What are the Current Trends and Drivers of Biodiversity Loss?
habitat loss
-deforestation -introduced species -pollution -development
Dead Zone Gulf of Mexico
-nitrogen-rich Pollution (fertilizer, urban runoff, and sewage from the Mississippi River is water basin is responsible for the dead zone. -microscopic organisms that eat that pollution boom and then die -their decomposing bodies depletes oxygen from water -fish leave but those that can't flee, die
major drivers of biodiversity loss
Habitat Loss Overexploitation Climate Change
dead zone
a location within a body of water that does not have enough dissolved oxygen to sustain life.
introduced/invasive species
a species not native to an area that spreads and causes damage to the area Reproduce rapidly and outcompete native species
biogeographic realms
are large spatial regions within which ecosystems share a broadly similar biological evolutionary history
Overexploitation
excessive use of species that have economic value -Hunting -Collecting -Trade-in live animals -overfishing
forest fragmentation
the division of forests that formerly occupied large, unbroken areas into smaller pieces by road, fields, cities, and other land-transforming activities
Marine habitat loss
•Fishing •Irrigation for agriculture •Dams and reservoirs •Pollution •Introduced species
Other Factors Driving Biodiversity Loss
•Infectious Diseases •Pollution •Nutrients •Marine Dead Zones •Persistent Organic Pollutants •Pharmaceuticals •Acid Deposition •Heavy Metals •Herbicides and Pesticides •Plastics •UV Radiation•War and Conflict
global climate change
•Range Change on Land •Warming Oceans •Acidification of Seawater •Disruption of Biological Cycles •Complex Interactions