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conservation of biodiversity (part 1) (characteristics introduced from CWR…
conservation of biodiversity (part 1)
importance of conserving biodiversity
resources
wood
- used in manufacturer
fibres
- cotton, wool, paper, silk
oils
- vegetable and animal oils used in foods, lubricants, soaps
fuels
- wood, charcoal, alcohol, vegetable oils
food
- plants, animals, algae, fungi
biomimetics
involves the use of knowledge of the adaptations of other species, to improve the design of manufactured items
vehicle design
- copying the feather structures from birds has improved aircraft wing designs to increase fuel efficiency
infection control
- bacteria do not easily stick to shark skin . a coating material to imitate the shark skin is used in hospital operating theatres to control bacterial infections
architecture
- mounds that termites construct above ground absorbs sunlight and become hot - convection currents - system has been copied in shopping complexes to create natural ventilation without need for air con
adhesion
- lotus flowers have water repelling properties . this has been copied to produce self cleaning glass
materials
- lightweight, flexible, strong silk produced by spiders is being copied to produce better car airbags and body armour
medicines
some plants use chemicals that are toxic to animals to protect themselves
many of these chemicals are alkaloids
in carefully controlled amounts, these chemicals may have beneficial medical effects in humans
poppies - morphine and codeine
cinchoncha tree - quinine for malaria protection
bark of willow trees - aspirin
physiological research
some species have evolved to become adapted to specific environmental conditions
hippopotamus skin secretes hipposudoric acid which is a natural suncream and antimicrobial agent - this is being used to help improve the treatment of burn victims
pest control species
a wide range of predators, herbivores, parasites and pathogens are used to control agricultural pests
populations of natural predators such as ladybirds and ground beetles can be increased by providing suitable habitats such as hedgerows and beetle banks
encarsia formosa is a parasitic wasp that is released in greenhouses to control whitefly pests on crops such as tomatoes
bacillus thuringiensis (bt) - pathogenic bacterium that has been used to control insect crop pests as it produces proteins that are toxic to insects
genetic resources
many wild plants have genetic characteristics that may be used in breeding programmes to improve cultivated crop varieties
crop breeding programmes
domesticated crops = lack genetic diversity because they have been produced by a limited number of original plants
Crop Wild Relative species = new characteristics that can be bred in commercial crops focus on wild plants of the same species or close
characteristics introduced from CWR species
disease resistance
salt tolerance
resistance to drought
high yield
improved taste or appearance
nutrient uptake
global biodiversity is the variety and abundance of life on Earth
CHAPTER 2 (part 1)