Freshwater biomes include lakes and ponds (stagnant water) and rivers and streams (flowing water). These include wetlands, which will be discussed later. LAKE AND PONDS Lakes and ponds are part of terrestrial landscapes and are therefore associated with abiotic and biotic factors affecting these terrestrial biomes. Lakes and ponds can vary in size from a …
Bioremediation uses living organisms to remove or minimize contaminants from a polluted site. According to the US EPA, bioremediation is the treatment that uses natural organisms to break down chemicals into less toxic or non-toxic substances. Bioremediation is used to treat human wastewater as well to remove agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) that leach from …
A biodiversity hotspot is a method of identifying regions of the world where special attention is needed to fighting against the loss of biodiversity and stimulating investments for conservation, it is rich in many rare and endemic species. The idea first came from Norman Myers in 1988. Conservation International adopted the Myers hotspots as an …
List of biodiversity hotspots around the world: North and Central America California Floristic Province Madrean Pine-oak woodlands Caribbean Island Mesoamerica North American Coastal Plain South America Cerrado Tropical Andes Atlantic Forest Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Asia-Pacific Eastern Himalaya Western Ghats, India: Sri Lanka Indo-Burma, India, and Myanmar New Caledonia New Zealand Polynesia-Micronesia Japan East …
Biologists estimate that species extinctions are currently 500 to 1,000 times higher than the normal or background rate observed earlier in Earth’s history. Sometimes is difficult to predict which species will disappear, many are listed as Vulnerable (Critically Endangered). However, many extinctions will affect species that biologists have yet to discover, for example, those species …
A community dominated by one or two species is considered less diverse than a community in which several species have similar abundance. The Simpson’s Diversity Index is the measurement of diversity that considers the number of species present, and the relative abundance of each species. D = (n / N)2n As species richness and uniformity …
Biodiversity conservation is an extraordinary challenge that must be addressed through a better understanding of biodiversity itself, changes in human behavior and beliefs, and various conservation strategies. The number of species on the planet, or in any geographical area, is the result of a balance of two evolutionary processes: speciation and extinction. When speciation rates …
The main threat to the planet’s biodiversity, and therefore a threat to human well-being, is the combination of population growth and the resources utilized by that population. Human populations require resources to survive and thrive, and many of these resources are being extracted from the environment in an unsustainable way. The top three immediate threats …
All living things need energy in one form or another. At the cellular level, energy is consumed in most metabolic pathways (usually in the form of ATP), particularly those responsible for building large molecules from smaller aggregates. Living organisms would not be able to get together complex organic compound molecules (proteins, lipids, nucleic and carbohydrate) …
Geothermal energy benefits from the fact that the deeper you go into the earth’s crust, the warmer things get. About 50 to 87 Fahrenheit degrees of temperature difference for each mile. In geothermal pools up to two miles below the ground surface, is where hot water or steam is then piped to the surface to …
