Docsity
Log inSign up
Docsity
Prepare for your exams
Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Earn points to download
Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Guidelines and tips
Guidelines and tips
Sell on Docsity
Sell on Docsity
Docsity AI
Docsity AI
Log inSign up

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Find documents

Prepare for your exams with the study notes shared by other students like you on Docsity

Search for your university

Find the specific documents for your university's exams

Docsity AINEW

Summarize your documents, ask them questions, convert them into quizzes and concept maps

Explore questions

Clear up your doubts by reading the answers to questions asked by your fellow students

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Share documents
download point icon20 Points

For each uploaded document

Answer questions
download point icon5 Points

For each given answer (max 1 per day)

All the ways to get free points
Get points immediately

Choose a premium plan with all the points you need

Study Opportunities

Choose your next study program

Get in touch with the best universities in the world. Search through thousands of universities and official partners

Community

Ask the community

Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts

Free resources

Our save-the-student-ebooks!

Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors

Biodiversity: Understanding the Importance and Value of Wild Species and Ecosystems, Assignments of Environmental Science

University of Idaho (U of I)Environmental Science

A module from an environmental science course focusing on biodiversity. It covers definitions, values, importance, and threats to biodiversity. Topics include instrumental and intrinsic value, sources of value, physical alteration of habitats, and consequences of biodiversity losses. Students will learn about the importance of biodiversity for agriculture, forestry, medicine, recreation, and commercial trade.

Typology: Assignments

Pre 2010

Uploaded on 08/19/2009

koofers-user-hnu
koofers-user-hnu 🇺🇸

5

(1)

9 documents

1 / 21

Toggle sidebar

This page cannot be seen from the preview

Don't miss anything!

bg1
1
7. BIODIVERSITY
MODULE 7.1 Definitions and
Value
A. Wild Nature
B. Value of Natural Species
MODULE 7.2 Biodiversity
C. Biodiversity
D. Physical Alteration of Habitats
MODULE 7.3 Threatened
Organisms
E. Saving Wild Species
F. Ecosystems Under Pressure
When you are finished with this
unit you should be able to:
1. Distinguish between instrumental
and intrinsic value in assigning
worth to natural species.
2. Explain how biodiversity is impor-
tant for agriculture, forestry, aqua-
culture, and animal husbandry;
medicine; recreation, science, and
aesthetic enjoyment; and commer-
cial trade.
3.Definebiodiversityandestimate
the diversity of species on Earth.
4. Document the extent of bio-
diversity losses, both known and
unknown.
5. Analyze the ways in which physi-
cal alteration of habitat affect
biodiversity.
6. Explain how the human population
explosion impacts biodiversity.
Lecture Outline:
Learning Objectives:
Environmental Science 101 Web-Based Course
Biodiversity
Biological wealth Endangered Species Act
Instrumental value Endangered species
Intrinsic value Exotic species
Cultivar Lacey Act
Gene bank Ecotourism
Biodiversity Keystone species
Simplificationofhabitat
Fragmentation of habitat
Conversion of habitat
Terms You Should Know:
Reading Assignment:
Brennan and Withgott:
Chapter 11; pages 293–324.
pf3
pf4
pf5
pf8
pf9
pfa
pfd
pfe
pff
pf12
pf13
pf14
pf15

Partial preview of the text

Download Biodiversity: Understanding the Importance and Value of Wild Species and Ecosystems and more Assignments Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity!

7. BIODIVERSITY

MODULE 7.1 Definitions and Value A. Wild Nature B. Value of Natural Species MODULE 7.2 Biodiversity C. Biodiversity D. Physical Alteration of Habitats MODULE 7.3 Threatened Organisms E. Saving Wild Species F. Ecosystems Under Pressure When you are finished with this unit you should be able to:

  1. Distinguish between instrumental and intrinsic value in assigning worth to natural species.
  2. Explain how biodiversity is impor- tant for agriculture, forestry, aqua- culture, and animal husbandry; medicine; recreation, science, and aesthetic enjoyment; and commer- cial trade.
  3. Define biodiversity and estimate the diversity of species on Earth.
  4. Document the extent of bio- diversity losses, both known and unknown.
  5. Analyze the ways in which physi- cal alteration of habitat affect biodiversity.
  6. Explain how the human population explosion impacts biodiversity.

Lecture Outline:

Learning Objectives:

Environmental Science 101 Web-Based Course

Biodiversity

 Biological wealth  Endangered Species Act  Instrumental value  Endangered species  Intrinsic value  Exotic species  Cultivar  Lacey Act  Gene bank  Ecotourism  Biodiversity  Keystone species  Simplification of habitat  Fragmentation of habitat  Conversion of habitat

Terms You Should Know:

Reading Assignment:

Brennan and Withgott: Chapter 11; pages 293–324.

