Publication Date: Sep 30, 2014
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140930171526.htm
Summary:
Humans have introduced nearly a thousand species including fish, crustaceans, and algae are now established from other seas through human activities with very serious impact. A hot spot for marine biodiversity, the Mediterranean of which around 20% occur nowhere else. But many invasive species can disrupt this delicate balance. For instance, communities of native algae, corals, and invertebrates die because they are starved of oxygen, light, and food beneath the fast-growing invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea, which forms mats of up to 15 cm thick. Stelios Katsanevakis, a researcher at the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and colleagues looked at data on 986 alien species and tracked their spread. Analyzing this online resource, the researchers show severe consequences for food webs and ecosystem services as invasive species expand their range and native species are driven to local extinction. The researchers found that around 60 species, mainly algae, have been introduced accidentally through aquaculture, especially off the coast of Venice and southwestern France.These invasions will continue and will keep affecting biodiversity in the Mediterranean. Its future ecosystems will likely be very different to what they are now, people need further research to better understand what effect these changes will have, including on the vital services that humans obtain from marine ecosystems, such as food provision, coastal protection, recreation and tourism.
Relevance:
This article is related to the topic Invasive species and how it affects bio diversity. It talks about how biodiversity is the number of species in an ecosystem, and it matters because many of the species of an ecosystem are interconnected. If a specie is introduced or taken away it can affect the health of the whole ecosystem. Also, the article states that a threat to biodiversity are introduced/alien species. They do not have predators, and often out compete the native species. Human activity is also a problem and may harm biodiversity, because humans bring in introduced species from an area unintentionally. Finally this article talks about hot spots of the Mediterranean area. Hot spots are small geographic areas with high concentration of species. It is home to one third of all species of plants and vertebrates, the place of extinction and it should be conserved.
-Ruiqi Luo
-Ruiqi Luo
What is the result of a loss in biodiversity? How will this affect the ecosystem, and impact our lives as well?
ReplyDeleteBiological diversity is the resource upon which families, communities, nations and future generations depend. It is the link between all organisms on earth, binding each into an interdependent ecosystem, in which all species have their role. It is the web of life. Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular or short supply. So biodiversity controls the health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives.
DeleteWhat is a species has already gone extinct as a result of this and what invasive species cause this and how.
ReplyDelete