Conservation of biodiversity
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What is biodiversity?
The variety and abundance of life on earth
What resources does earth provide and what are they used for?
Wood- buildings, tools Oils- vegetable oils, soaps Food- commercial cultivation, animals, fungi Fibres- cotton, paper, wool Fuels- wood, charcoal, biofuels
What are some new plant species that have the potential for commercial cultivation?
The potato bean- high protein content Yeheb Tree- drought resistant, grows in dry soils, produces edible nuts
Why is it important that biodiversity is conserved?
Medical discovery Food species discovery Habitats etc
What is biomimetics?
The copying of adaptations of species to improve manufactured items
How has vehicle design been improved with biomimetics?
Splayed wing tips of birds have been used in aircraft wing tips to increase fuel efficiency. Shark skin scales have been copied for ship surfaces to increase fuel efficiency.
How has architecture been improved with biomimetics?
Termite mounds create a convection current where hot air is drawn out by air moving above the mound, this has been copied in office blocks for natural ventilation.
How has adhesion been improved with biomimetic?s?
Seeds of some plants have burrs with hooks that stick to the fur of passing animals, this was copied to create velcro
What are some medicines that have been created by plants?
Taxol extracted from Yew trees and is used to treat cancers. Aspirin from willow tree bark, it is now manufactured synthetically.
What animals have been used in physiological research and how how they helped discoveries?
Dolphins/bats that use high frequency hearing to locate their food used to develop the ultrasound machine. Squids have bigger nerves than humans and have been used to study the NA+/K pump, also allows a better understanding of strokes/cancer. Armadillos used to study leprosy for new vaccines. Marine sponges produce a protein to stop rejection of grafts, is being used in medicine.
How can species be used as pest control?
As pathogens, predators, parasites.
What is the prickly pear cactus and what species was introduced to control it?
Was introduced to Australia from south America and became a weed, the cactoblastis moth from south America introduced to control it.
What are CWR?
Crop wild relatives, they are used in research to find new characteristics of domesticated crops.
Why do domesticated crops have low genetic diversity?
Because they were produced from a limited number of original plants
What are some characteristics that have been introduced from CWR?
Disease resistance Salt tolerance Drought resistance High yields Improved taste/appearance Nutrient uptake
What are centres of diversity/vavilov centres
Areas of the world that have high populations of CWR
Name some Vavilov centres
Middle eastern- wheat Chinese- soya, sugarcane Central Asian- wheat Indian- Rice
What are vavilov centres threatened by?
Environmental degradation, like pollution, habitat destruction etc
What is a gene pool?
The total number of different genes in all individuals in a population
Why would a large population not always have a large gene pool?
Individuals came from a small original population,
What are some gene pool problems?
Small gene pool increases inbreeding chances More genetically similar means similar adaptations so all are susceptible to the same changes, disease etc
What are the ecosystem services?
Biogeochemical cycles Atmospheric composition Inter-species relationships Soil maintenance
How is atmospheric composition regulated?
Abiotic and biotic processes which create dynamic equilibrium, like photosynthesis and respiration
How is the hydrological cycle regulated?
Evapotranspiration