(13 hours)
3.1 An Introduction to biodiversity
3.2 Origins of biodiversity
3.3 Threats to biodiversity
3.4 Conservation of biodiversity
What you should know
At the end of this Subtopic 3.1 - An introduction to biodiversity, you should be able to:
- Define the concept of biodiversity.
- Distinguish between species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.
- Define species diversity and explain how it is composed of richness and evenness.
- Explain how species diversity is indicative of general biodiversity.
- Define genetic diversity and explain why it is important to the survival of a species.
- Define habitat diversity.
- Explain how species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity are interlinked.
- Assess the impact of human activity on the biodiversity of an area over time.
- Discuss the effectiveness of using diversity indices to understand and conserve ecosystems.
- Demonstrate how the quantification of biodiversity can assist in the identification of appropriate conservation measures.
- Apply/calculate diversity indices.
What you should know
By the end of this Subtopic 3.2 - Origins of biodiversity, you should be able to:
- Explain what evolution is and how it causes biodiversity.
- Define speciation.
- Describe the causes of speciation.
- Explain that biological variation is totally random and is not in response to the survival needs of the species.
- Variation can be beneficial, harmful or neutral and that it may or may not have an impact on the individual.
- Discuss the mechanisms that cause natural selection.
- Demonstrate how natural selection contributes to biodiversity.
- Discuss how environmental changes can lead to natural selection.
- Compare the various causes of population isolation such as mountain formation, changes in river courses or sea levels, climatic change and plate tectonics.
- Explain how the distribution of the continents has caused variations in climate and food supply and how that has encouraged evolution.
- Explain how the creation of land bridges and physical barriers have evolutionary consequences.
- Explain how plate tectonics has created land bridges and physical barriers.
- Discuss the causes of past mass extinctions.
- Explain how past mass extinctions increased biodiversity.
By the end of this Subtopic 3.3 - Threats to biodiversity, you should be able to:
- Outline different methods by which the number of global species are estimated.
- Describe the difficulties in estimating the number of global species.
- Discuss how human activity threatens species and causes species extinction.
- Explain the criteria used by the IUCN Red List to determine conservation status of a species.
- Evaluate the role of he IUCN Red List.
- Discuss the case histories of species that are critically endangered.
- Discuss the case histories of species that has become extinct.
- Discuss the case histories of species which have had their conservation status improved through human intervention.
- Define a biological hotspot.
- Discuss the conflict between exploitation, sustainable development and conservation in tropical biomes.
- Apply different Environmental Value Systems (EVS) to the different approaches taken on the use of habitats and species.
By the end of this Subtopic 3.4 - Conservation of biodiversity, you should be able to:
- Explain the different reasons for biodiversity conservation including aesthetic, ecological, economic, ethical, social and spiritual justifications.
- Discuss how the reasons given for conservation of biodiversity will depend onEnvironmental Value Systems.
- Distinguish between utilitarian and non-utilitarian values of biodiversity.
- Compare and contrast the roles of Intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in biodiversity conservation.
- Outline different global agreements and collaborations between nations to conserve biodiversity.
- Describe the role of keystone species, flagship species and umbrella species.
- Evaluate the role of CITES in species conservation.
- Discuss the role of ex-situ conservation including captive breeding and re-introductionprogrammes.
- Evaluate different approaches to protecting biodiversity.
- Explain the criteria used to design a protected area.
- Explain the impact of land use and urban areas near to a protected area and the role of buffer zones to alleviate these effects.
- Discuss the characteristics of a successful protected area e.g. community support, adequate funding and research.