Biodiversity

The variety and abundance of life on Earth. The survival of humans depends on the other species that we share the planet with.

A wide variety of materials is collected from plants and animals eg wood for building, food, fibres (cotton, wool, paper), fuel (wood, oil),

This is the use of knowledge of the adaptations of other species to improve the designs of manufactured items

Attempts to domesticate new species of plant for food eg. potato bean of N America - high protein content, Morama Bean from S Africa is drought resistant, species of spinach can grown in soil with high salt content - this could be used where irrigation has caused soil salinisation

• Splayed wingtip feather of birds reduce wind turbulence. Copied by aircraft. • Shark skin has scales that reduce friction while swimming. Copied by aircraft to reduce friction and therefore fuel consumption.

Bacteria does not stick easily to shark skin. Copied in operation theatres in hospital to control bacterial infections.

T1.termite mounds above ground become hot. The hot air rises and creates a convection current. This draws stale air out of the lower parts of the nest. The air blowing over the mound has a lower air pressure and draws air out of the mound. This creates natural cooling and ventilation. Copied by office blocks and shopping centres. 2. Bird wing bones are hollow - strong and light. Copied in designs of bridges and roofs.

• Seeds of some plants have burrs with hooks that can stick to the fur of passing animals. Copied by velcro. • Lotus flowers have water repelling properties. Copied to produce self cleaning glass.

Silk thread produced by spiders - lightweight, flexible and strong. Copied to produce airbags and body armour

Plants need to protect themselves from herbivores - thorns, spikes, bad taste. Some plants produce toxic chemicals. When carefully controlled, these chemicals may have medical effects for humans eg. poppies - morphine and codeine bark of willow tree - aspirin fatty acids found in shark liver - suppress growth of cancerous tumours taxol from yew tree - treat many cancers

Some species have adapted to environmental conditions. Studying this could help us to understand human health problems eg. hippopotamus skin secretes a natural sunscreen. This could help us to treat burns. Bats and dolphins use echo location to find food. This helps us to develop ultrasound scanners to give 3D images. Squid nerves are larger than human nerve cells and are easier to study. Provided a better understanding of heart diseases, stroke and cancer.

Predators, herbivores, parasites and pathogens control agricultural pests - ladybirds and beetles are predators. Increase their numbers by maintaining hedgerows. Encarsia formosa (parasitic wasp) released in greenhouses to control whitefly on tomatoes Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is a bacteria that kills insect pests.

1.Disease resistant eg sugar cane 2. Salt tolerance eg. rice and barley 3. Resistance to drought eg. cacao 4. High yield eg oil palm 5. Improved taste or appearance eg pineapples 6. Nutrient uptake eg. wheat

Many population of wild plants have genetic characteristics that may be used in breeding programmes to improve cultivated crop varieties. Domesticated crops lack genetic diversity and will be susceptible to the same environmental changes. Crop Wild Relative Species (CWR) are wild plants of the same species or close relatives.

Other species often influence the conditions on Earth.

• Atmospheric composition eg co2 and o2 largely controlled by photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. • Hydrological cycle - transpiration from plants produces water vapour that form clouds and controls precipitation. • Biogeochemical cycles - bacteria and fungi get rid of waste matter and release the nutrients. Without them the nutrient resources would deplete. • Soil maintenance - soil is vital for plants, providing water, support and nutrients. Also regulates water cycle by managing river flow. • Interspecies relationships - no species can live in isolation • Food - all heterotrophs rely on other organisms as a source of energy. • Pollination - pollination by animals in areas where wind pollination would not be effective eg forests. Most pollinators are insects, birds, bats, monkeys. • Seed dispersal - animal dispersal is more advantageous than wind dispersal - larger seeds can be carried and faeces act as a fertiliser. • Habitat provision - species provide habitats for other species eg. birds nest in trees, hermit crabs live inside shells of molluscs

American Bison Common Ostrich Emu Giant Land Snails

Some areas of the world have high concentrations of CWR CWR naturally found in areas where environmental degradation threatens their survival eg. Middle East, Central America

Russian biologist Nikolai Vavilov in 1900s

S America - potato, maize, tomato Central American - maize, cotton, sweet potato Indian centre - peas, rice, beans Mediterranean centre, wheat, olives, oats Middle Eastern centre - wheat, barley, lentil Central Asia - wheat, onions, lentils

Total number of different genes present in all individuals in a population of a particular species.

Often been produced from a very small number of original ancestors. Greater risk of inbreeding - disadvantageous recessive genes could cause problems

Each species should be protected over its entire geographical range as they are likely to have some unique genes to that area. Don’t just protect in a few convenient areas.

The importance of their actions is not often appreciated.