BIOL 1001 Chapter : Chapter 30 Conservation
Document Summary
Conservation biology is dedicated to understanding and preserving earth"s biological diversity. Biodiversity - the amazing variety of living organisms that inhabit earth. There are about 7-10 million species on earth. Most are named species are animals, but most of the organisms are probably not animals! Conservation biologists study biodiversity and seek to conserve it at these different levels: genetic diversity greater genetic diversity = better chance of survival in changing environment. Species diversity what species are present in a community is important for the community. Ecosystem diversity includes the variety of communities and their non-living environments. Ecosystem services (what other species do for us)- fig. In 1997, an international team calculated that ecosystem services provide trillion in benefits to humanity yearly twice the world"s gross national product. The 2005, another team concluded that 60% of all earth"s ecosystem services are being degraded and used in an unsustainable fashion. New york city water supply from the catskills mountains.
