Global Threats To Biodiversity

Bio means life and diversity mean variation biodiversity collectively refers to the variation of life. Biologically biodiversity refers to variation and divergence of living organisms in earth and ecosystem. Biodiversity describes the genetic variation of species in an ecosystem. It also tends to explain variation in ecosystem along with the divergence of species in a specific area, biome or planet , it is clear by the ecological researchers that there are nearly 14 million species in the word out of which only 1.2 million species have been   discovered  and half of the species have become extinct before getting discovered.

Ecosystems comprising rich biodiversity have many species of plants and animals that keep the system self-sustained and balanced. However, with the increase in human population and industrial evolution, the non-human species and plants species are seen under the threat of extinction. A major report, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, released in March 2005 highlighted a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth, with some 10-30% of the mammal, bird and amphibian species threatened with extinction, due to human actions. 

Some of the global threats biodiversity is facing nowadays are: 

Poaching of wildlife: 

Illegal poaching of wildlife is mainly responsible for their extinction. Animals are poached for food and for their skin trading. Many of the animals are now on the brink of extinction due to their illegal hunting. Every state has laid down the laws and rules against the hunting of wildlife animals to protect them from total extinction but more is to be done to avert the threat.

Deforestation –main threat to biodiversity :

Cutting of forest aided much in the extinction of rare and valuable species of plants and animals. A man has cut the forests on the mass level to get the timber and land for the lodging. This, in turn, made many species get vanishes from the ecosystem and many got endangered to become extinct.  The demand for timber in China for the paper and wood material production has become a serious threat to the forest and animals species of the region.

Change in climatic condition:

Climatic change is also an important global threat to biodiversity. Carbon gas emitted from the from the human-made sources causes the temperature of the earth to rise that in consequence effects the animal and plant life on earth, climatic change effects the vegetative land by extreme temperature causing the land to become barren. the rise in temperature is making the ice glaciers to melt in polar regions this is making native species move to other unfavorable regions or causing them to become extinct. polar bears now lie in the list of endangered species due to climatic change factor.

Pollution of air and water affects the biodiversity a lot:

Waste and polluted matter from factories and human daily use is also affecting the world species on the alarming extent the polluted substances drained into ocean and rivers make the water toxic and causes the  marine animals to die beside  amphibians and mammals that drink the water from such resources also become the victim of the toxic materials in water.

Invasion of alien species:

Invasion of alien species in an ecosystem occurs mostly a result of human activities sometimes the invasion is natural also. The introduction of such species in the ecosystem has always negative effects often makes the native species to get extinct. Introduction of Nile Perch in Victoria lake is an example of such invasion Nile Perch invaded the Lake Victoria near to 170s and caused half of the native species to become extinct. Specie of snake tree was accidentally moved to Guam from Australia in the 1950s the population of snake tree expanded in the absence of the predator. The snake species lowered down the number of native birds and animals down in that ecosystem

Chemical And Physical Properties Of Water

Water is an abundantly occurring natural source. It is found on the surface of the earth as well in the underground resources. Water is said to comprise the 70 percent of the earth’s surface, beside it is present in some ratio in the atmosphere.  Around us, the living being on the earth are also composed of water. The human body is consisting of only 70 percent of water in the form of blood and other liquid states the human body. Water is necessary for the smooth working of many natural processes on earth man and living animal depends on water by in taking it. Man cannot continue his life if he gets deprived of water due to any reason.

Physical properties of water:

Water is present in the form of liquid in nature. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid. But if it is present in reservoirs, it appears with a tinge of blue. Ice is the solid form of water and in gaseous form, it is can felt as water vapors. The boiling point of water is 100 degree Celsius; it is the point when liquid water changes from liquid state to gaseous state. The freezing point, the point when water changed from liquids state to solid state ice is 0 degree Celsius. These above two properties of water are due to hydrogen bonding present in the water molecules. Besides, the water is good universal solvent, able to dissolve minerals and salt in it.

Chemical properties of water:

Water molecule as polar molecule:

The water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogens and one oxygen connected with the covalent bond.   Hydrogen bonding in the water molecules is responsible for different chemical properties in water. A water molecule is a polar molecule because they are unequally shared   electrons between hydrogen and oxygen atoms.  The oxygen has more electronegativity than the hydrogen and the result it attracts more molecules toward it making hydrogen end of molecules positive. This in turns results   in making water soluble for minerals.

Water cannot dissolve nonpolar substances:

The polar substances are easily dissolved in water due to the presence of negative and positive charges on the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water. the sodium chloride bearing the polar specification get easily dissolved in water while the non-polar molecules are not dissolved in water. They remain as clumped together.

Water as amphoteric compound:

Another property of water is that it is amphoteric compound. It can react with base or acid in a chemical reaction in a laboratory as well as in nature.

