ward, T. (n.d). Conservation biology needs to reach out to a much broader community of academics and practitioners in fields as diverse as anthropology, history, political geography, and environmental psychology (Bernstein, M., & Ladle, R. J. (2010). There has been little recognition in conservation biology of the benefits that could be derived from collaboration with industrial designers. This lack of interest is...
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...change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires teaching and learning methods that can motivate and... Save Paper Travel And Tourism Bussiness Plan Business plan: As a part of Travel & Tourism AS course we had to organize a trip.From the first day we were a group of five persons.However,due to some... Save Paper The Virtual Office’s Impact On Employee Work-Life Balance And Business Sustainability 1 MGT 3201 The virtual offices impact on employee work-life balance and business sustainability Prepared for: Mr. Ray Hingst Submitted: 18 October 2013 Prepared... Save Paper Travel And Tourism UK, and over 200,000 small and medium-sized enterprises. People are employed in tourism right across the country, in every constituency, in cities, in seaside towns... Save Paper Energy For Sustainable Management: Unit 3 Assignment able to produce as much useful energy as they consume, the break-even point. Sustaining reactions that produce enough energy to make them a commercially viable power... Save Paper The Sustainability Of Bws Under Philippine Laws Sustainability of BWS under Philippine Laws (A Position Paper) The case of People v. Genosa in 2004 was a landmark case that allowed for the Philippine... Save Paper Can Coke And Pepsi Sustain Their Profits In The Wake Of Flattening Demand And The Growing Popularity... best rates for the majority of their needs. Coca-Cola and Pepsi can sustain their profits in spite...
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...Decline in Biodiversity Deanna Garrett ENV497 Chad Goings July 15, 2013 Decline in Biodiversity Biodiversity is important in ecosystems because every life form works together in order for them to function. When these ecosystems are disrupted or altered, or even lacks biodiversity, it poses major threats to all the life forms in it, whether it happens quickly or over a long period of time. When we lack biodiversity, our ecosystems become unstable, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to disasters and they cannot contribute to our well being. Although policy makers may be faced with challenges, many considerations need to be taken into account to preserve biodiversity and to protect these areas so that these ecosystems can function properly and prosper. When we hear the word ‘biodiversity’, it pretty much explains itself. It is the amount of variation of life forms within a given biome, ecosystem, species, or even the entire plant. Many considerations need to be taken into account to preserve biodiversity and to protect these areas so that these ecosystems can function properly and prosper. With respect to the ecosystem and biodiversity, we need to remember that once our natural resources run out and when most ecosystems are destroyed, it is very hard to restore it to what it was. We need to consider our well being, as well as all the other organisms that we share the earth with. We use biodiversity all the time, whether it is direct or indirect. In order for us to...
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...‘Maintaining biodiversity at its present level is impossible if people are to achieve a reasonable standard of living in the near future.’ Discuss this statement with reference to a tropical biome that you have studied. (40 marks) Biodiversity is the variety of species in an ecosystem, and there is a large biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest, which is the tropical biome which I have studied. The Amazon covers 40% of the South American land mass, passing through countries such as Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Chile. It is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth, homes to about 1 million different plant species, over 500 species of mammals, and over 2000 species of fish. There are also a few endangered species in this biome, including the black caiman, which is a reptile and a pirarucu, which is a fish. The standard of living is simply the degree of wealth and material comfort available to a person or community. For the standard of living to improve for generations today and for future generations, it is often necessary for development to occur. And for development to occur, it is almost inevitable that the biodiversity in the area will be affected in one way or another. There are currently some threats to the Amazon rainforest, mainly being deforestation, overhunting and overfishing. If these activities are done in abundance, then it is not possible for people to achieve a reasonable standard of living in the future. So measures must be taken to sustainably develop the...