UNIT 7: BIODIVERSITY

  1. BIODIVERSITY MODULE 7.1 Definitions and Value A. WILD NATURE INSTRUMENTAL VALUE — a species or individual organism has instrumental value if its existence or use benefits some other entity (monetary value) ANTHROPOCENTRIC — beneficiaries are humans INTRINSIC VALUE — value for its own sake; does not have to be useful to possess value How would a cornucopian think? B. VALUE OF NATURAL SPECIES 5 areas of value: 1. Sources for Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Animal Husbandry   take a native plant, grow as a Cultivar (for cultivated variety) 

3. Recreation, Aesthetic, and Scientific Valuesport fishing   hiking     very important source of support for maintaining wild species

  1. Commercial Value INDIRECT:  recreational value to support commercial values  sporting goods stores  ECOTOURISM — the enterprise involved in promoting tourism of unusual or interesting ecological sites - non-consumptive use of wildlife - Rwanda — Kenya —

Costa Rica — DIRECT:  commercial logging 

  1. Intrinsic Value  basic right to existence  large vs. small animals  MODULE 7.2 Biodiversity C. BIODIVERSITY 2,300,000 known species 270,000 flowering plants 950,000 insects  70% of the world's biological diversity is concentrated in 17 countries The big 5 countries:

Biodiversity in the USA: Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Fish Plants

  1. Decline of Biodiversity a. Losses Idaho: Endangered species: USA:  9000 species at risk  

Bad Signs:  commercial fish catch down 42% since 1982   song bird and frog numbers are declining Worldwide:   in the past most extinctions have been on small islands  recent concern in tropics:

  • if deforestation rate is 1.8% per year — tropics lose 40, species a year
  • potential loss of 300, species between 1994 and 2000 AD D. Physical Alteration of Habitats  greatest loss of biodiversity i. CONVERSION forests forests

d. Exotic Species EXOTIC SPECIES — is one introduced into an area from somewhere else

  • occasionally disrupts ecosystems and wipes out native species e. Overuse  over-fishing, over-logging, over-whaling    exotic pets f. Examples of Conversion, Fragmentation, and Simplification i. Conversion in Idaho   

ii. Fragmentation in Idaho   iii. Simplification in Idaho   iv. Change in the Pacific Northwest   v. Change in the USA    vi. Change in the World  

   Treaty does the following:

  • funds move from HDCs to LDCs to protect biodiversity
  • genetic resource access rests with host countries

MODULE 7.3 Threatened Organisms E. SAVING WILD SPECIES

  1. Game Animals in USA  most game animals are in good shape   there have even been some successes at reintroductions

1930s — 30,000 total in USA — almost extinct 1990s —  hunting fees help 

Emerging problems:

  • road kills
  • urban invasion:
  • lack of predators
  1. Endangered Species Act Lacey Act — enacted in 1900, forbids interstate commerce in illegally killed wildlife Endangered Species Act of 1973 (reauthorized in 1988) ENDANGERED SPECIES — one that has been reduced to the point where it is in imminent danger of becoming extinct without protection Where species have become endangered the law provides:substantial fines for any killing, trapping, uprooting (plants) or commerce 

F. ECOSYSTEMS UNDER PRESSURE  the decline of biodiversity is linked to the welfare of all the Earth’s ecosystems

  1. Forests and Woodlands  approximately 35% of the area in woodland worldwide is now devoid of trees Negative impacts of losing a forest: - – – – – – Tropical rain forest loss: Region -Area (million ha)- -Annual loss (million ha)- Orig 1980 1991 1980s 1990s L. America 1,983 1,506 1,239 21.2 24. Asia 1,074 652 584 4.0 8. Africa 894 501 446 3.0 7. 3,951 2,659 28.
  1. Wetlands  critical for biodiversity - figure below shows the percent of aquatic and wetland species in the USA that are considered “at risk” (sources: The Nature Conservancy; EPA report 841-F-96-001 )

 in the USA there is currently a reduction in the rate of loss

- figure below shows the annual rate of wetland loss in the USA between the mid- 1950s and the mid-1990s (source: EPA report 841-F-96-001 )

  1. Public Lands in the USA Protect habitats  4,500 protected areas worldwide Protected areas in the world: Country % of total area protected USA Germany Russia Japan Brazil From: The Legacy of Rio by Christopher Flavin. In State of the World 1997 — Lester R. Brown  In USA 40% of the land is publicly owned Wilderness Act of 1964:

Federal Management: BLM — Forest Service — Fish and Wildlife — National Park Service —