Ecology Studies – Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
- 0 (Registered)
Ecology Studies – Conservation Biology and Biodiversity is a course that provides detailed information on the current biodiversity crisis, the importance of biodiversity to human life and the use of conservation preserves and legislative frameworks for biodiversity protection.
The course begins by introducing you to biodiversity and how it exists at multiple levels of organization and is measured in different ways. These measurements include numbers of species, genetic diversity, chemical diversity, and ecosystem diversity. The five mass extinctions of prehistory are explained along with the most recent extinctions recorded in written history and how they are the basis for one method of estimating contemporary extinction rates. Next, you will learn how humans use many compounds as medicines that were first discovered or derived from living organisms. You will learn how the loss of biodiversity threatens ecosystem services that support human agriculture such as: pollination, nutrient cycling, pest control, and soil development and maintenance. You will also learn about the core threats to biodiversity including human population growth and unsustainable resource use, and how habitat loss occurs through deforestation, damming of rivers, and other human activities. Finally, you are introduced to the methods of biodiversity conservation, such as the optimal design of preserves and the limitations imposed by political and economic forces. You will also gain an understanding of how legislation within individual countries protects species and how agreements on global warming have had limited success.
The course will be of great interest to students or professionals who want to develop a career in various aspects of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation or for those who simply want to learn more about the biodiversity crisis, how to preserve and conserve current biodiversity levels and how human activities are the core threat to the planet’s ecosystems.
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