Loss+of+Biodiversity

__s__Iris Chen, Gracie Bradford, Michelle Florcruz

There are a few main causes which contribute to the loss of biodiversity. Here is a list of a few causes:
 * __Causes__**

//Invasive Species -// plants or animals which have moved to a habitat where they were not naturally found and are more successful than local species. //Habitat loss -// Agriculture, housing and industry are destroying the habitats of many plants, animals and microbes. Our development means we must destory or decrease the natural ecosystems. Many animals have a certain range that they must maintain in order to live. If they do not have access to this area, their lives are significantly altered. //Pollution -// Our oceans, rivers, lakes and lands have become rubbish bins for society's industrial and organic waste. Plastic in our garbage causes enormous problems. It kills or injures many marine animals and birds either through accidental entanglement or ingestion of the material in the mistaken belief that the plastic is food. For example, sometimes bags are misidentified as jellyfish. //Climate Change -// Many plant and animal species are unlikely to survive climate change. For some species there will no longer be anywhere to live. //Exploitation -// We have drastically reduced some fish populations, hunted some whales to the verge of extinction and destroyed whole forests and their ecosystems. Blast fishing is another practise which reduces the coral reefs in the sea. It is practiced in many areas. This is the process whereby dynamite is placed into an area in order to catch a large quantity of fish. Coral reefs especially are devastated by this activity. It is most prominent in undeveloped countries where this practice has existed for years.

The following website has a nice diagram which summarizes these 5 causes and it also has other information about Global Warming and the earth: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/life/biodiversity/causesofloss.html

Here are just some of endangered species that have been affected:
 * __Examples__**
 * **Birds** || **Mammals** || **Plants** || **Reptiles** ||
 * Short-tailed Albatross || Gray Bat || Mead's Milkweed || American Alligator ||
 * Hawaiian Hawk || Grizzly Bear || Short-leaved Rosemary || Green Sea Turtle ||
 * Red-cockaded Woodpecker || Gray Wolf || Eggert's Sunflower || Giant Garter Snake ||
 * Brown Pelican || Bighorn Sheep || Black Lace Cactus || Desert Tortoise ||
 * **Credit:** U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service ||

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/eco_animals.html

Block D---Charmaine Hung, Alice Wang and Ian Pu


 * __Definition of loss of biodiversity:__** cessation of existence of a species, extinction

Genetic diversity**: Each individual species possesses genes which are the source of its own unique features: In human beings, for example, the huge variety of people's faces reflects each person's genetic individuality. The term genetic diversity also covers distinct populations of a single species, such as the thousands of breeds of different dogs or the numerous variety of roses. The word biodiversity is primarily associated with the diversity of living organisms, meaning the abundance of different animal, plant and microbial species. The variety of ecosystems that occurs within a larger landscape, ranging from biome (the largest ecological unit) to microhabitat. Basically the diversity of a place at the scope of ecosystems.
 * __Types of Biodiversity:__
 * Species diversity**:
 * Ecosystem diversity**:


 * __Effects__**:
 * Species disappear 100 - 1000 times faster than before human existance
 * The ecosystems deteriorate to an unsustainable level, at which the results would be incredibly expensive to reverse (ex. in Bangladesh and India, the over-logging of trees and forests makes floods during the monsoon seasons deadly. In other )


 * __Repercussions:__**
 * Loss of economic potential or output
 * Loss of scientific potential
 * Destruction of food chains and ecosystems
 * Replay of the Holocene Extinction Event due to an extinction chain reaction (trend)

We can use variation in crops such as grasses to breed new varieties to cope with poor conditions. Much of our biodiversity has been lost and ecosystems destroyed but there is still a chance to mitigate these changes. Through educating people about the severity of this issue, there will be (hopefully) less exploitations of resources, pollution, and habitat losses. In addition, the media could be used to spread these types of thoughts and again, emphasize the importance of biodiversity, the detrimental effects it has on ecosystems, and how it impacts us.
 * __Solutions__**:
 * Feeding the world**
 * Sustainable use of biodiversity**
 * Education and the Media**

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/life/biodiversity/finding%20solutions.html http://www.goacom.com/goafoundation/biodiversity/3rdbasp2.htm http://www.ecology.info/biodiversity-ecosystems.htm http://www.biodiversity.ru/coastlearn/bio-eng/boxes/geneticdiv.html http://www.biodiversity.ru/coastlearn/bio-eng/boxes/specdiv.html