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...Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity 1. Introduction Climate change (also known as global warming) refers to an increase in mean annual surface temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, owing to increases in concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere (Ninan, 2009). Biodiversity, on the other hand, is shorthand for biological diversity, and it is about the living world with which humanity not only co-exist but has evolved as a dependant part. The term biodiversity acknowledges that the natural world is a whole living system, and we are a part of it (Corlett & LaFrankie, 1998). The phase “climate change” and “global warming” are now a part of our lives and rarely does a day goes by without a mention, in the press or on the radio, of the possible causes of climate change and its consequences. This phenomenon has sneaked up on us in a somewhat short period of time and is accelerating at an alarming rate. It is perhaps the most serious problem that is threatening the civilized world today (Ninan, 2009). This paper postulates that climate change poses a serious threat on biodiversity. It will put forward evidence of how biodiversity has been affected worldwide, and will seek a solution to this problem 1.2. Biodiversity and its importance Simply put, biodiversity represents the fabric of life itself. It is comprised not only of numbers of species, but also includes the variety of all life...
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...Purpose To assess your ability to: define biodiversity explain how species diversity arises explain the patterns of biodiversity on Earth list several regions of high biodiversity (e.g., biodiversity hotspots) discuss how interactions among species affect their fates and that of communities discuss why the special properties of a community are important explain the relationship between species diversity and community stability discuss the role of disturbance in a community discuss how disturbance affects a community identify the major terrestrial biomes identify the environmental conditions that control the distribution of the major terrestrial biomes identify the activities that threaten global forests discuss activities that can be taken to preserve global forests discuss the impact of road construction on the Earth's forests discuss how vertical stratification differentiates life zones in oceans discuss why coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries, and wetlands are biologically important identify the locations of the world's most extensive grasslands discuss human-mediated activities that degrade the world's grasslands identify the original purposes of parks and nature preserves in North America identify the major benefits of biodiversity discuss the major human-caused threats to biodiversity discuss in what ways we humans can reduce the human-caused threats to biodiversity define wilderness discuss why wilderness areas are both important and controversial ...
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...change on the future of biodiversity. This article explains the many different impacts of climate change that effect individuals, species etc.one important point stated is that a study has resulted that about 6300 species have a great possibility of disappearing due to extinction (Celine et al. 2012). Letters: Nematode from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa. One point in which I felt increased my knowledge to this topic understands the difference between Halicephalobus and H.mephisto, even though they have a morphologically minimalistic gene they are different due to their long spotted tail (Borgonie et al. 2011). How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean. An eye catching point in the paper is the technique used to estimate how many species exist on earth. They applied the lengthy process to all eukaryote kingdoms and predicted that there is 8.74 million species of eukaryotes that exist on earth (Camilo et al. 2011). Nature geosciences: Sinking deltas due to human activities This paper began with a very interesting fact to the article stating that about half a billion people in the world are living near or even on the deltas. This is concerning as I was then lead to read that a number of early in indicators have stated that the occurrence of hurricanes and cyclones have high chance of increasing (James et al. 2009) . The politics of climate change This paper was quite different to the others as this paper was more like a debate or...
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...APES Chapter 11 Review 1. Five types of public land in the United States: * National Forest System- these forests are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and used for logging, mining, livestock grazing, farming, oil and gas extraction, recreation, hunting, fishing, and conservation of watershed, soil, and wildlife resources. * National Resource Lands- managed by the Bureau of Land Management, these lands are used for mining, oil and gas extraction, and livestock grazing. * National Wildlife Refuges- 542 refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Most refuges protect habitats and breeding areas for waterfowl and big game to provide a harvestable supply for hunters, a few protect endangered species from extinction. * National Park System- managed by the National Park Service. It includes 56 major parks and 331 national recreation areas, monuments, memorials, battlefields, historic sites, parkways, trails, rivers, seashores, and lakeshores. Only camping, hiking, sport fishing, and boating can take place in the national parks, but sport hunting, mining, and oil and gas drilling is allowed in National Recreation Areas. * National Wilderness Preservation System- 660 road less areas that lie within the other types of public lands and are managed by agencies in charge of those lands. Most of these areas are open only for recreational activities such as hiking, sport fishing, camping, and non-motorized boating. 2. In 1988, an industry-backed coalition...
