Conservation 11.6-11.8

Question 1

What are human influences on biodiversity?

Answer 1

• deforestation
• agriculture ( reduces natural fauna and puts monoculture crops)
• climate change ( Co2 increase, reduces habitats and warms oceans, coral reefs dying)
• littering and pollution can cause harm to environments

Question 2

What does deforestation do to biodiversity?

Answer 2

• Reduces population of the species of trees
• Gets rid of animals habitats so they migrate or die
• Removes food source for organisms living there
• Means more CO2 is in the air because fewer trees to take it in.

Question 3

What does agriculture do to biodiversity?

Answer 3

Removes all plants that naturally live there, and plants one type of crop which is a monocultural crop

• Sometimes deforestation to make room for them
• Removal of hedgerows also gets rid of species that inhabit the area
• Herbicides can be used to kill weeds as they compete for sun and nutrients

Question 4

Statistical evidence of climate change

Answer 4

• Warming trend over the last 50 years
• Sea level rising
• Ocean temps rising
• Mountain glaciers and snow declining

Question 5

How can climate change affect biodiversity?

Answer 5

• Melting of polar ice caps means extinctions of animals that live there like a polar bear, some may migrate
• Low lying land will be flooded if sea levels rise, gets rid of habitat for species including people
• Higher temps in the ocean are destroying coral reefs
• Higher temps also means species will fail like plants
• Insect life cycles will also change which means they can go extinct and lose biodiversity

Question 6

Why should you maintain biodiversity?

Answer 6

• Aesthetic reasons
• Ethical reasons
• Social reasons
• Economic reasons
• Ecological reasons

Question 7

What are the aesthetic reasons?

Answer 7

• Presence of plants and animals enriches our lives, helps us relax
• Patients can recover quicker from illness when supported by the natural environment

Question 8

What are economic reasons?

Answer 8

• Soil erosion and deforestation reduces crop yield and can affect peoples food
• Need to conserve resources for things we use like wood, we can’t just exploit it all or we will run out
• High biodiversity protects against abiotic stresses like natural disasters and extreme weather which could cost a lot to repair damage
• Areas rich in biodiversity are attractive as travel destinations and can attract tourists

Question 9

What are ecological reasons?

Answer 9

• All organisms depend on each other to survive, so if one species is harmed, all other species will also be impacted. For example, if bees species declines, the plants won’t be pollinated, they won’t grow, animals won’t have any food to eat, humans won’t be able to eat either. Bees are a keystone species as they have a large effect on an ecosystem

Question 10

What is in-situ conservation?

Answer 10

Conservation within the natural habitat

Question 11

What is ex-situ conservation?

Answer 11

Conservation outside the natural habitat

Question 12

What are the rankings of preservation for species?

Answer 12

Extinct - no species
Extinct in wild- none found in the wild
Endangered - in danger of extinction
Vulnerable - Considered likely to become endangered

Question 13

What is sustainable development?

Answer 13

Providing economic needs for us now without limiting the future generations resources

Question 14

Give two examples of in-situ conservation?

Answer 14

• Wildlife reserves

- Marine conservation zones

Question 15

What happens in wildlife reserves?

Answer 15

• Controlled grazing
• Restricting human access
• Controlling packing
• feeding animals
• reintroducing species
• removing invasive species
• halting succession

Question 16

Give 3 examples of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 16

• Botanic gardens
• Seed banks
• Captive breeding programmes

Question 17

What are botanical gardens?

Answer 17

They are places where plants can be grown successfully as their optimum conditions are known. Thye are actively managed to make sure they get the right nutrients and soil and also remove pests

Question 18

What are seed banks?

Answer 18

This is a store of the genetic material for plants so that new plants may be grown in the future if anything happens to the species and are backups for extinction The seeds are dried and frozen to keep them preserved. Some seeds die during this process such a rainforest seeds

Question 19

What is the captive breeding programme?

Answer 19

This is where animals are bred and produce offspring in human controlled environments such as zoos and aquatic centres. They use this so the population can remain stable and healthy before they are reintroduced back into their natural habitat. It provides animals with everything they need to thrive like food and also mates

Question 20

Why may it be hard to maintain biodiversity in these breeding programmes?

Answer 20

There may only be a small number of breeding partners available so genetic problems related to interbreeding can occur and therefore embryos or semen from animals in different captive breeding programmes may be brought in.

Question 21

Why may it be difficult to release animals into the wild?

Answer 21

• The animals may have weakened resistance to diseases in the wild
• Some animals behaviour is different to animals in the wild like animals not knowing how to hunt food
• The genetic makeup of the animals in captivity may be different from animals of the same species the wild, so interspecific competition can occur
• They have to make sure the environment can handle the new animals being reintroduced without putting abiotic stress if there isn’t enough food or territory

Question 22

Why do we have conservation agreements?

Answer 22

Animals don’t respect countries borders, therefore we come to an international agreement on things to protect the animals and ensure their survival

Question 23

Name 3 conservation agreements

Answer 23

• IUCN
• the Rio convention
• The countryside stewardship scheme

Question 24

What is IUCN?

Answer 24

The international union of the conservation of nature is an organisation between international governments and once a year they publish a red list with all the endangered and threatened animals. They also were involved in starting CITES.

Question 25

What is CITES?

Answer 25

The convention of international trade in endangered species regulates the international trade of wild plants and species, safeguarding them so they are not overexploited

Question 26

What is the Rio convention?

Answer 26

This was a meeting in Rio where 172 countries made agreements:

• The convention of biology diversity requires countries to make plans for strategic development to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity
• The united nations framework convention of climate change required countries to take steps to decrease greenhouse gas concentration
• The united nations convention of combat desertification prevents the transformation of fertile land into desert and stops the effects of drought

Question 27

What is the countryside stewardship scheme?

Answer 27

This was more local and consisted of payments from the government to farmers to conserve the English landscape and make conservation a part of normal farming. For example:

• sustaining the beauty and diversity of landscape
• improving wildlife habitats
• improving opportunities for countryside enjoyment