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5.3: Conservation

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    32077

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    Roughly 1.5 million species have been identified, and this is just a fraction of all the species on Earth. These species exist in a variety of ecosystems. Genetic differences among individuals within a species further contributes to the variety of life on Earth. While this biodiversity provides many benefits to humans, such providing food and building materials, recreational activities, and clean air and water, human population group and resource use threatens many species and ecosystems. Conservation biology is concerned with protecting biodiversity, which ultimately supports humans by promoting ecosystem function (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)).

    The endangered plant Fritillaria roderickii has six dark red and white petals on a single large flower that extends from a basal rosette of leaves.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Fritillaria roderickii is an endangered plant that is endemic to California, meaning that it only occurs there. Protecting populations of rare plant species such as this is one component of conservation. Photo by Clare Golec/CDFW (public domain).

    • 5.3.1: The Value of Biodiversity
      Ecosystem diversity refers the number and relative abundance of ecosystems and is the largest scale of biodiversity. Species diversity refers to species richness and species evenness. Genetic diversity is variation among individuals within a species.
    • 5.3.2: Threats to Biodiversity
      There are five major threats to biodiversity: habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change.
    • 5.3.3: Preserving Biodiversity
      Many interrelated strategies help preserve biodiversity. Legislation such as the Endangered Species Act directly protect species at risk of extinction. Non-profit organizations provide additional funding and research. Species-level conservation centers on just one species, but protected areas can preserve whole ecosystems. Ecosystem restoration involves returning an area (as much as possible) to its original state to promote ecosystem services and native species.
    • 5.3.4: Chapter Summary

    Attribution

    Melissa Ha (CC-BY-NC)

    Image thumbnail: Maikal Hills in Kabirdham District, Chhattisgarh, India. The traditional healers take advantage of this rich biodiversity zone and use medicinal species in treatment of complicated diseases like different types of cancer, sickle cell anemia, etc. Image and caption (edited) by Pankaj Oudhia (CC-BY-SA).

    This page titled 5.3: Conservation is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Melissa Ha, Maria Morrow, & Kammy Algiers (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .