Effects of Human Activities on the Earth's Biodiversity

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Effects of Human Activities on the Earth's Biodiversity


Human activities are decreasing the earth's biodiversity.

Speciation minus extinction equals biodiversity, the planet's genetic raw material for future evolution in response to changing environmental conditions. though extinction is a natural process, humans have become a major force in the premature extinction of species. Al-

According to biologists Stuart Primm and Edward O. Wilson, during the 20th century, extinction rates in- creased by 100-1,000 times the natural background extinction rate. As human population and resource con- sumption increase over the next 50-100 years, we are expected to take over a larger share of the earth's sur- face and net primary productivity (NPP) (Figure 3-20, p.50). According to Wilson and Primm, this may cause the premature extinction of at least one-fifth of the earth's current species by 2030 and half of those species by the end of this century. If not checked, this trend could bring about a new mass depletion and possibly a new mass extinction. Wilson says that if we make an "all- out effort to save the biologically richest parts of the world, the amount of loss can be cut atleast by half.

On our short time scale, such major losses cannot be recouped by formation of new species; it took mil- lions of years after each of the earth's past mass extinctions and depletions for life to recover to the previous level of biodiversity. We are also destroying or degrading ecosystems such as tropical forests, coral reefs, and wetlands that are centers for future speciation. (See the Guest Essay on this topic by Norman Myers on the website for this chapter.) Genetic engineering cannot stop this loss of biodiversity because genetic engineers rely on natural biodiversity for their genetic raw material. We can summarize the 3.7-billion-year biological history of the earth in one sentence: Organisms convert solar energy to food, chemicals cycle, and species filling different biological roles (niches) have evolved in response to changing environmental conditions.

Each species here today represents the outcome of a long chain of evolution, and each plays a unique eco- logical role in the earth's communities and ecosystems. These species, communities, and ecosystems are essential for future evolution, as populations of species continue to adapt to changes in environmental conditions by changing their genetic makeup.

Materials provided by 
Environmental Science Now TM

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