Cohesive and adhesive nature of water :

Water is cohesive or adhesive due to the presence of hydrogen bonding in it.  Atoms in water molecules bear small charges that are responsible for making them join them together. Due to this ability water is easily transported to the top parts of plants from the soil it due to this fact that water easily gets sucked by the straw.

Biological properties of water:

Water is an essential element of the cell in plants and animals the cell in animal and human is made up of liquid known as cytoplasm. All the components of organism’s cell like DNA and other organelles are dissolved in water. Water being polar molecule keeps the organelles in the cell from moving apart out of the cell membrane. The electronegativity in of water help in transporting the impulse from and to the brain.

Conservation And Benefits Of Ecosystem

Ecosystem provides us with the components and factors necessary for our survival on the planet Earth. it constitutes abiotic and biotic factor necessary for the survival of living organisms on the Earth .since the population is increasing rapidly and the industrial revolution is bringing up devastating change on the geography of the earth, the natural ecosystem is getting unbalanced. Result of this unbalance is that many of the rare species are getting extinct, the temperature of the earth is rising, ice on the glaciers is melting, sea level is rising, extreme drought is being experienced in some dry land areas and the vegetation yield is getting low. What the need of the hour is that we need to conserve and preserve the ecosystem and its essential components to harmonize the balance of ecosystem to reduce the alarming threats to nature and ecosystem.

Conservation of extinct habitat:

Destruction of forests should be restrained and more and more trees should be planted this will give an evolution to biodiversity; besides the extinction of the species will get ceased. Favorable conditions should be provided to the species that are getting extinct.

 

 Reduce the Eutrophication:

 The chemical substances and fertilizers used during the agriculture cause the eutrophication by supplying excess nitrogen and phosphorous to water bodies. We need to promote organic plantation instead of using fertilizers. Also the water in water bodies should be examined and treated by the swaggers to reduce the organic nutrient components in it.

Protect the ozone layer:

 The ozone layer protects the ultra violet rays of sun that damages the environments  and habitats on earth including  human destruction of ozone layer also tends to raise the temperature of earth that is making the vast glaciers to melt  to making the sea level rise. Ozone layer is getting destroyed by the emission of hydrocarbon gases by combustion of biomass fuels in vehicles and industries. Such activities should be brought in control to avert the rise of such gases in ecosystem.

 

Recycle  of waste material ;

Reduction of waste material is essentially important for securing ecosystem. Instead of using the goods that are to be wasted in future, use the recyclable materials or the materials that can be used again. In this ways the waste material discarded by dumping in earth will reduce. Besides, less expense is made in recycling the used product rather than making a new product from the raw material.

 Benefits of ecosystem ;

Interaction of organism in an ecosystem has great benefits on human being in term of health and well-being of human beings.

Ecosystem provides life support to all of its living components it provides them with foods and nutrient necessary for their life. The residue of living being in an ecosystem serves as nutrients for the soil and gases for the air in atmosphere. Human get medicine, energy sources, fresh water and natural minerals from the ecosystem. Besides, all that ecosystem lends human with spiritual enrichment and cognitive development,. Healthy ecosystem has recreational effects on the human beings along with meditative healing effects on him.

Harmful effects of pollution on Ecosystem

Ecosystem is basically a system made up of different kinds of living species as well as physical environment around them. For example, a farm pond having fishes and other organisms, a rain forest having plants, trees and animals and a mountain meadow having different kinds of plants and inhabitants are some typical examples of small ecosystems. Physical environment around them is also included. You can say that ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things.

Processes followed by an ecosystem:

There are particular processes that are followed by ecosystem in a specific sequence/ pattern like birth, growth, reproduction, death and the most important is their interaction with one another and with the environment. Species which make themselves adaptive to different environmental conditions dominate while others become extinct.

Effect of pollution on an ecosystem:

In order to understand the effect of pollution on an ecosystem, you can take example of a pond, maybe somewhere near to your home. There is water and different species like fishes, plants and many other living organisms. Every system has a food chain in which every organism is in a producer and consumer relationship. From environment’s point of view, there is oxygen cycle as well as water cycle that withstand the organisms.

Sewage water can disturb many water species:

If environment gets polluted, the whole balance including food chain, water cycle and oxygen cycle will be disturbed and it will affect the organisms in different ways. Just a simple act of yours like introducing your sewage water or some toxic waste to the lake nearby your home can hover several life species as well as plants.

 

Waste from your home can ruin an ecosystem of a pond/lake:

Waste from your home contains oil, detergents and many toxic pollutants that can have a terrific effect on ecosystem. If water, which is home to different species, gets polluted then it can stimulate the plant growth and cause the demise of fishes due to suffocation caused by deficiency of oxygen. Moreover, this polluted water will also affect the other plants and animals dependent on it.