Understanding Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Natural Resources

Biodiversity and Environmental Factors

Biodiversity is defined by the interaction between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors, such as water, temperature, wind, and humidity. Environments are classified as:

• Aquatic: Waters, rivers, lakes, and ponds.
• Terrestrial: Defined by climate and vegetation (e.g., arid or tropical).
• Aerial: Organisms that utilize air, such as birds or insects.

Defining Biodiversity

Biodiversity represents the variety of life in a particular region, expressed as the number of species per unit area. It encompasses the variability among living organisms across terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including the total number of species and the population density of each organism in a region.

Types of Biodiversity

• Genetic Diversity: Variability among individuals of the same species.
• Species Diversity: The variety of different species present.
• Ecosystem Diversity: The variety of forests, deserts, rivers, lakes, and seas that interact.

Factors negatively affecting biodiversity include deforestation, overgrazing, and habitat destruction, leading to species loss.

Factors Influencing Species Abundance

The number of species in a community is determined by geographical isolation, niche availability, habitat characteristics, and environmental edge effects.

Regional Biodiversity Examples

• Highlands: Dry, cold climate (e.g., flamingos, viscachas).
• Desert: Arid, snowy diversity.
• Central Zone: Mediterranean, cold, and rainy (e.g., boldo, espino, condor).
• Coastal Area: Extends along the territory (e.g., gulls).
• South Zone: Valdivian forest (e.g., fir, choroi).
• Patagonian Zone: Low sun, cold temperatures, and high wind.
• Antarctic Zone: Extreme snow.

Natural Resources

Natural resources are components of nature used to satisfy human needs.

• Renewable: Resources that do not deplete (e.g., solar, wind, water, plants, animals).
• Non-Renewable: Resources that take years to form (e.g., fossil fuels, minerals).

Energy Sources

Energy types include tidal, hydraulic, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Non-renewable energy sources include nuclear power and fossil fuels. Abuse of natural resources leads to deforestation, desertification, and water or air pollution.

Ecosystems and Trophic Levels

An ecosystem consists of biotic and abiotic components. Abiotic factors include light, temperature, chemical atmosphere, and water. Biotic factors include all organisms sharing an environment.

Trophic Levels and Food Chains

Energy and nutrients pass through several trophic levels:

• Producers: Manufacture organic matter from inorganic sources.
• Consumers: Heterotrophs including primary (herbivores), secondary (carnivores), and tertiary (carnivores) consumers.
• Decomposers: Break down corpses and organic matter to return nutrients to the soil.

Example Food Chain: Grass → Grasshopper → Snake → Owl → Bacteria