Aquatic Biodiversity
• Greatest marine biodiversity
• Coral reefs
• Estuaries
• Deep-ocean floor
• Biodiversity is higher near
the coast and the bottom
region of the ocean
Natural Capital
Freshwater Systems
Ecological Services Economic Services
Climate moderation Food
Nutrient cycling
Drinking water
Waste treatment
Irrigation water
Flood control
Groundwater Hydroelectricity
recharge
Habitats for many Transportation
species corridors
Genetic resources
Recreation
and biodiversity
Scientific information Employment
Fig. 8-15, p.
Natural Capital Degradation: Area of Ocean
Bottom Before and After a Trawler
Fig. 11-2, p.
Invasive Species Are Degrading
Aquatic Biodiversity
• Invasive species
• Threaten native species
• Disrupt and degrade whole ecosystems
• Two examples
• Asian swamp eel: waterways of south
Florida
• Lionfish in the Atlantic
Chapter 11: Sustaining
Aquatic Ecosystems
SFHS, APES
Protecting Whales: A Success Story
• Cetaceans: Toothed whales and baleen whales
• 8 of 11 major species hunted to commercial
extinction by 1975
• 1946: International Whaling Commission
(IWC)- Quotas based on insufficient data and
often ignored
• 1970: U.S. -Stopped all commercial whaling
and banned all imports of whale products
• 1986: IWC moratorium on commercial whaling
• 42,480 whales killed in 1970 vs. 1500 killed
in 2009
• Norway, Japan, and Iceland ignore
moratorium
How Carp Have Muddied Some Waters
• Lake Wingra, Wisconsin (U.S.):
eutrophic
• Contains invasive species
• Purple loosestrife and the
common carp
• Dr. Richard Lathrop
• Removed carp from an area of the
lake
Invaders Have Ravaged Lake Victoria
• Loss of biodiversity and cichlids
• Nile perch: deliberately introduced
• Frequent algal blooms
• Nutrient runoff
• Spills of untreated sewage
• Less algae-eating cichlids
• Water hyacinths
Population Growth and Pollution Can
Reduce Aquatic Biodiversity
• More noise and crowding from
humans
• Nitrates and phosphates, mainly
from fertilizers, enter water
• Leads to eutrophication
• Toxic pollutants from industrial and
urban areas
• Plastics
Climate Change Is a Growing Threat
• Global warming: sea levels will rise and aquatic
biodiversity is threatened
• Coral reefs
• Swamp some low-lying islands
• Drown many highly productive coastal wetlands
• New Orleans, Louisiana, and New York City
Marine Sanctuaries Protect Ecosystems and
Species
• Offshore fishing
• Exclusive economic zones for countries
• 200 nautical miles
• High seas governed by treaties that are
hard to enforce
• Law of the Sea Treaty
• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
Can We Restore the Florida Everglades?
• “River of Grass”: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP)
south Florida, 1. Restore curving flow of ½ of
U.S. Kissimmee River
2. Remove canals and levees in strategic
• Damage in the locations
20th century 3. Flood farmland to create artificial
marshes
• Drained 4. Create 18 reservoirs to create water
• Diverted supply for lower Everglades and
humans
• Paved over 5. Recapture Everglades water flowing to
• Nutrient pollution sea and return it to Everglades
from agriculture
Overfishing and Extinction
• Fishery: concentration of a particular wild aquatic
species suitable for commercial harvesting in a
specific area
• Fishprint: area of ocean needed to sustain the fish
consumption of a person, country, or the world
• Commercial extinction: no longer economically
feasible to harvest a species
• Collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery and its domino
effect
Major Commercial Fishing Methods
Fig. 11-8, p.
Legal Protection of Some Endangered and
Threatened Marine Species
• Why is it hard to protect • 1975 Convention on International Trade
marine biodiversity? in Endangered Species
1. Human ecological footprint • 1979 Global Treaty on Migratory Species
and fishprint are expanding • U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of
2. Damage not visible 1972
3. Oceans viewed as an • U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973
inexhaustible resource • U.S. Whale Conservation and Protection
4. Ocean lies outside the legal Act of 1976
jurisdiction of any country • 1995 International Convention on
Biological Diversity
Economic Incentives Can Be Used to Sustain Aquatic
Biodiversity
• Tourism
• Sea turtles
• Whales
• Economic rewards
Using an Ecosystem Approach
to Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
• Edward O. Wilson
• Complete the mapping of the world’s aquatic
biodiversity
• Identify and preserve aquatic diversity hotspots
• Create large and fully protected marine reserves
• Protect and restore the world’s lakes and rivers
• Ecological restoration projects worldwide
• Make conservation financially rewarding
Freshwater Ecosystems are Under
Major Threats
• HIPPCO
• Habitat Loss and degradation
• Invasive Species
• Population Growth
• Pollution
• Climate Change
• Overfishing
The World’s Largest Restoration Project
Fig. 11-13, p.
