Biodiversity, gene pools and extinctions
What is biodiversity? Conservation Reducing the risk of losing a species forever due to extinction Conservation involves different methods, such as protecting biodiverse areas like rainforests, planting more trees, saving endangered species and using less fossil fuels to limit global warming. Extinction A species can become extinct naturally when it fails to adapt to changes in the environment. However, a species can also become extinct due to human activity, such as destroying habitats, hunting too much, and polluting the environment. Human activity is the main cause of extinction, and it can be avoided. Reasons for Extinction Examples of extinction
Biodiversity is the term for the diversity of living things in a habitat. Some habitats, such as rainforests and mature woodlands, have many different kinds of species and are very rich in biodiversity. Other habitats, such as deserts and polar regions, have fewer kinds of species and are less diverse in biodiversity. These habitats have conditions that are too harsh for most living things and are called extreme environments.
Conservation is the act of preserving and protecting organisms and their habitats, which helps to maintain biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of living things on Earth, and it is important to conserve it for many reasons. Some of these reasons are moral and cultural, such as respecting the value and beauty of endangered species. Some of these reasons are practical and economic, such as:
Invasive species are those that do not belong to a certain area, but have been introduced by humans or other means. For example, the grey squirrel came from North America to the UK and has now taken over the habitat of the smaller, native red squirrel, which is now rare in most parts of the UK.
There are conservation programmes that aim to protect the red squirrels, such as creating more woodland for them and monitoring their diseases. Invasive species like the grey squirrel are sometimes killed to reduce their impact on the native wildlife.
Extinction is the permanent disappearance of a species, and it can occur in two ways:
When a species goes extinct, it is lost forever, although some scientists are trying to use genetic engineering to revive extinct species.
There are several reasons for extinction, such as:
The dodo was a flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius. It was easy to catch and was not afraid of humans, which made it a target for hunters.
The dodo went extinct because of many reasons, such as hunting, disease, losing its habitat, and new predators like dogs.
Loss of biodiversity Gene pools Seed banks
The diversity of species in a habitat is usually stable, but it can change naturally over time. However, human activities are causing more serious and rapid changes to these habitats, which reduce their biodiversity. Some of the human activities that lower biodiversity are:
Some organisms of the same species have slight variations in their traits. These differences are often due to different genetic information (DNA). The diversity of DNA in a species is called the ‘gene pool’. The larger the gene pool, the more likely the species is to survive.
These variations can sometimes give some organisms an edge over others. This means they have a better chance of living and passing on their traits to their offspring. When this process leads to the formation of new species of organisms, it is called evolution.
Evolution is a slow process that usually takes many generations. Extinction happens when all organisms of a species die out. This may be because the species could not adapt to changing conditions quickly enough.
A plant species that is endangered and at risk of extinction needs to be protected. One way to protect plants is to use seed banks - these are places where seeds are kept safe so that new plants can be grown in the future, even if the plants are gone in nature. This will help to preserve biodiversity.
Summary: