BIO205H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Chytridiomycota, Biomagnification, Inbreeding Depression
Document Summary
Intrinsic value: value in every creature that exists, not tied to economic benefits. The importance of having the species existing on our planet. Instrumental value: health and diversity of our ecosystems. Regulating services: climate regulation, flood control, water purification. Experienced a threat to those species due to human activities. They are important with high species richness with human activity threats. Plants are sessile so easier to count. High plant richness will support high animal richness * relationship. Not ideal to base a idea of conservation on species richness for area of importance, they may not capture the species function role, ecosystem role or ecosystem function. Extinction rates: mass extinctions: at least 75% of species go extinct within 2m yrs, following mass extinctions, new species evolve, overall # of species have increased over time. A lot of speciation occurring over time. With reduced genetic diversity it becomes difficult to adapt and there is a greater risk of going extinct.