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...What is biodiversity? Why does it change? Why is it important to conserve it? INTRODUCTION Presently these days, lots of people live in urban areas. In this case they are separated from the environment. But another important reason why humans will always depend on the environment is because our lives depend on biodiversity. Meaning that we get clothing, medicines, food and furniture from other species. Just because that people rely on biodiversity they have to conserve biodiversity and can save it for future generations (www.scienceclarified.com). But before knowing all the damage this can cause to us, firstly we should know what biodiversity is. Why does it change? Why we have to conserve biodiversity? The aim of this essay is to answer these three questions, so in this paper I will try analyze most important things about biodiversity. MAIN ARGUMENTS The definition of biodiversity has many different connotations, description of species composition interactions between organisms and their environment (Orians, G. H. 1996, p.49). But the major definition of biodiversity is: the variety of life in all its manifestations (Lecture notes). This modern definition can sound like the variety of life on earth, variety of species, and the communities in which they occur. The major elements of diversity are: genetic, taxonomic, and ecological. The first one is Genetic (populations, individuals) – individuals of the same species. It means genetic variations between individuals...
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...A TERM PAPER ON HIS 662: ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION TOPIC: RESOURCE USE, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE WRITTEN BY NSEK, UDUAK OKON REG. NO: 13/PG/AR/HS/006 DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF UYO SUBMITTED TO DR. DOMINIC AKPAN LECTURER IN CHARGE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIOANL STUDIES FACULTY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF UYO MARCH, 2015 Abstract Resource use can be defined as the derivation of benefit from that resource in economic or financial, social or cultural, political and ecological respects. Human actions or resource use have altered global environment and reduced biodiversity by causing extinctions and reducing the population sizes of surviving species. Increasing human population size and per capita resource use will continue to have direct and indirect consequences such as distorted values of plant and animal resources, inappropriate resource tenure and ownership structure as well as lack of knowledge on resource management and biodiversity conservation. Inevitably, our collective future becomes bleak as future generations will inhabit a planet with significantly less wildlife, diminished ecosystem services and an increased impoverished people. Keywords: Resource, Biodiversity, future Introduction The most significant environmental issue in the contemporary world has been resource use and biodiversity conservation. This is not unusual because humans benefit directly or...
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...Assess the relative importance of human and physical factors influencing levels of biodiversity (15 Marks) There are a range of human factors which affect the levels of biodiversity in an area in positive and negative ways. The way in which people use resources can have a damaging effect on the levels of biodiversity as trees are cut down for wood or paper; in some places this is leading to high levels of deforestation. Particularly in areas such as the tropical rainforest, this can lead to the destruction of habitats and so put many endemic species at risk. Also, in many areas there are poachers who put many species at risk of extinction as they can gain wealth by hunting them. In more built up areas, there is likely to be much lower biodiversity as concrete is built over where plants may have previously grown and areas with the highest biodiversity are relatively undisturbed. Due to an increasing population, many more areas are becoming built up by the process of urbanisation. This gives local species less opportunity to continue or to develop and so lowering the level of biodiversity of the area. In a less direct way, biodiversity can be affected by humans as pollution is created, affecting air quality and contaminating water sources. Pollution can make an area more hostile to other species living in the area which can affect the population of them in a negative way. Particularly in cases of contaminated water sources, the pollution can be toxic to plant or animal species...
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...Yamir Ortiz March 26, 2014 Dr. Palestis Biodiversity Discussion Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services “Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services” by Worm et al. 2006, was an interesting paper to read. The article talks about the dangers and the effects humans are having on the marine ecosystems. It also touches on the importance and benefits that diversity has. As we all know, the marine ecosystems of the world have the ability to provide us with an array of different resources, most importantly, food. Because of us, through exploitation, pollution, and habitat destruction there are changes occurring within the biodiversity of the marine ecosystems. There have been observations within estuaries, coral reefs, and coastal and oceanic fishing communities that there is a rapid decrease in population, species, and entire functional groups. Due to diversity between producers and consumers, species are able to overcome/survive more such atrocities by allowing them to be stable and have higher efficiency of resources. When looking at coastal ecosystems, experiments conducted reveled a fast decline in native species since industrialization increased, causing pollution within waters. Systems that contained more diverse and species rich environments showed to be more stable causing them to have lower rates of collapse and extinction over time. When looking at the larger marine ecosystem there has been a larger collapse in the areas that are...
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