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