Biodiversity

Biodiversity

Contents

Biodiversity – Definition and Introduction 2

Biological Wealth of the Earth 2

Biodiversity in the Maltese Islands 2

Important Terminology 2

Loss of Biodiversity 3

What is causing the loss of biodiversity on Earth? 4

Habitat Destruction 4

Biodiversity – Definition and Introduction

i. Biological Diversity;

ii. Refers to the great variety of living organisms (flora and fauna and their habitats present on Erath (e.g. bacteria, algae, invertebrate [insects], mammals, plants, fish, reptiles, etc.) ;

Example: Tropical Rainforest of Brazil [Amazon] is very rich in biodiversity. It is said to be the habitat of:

a. Over 300 species of trees in 1km2 (rubber, palm, mahogany, ebony etc.)

b. 200 species of birds

c. 600 species of insects

d. 150 species of fish

Biological Wealth of the Earth

i. About 1.75 million species have been examined and classified;

ii. Scientists estimate that as much as 100 million species may inhabit our planet [UNEP]

iii. UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme)

Biodiversity in the Maltese Islands

i. The Maltese islands host a very rich and diverse mixture of plant and animal species especially considering:

a. The relatively small land area (316km2)

b. The limited number of habitat types and their limited size

c. The intense human pressure of the land

ii. Species richness in the Maltese Islands

d. Over 4500 species of plants and animals have been recorded (terrestrial and freshwater only, excluding marine organisms)

e. Over 1100 species of flowering plants exist. (Very rich when compares to continental Europe).

Important Terminology

i. Indigenous and Native species – these are species which occur naturally in an area and were not introduced by human intervention.

Example:

a. Evergreen Oak/Holm Oak – Siġra tal-Ballut

b. Aleppo Pine – Siġra taż-Żnuber

c. African Tamarisk – Siġra tal-Bruk...