Levels of Biodiversity

1. Levels of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all species, their genetic
information they contain and the ecosystems they
form.
There are three levels of biodiversity:
•Genetic diversity is the total genetic information
contained in the genes of all the species. It also refers
to the variation in genetic information between
species as well as the variations between individuals
of the same species.
Example:
•Species diversity is the variety of species on Earth.
It refers to both the number of species and the number
of individuals within each species.
Example:
•Ecosystem diversity is the variety of habitats,
natural communities and ecological processes in the
biosphere.
Example

2. Causes to biodiversity loss
Habitat destruction
Land clearing, fires, floods, over grazing, salinity, pollution
Introduced species
Competing against, eating native species, habitat modification
Overexploitation
Loss of habitat, population, more vulnerable to disease
Pollution (air, soil and water)
Killing species and altering ecosystems
Climatic change
Alter ecosystems and functions
Industrial agriculture and forestry
Farming practices reducing gene pool

3. Impact of decreased natural Environment
Fewer places to find inspiration
Fewer places to recreate
Fewer educational opportunities
-Lead to greater impact (more visitors to the
same location)
Decrease in tourism
-Therefore a decrease in economy
-Decreased employment opportunities
Loss of biodiversity
Increase in endangered species
Increase greenhouse omissions
Decrease air quality
Increase soil erosion, land degradation
Increase in salinity
Increase water pollution
Food shortages
Affect survival of indigenous
-Rely heavily on the environment for survival
Introduced species may relish the changes both
animal and plant
Could lose - new medicines
- new food sources
-economic value from these.