Starter

You are given a statement Decide if it belongs to economic,

ecological or aesthetic reasons for conservation of animal or plant species

You will be called upon to explain to the class so develop your explanation

Learning objectives

a) Outline the reasons for the conservation of animal and plant species, with reference to economic, ecological and aesthetic reasons

b) Discuss the concequences of global warming on the biodiversity of plants and animals, with reference to the changing patterns of agriculture and spread of disease

c) Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining biodiversity of animal and plant species

Statements - economic

Natural ecosystems provide food for human populations

Natural ecosystems provide materials for human populations

Natural ecosystems are also important in providing clean water, soil formation, treating waste and climate control

Old cultivated varieties and wild varieties of crop plant may provide sources of genes and alleles for improving our crops in the future

Old breeds of domesticated animals and their wild relatives may be sources of genes and alleles to improve those in the future

Statements - ecological

Loss of species leads to an imbalance in natural communities. (hints = overgrazing, land degredation, erosion and loss of biodiversity)

Keystone species

Kelp forrests sea urchins sea otters

Humans hunting the keystone species, sea otters

Statements - Aesthetic

Conservation of natural wilderness

Medical

Plants have complex metabolisms and produce a wide range of chemicals which we have incorporated into medicines

70% of the plants we get drugs from are found in tropical rainforests – why might this be a major problem in the future?

Why should we aim to conserve all and not just the ones we know are useful?

Micro-organisms may also be very useful in the future in this way

Learning objectives

Outline the reasons for the conservation of animal and plant species, with reference to economic, ecological and aesthetic reasons

b) Discuss the concequences of global warming on the biodiversity of plants and animals, with reference to the changing patterns of agriculture and spread of disease

c) Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining biodiversity of animal and plant species

Agriculture

Over the past 100 years what have humans done to increase food production?

Human diet is limited in comparism to our ancestors. 3 main staple foods?

Wheat, maize and rice – what if disease wiped these out?

Selective breeding had reduced the genetic biodiversity of these species of plant, overall effect?

How can maintaining biodiversity help? Retain the genetic information that we

may need to call on in the future We may need to use other plants to vary

the genomes of our crop plants, increasing genetic variation which could increase stability of the species

By maintaining fish species we can now hunt fish species that used to be less desirable as the common species populations have been negatively affected by humans

Scenario

Global warming Some areas become viable to grow crops Some areas loose their viability to grow

crops What can we do??? GM foods Where do we get the required genes from?

Learning objectives

Outline the reasons for the conservation of animal and plant species, with reference to economic, ecological and aesthetic reasons

b) Discuss the concequences of global warming on the biodiversity of plants and animals, with reference to the changing patterns of agriculture and spread of disease

Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining biodiversity of animal and plant species

Malaria and global warming

Explain Increased areas that vectors for tropical

diseases can survive

(malaria, sleeping sickness, dengue fever, yellow fever)

What else could increase the areas that it can live??

Examples I found

Bird malaria outbreak in Hawaii Insect-bourne viral pathogen caused

distemper among lions in the Serengeti National Park Tanzania

Fungal pathogen of wheat, black stem rust spread throughout East Africa, India, USA and Australia. Where will it go next???

Learning objectives

Outline the reasons for the conservation of animal and plant species, with reference to economic, ecological and aesthetic reasons

Discuss the concequences of global warming on the biodiversity of plants and animals, with reference to the changing patterns of agriculture and spread of disease

Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining biodiversity of animal and plant species

Can you get your point across

Page 243 Q2 Have a go