Quote:

---

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or on an entire planet. Biodiversity is one measure of the health of biological systems. Life on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species. Biologists most often define biodiversity as the "totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region". A complex relationship exists among the different diversity levels. Identifying one level of diversity in a group of organisms does not necessarily indicate its relationship with other types of diversities. All types of diversity are broadly linked and a numerical study investigating the link between tetrapod (terrestrial vertebrates) taxonomic and ecological diversity shows a very close correlation between the two.

The existence of a "global carrying capacity", limiting the amount of life that can live at once, is debated, as is the question of whether such a limit would also cap the number of species. Changes in diversity are guided by a first-order positive feedback (more ancestors, more descendants) and/or a negative feedback arising from resource limitation.

Most biologists agree that the period since human emergence is part of a new mass extinction, named the Holocene extinction event, caused primarily by the impact humans are having on the environment. It has been argued that the present rate of extinction is sufficient to eliminate most species on the planet Earth within 100 years.

Biodiversity supports a number of natural ecosystem processes and services. Some ecosystem services that benefit society are air quality, climate (e.g., CO2 sequestration), water purification, pollination, and prevention of erosion.

Since the stone age, species loss has accelerated above the prior rate, driven by human activity. The exact rate is uncertain, but it has been estimated that species are now being lost at a rate approximately 100 times as fast as is typical in the fossil record, or perhaps as high as 10,000 times as fast. Land is being transformed from wilderness into agricultural, mining, lumbering and urban areas for humans.

The reservoir of genetic traits present in wild varieties and traditionally grown landraces is extremely important in improving crop performance. Important crops, such as the potato, banana and coffee, are often derived from only a few genetic strains. Improvements in crop species over the last 250 years have been largely due to harnessing genes from wild varieties and species. Interbreeding crops strains with different beneficial traits has resulted in more than doubling crop production in the last 50 years as a result of the Green Revolution.

Crop diversity is also necessary to help the system recover when the dominant cultivar is attacked by a disease or predator:

--The Irish potato blight of 1846 was a major factor in the deaths of one million people and the emigration of another million. It was the result of planting only two potato varieties, both of which proved to be vulnerable.

--When rice grassy stunt virus struck rice fields from Indonesia to India in the 1970s, 6,273 varieties were tested for resistance. Only one was resistant, an Indian variety, and known to science only since 1966. This variety formed a hybrid with other varieties and is now widely grown.

--Coffee rust attacked coffee plantations in Sri Lanka, Brazil, and Central America in 1970. A resistant variety was found in Ethiopia. Although the diseases are themselves a form of biodiversity.

--Monoculture was a contributing factor to several agricultural disasters, including the European wine industry collapse in the late 19th century, and the US Southern Corn Leaf Blight epidemic of 1970.

Although about 80 percent of humans' food supply comes from just 20 kinds of plants, humans use at least 40,000 species. Many people depend on these species for their food, shelter, and clothing. Earth's surviving biodiversity provides as little-tapped resources for increasing the range of food and other products suitable for human use, although the present extinction rate shrinks that potential

Biodiversity's relevance to human health is becoming an international political issue, as scientific evidence builds on the global health implications of biodiversity loss. This issue is closely linked with the issue of climate change, as many of the anticipated health risks of climate change are associated with changes in biodiversity (e.g. changes in populations and distribution of disease vectors, scarcity of fresh water, impacts on agricultural biodiversity and food resources etc.) Some of the health issues influenced by biodiversity include dietary health and nutrition security, infectious diseases, medical science and medicinal resources, social and psychological health.

One of the key health issues associated with biodiversity is that of drug discovery and the availability of medicinal resources. A significant proportion of drugs are derived, directly or indirectly, from biological sources; At least 50% of the pharmaceutical compounds on the US market are derived from compounds found in plants, animals, and microorganisms, while about 80% of the world population depends on medicines from nature (used in either modern or traditional medical practice) for primary healthcare.

Moreover, only a tiny proportion of the total diversity of wild species has been investigated for medical potential. Through the field of bionics, considerable advancement has occurred which would not have occurred without rich biodiversity. It has been argued that the decline in output from the pharmaceutical sector since the mid-1980s can be attributed to a move away from natural product exploration ("bioprospecting") in favor of genomics and synthetic chemistry, neither of which have yielded the expected breakthroughs; meanwhile, natural products have a long history of supporting significant economic and health innovation.

A wide range of industrial materials derive directly from biological resources. These include building materials, fibers, dyes, rubber and oil. Further research into employing materials from other organisms is likely to improve product cost and quality. Biodiversity is also important to the security of resources such as water quantity and quality, timber, paper and fibre, food and medical resources. As a result, biodiversity loss is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor in business development and a threat to long term economic sustainability.

Biodiversity provides many ecosystem services that are often not readily visible. It plays a part in regulating the chemistry of our atmosphere and water supply. Biodiversity is directly involved in water purification, recycling nutrients and providing fertile soils. Experiments with controlled environments have shown that humans cannot easily build ecosystems to support human needs; for example insect pollination cannot be mimicked, and that activity alone represents tens of billions of dollars in ecosystem services per year to humankind. Ecosystem stability is also positively related to biodiversity, protecting them ecosystem services from disruption by extreme weather or human exploitation.

Jared Diamond describes an "Evil Quartet" of habitat destruction, overkill, introduced species, and secondary extensions.] Edward O. Wilson prefers the acronym HIPPO, standing for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Human Over Population, and Overharvesting. The most authoritative classification in use today is IUCN’s Classification of Direct Threats.

Rates of decline in biodiversity in this sixth mass extinction match or exceed rates of loss in the five previous mass extinction events recorded in the fossil record. Loss of biodiversity results in the loss of natural capital that supplies ecosystem goods and services. The economic value of 17 ecosystem services for the entire biosphere (calculated in 1997) has an estimated average value of US$ 33 trillion (1012) per year!

---

Quote:

---

When a bird experiences stress, either physically or emotionally, its metabolic response is to activate the sympathetic nervous system. This is a component of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for action during the fight-or-flight response.

Some of the physiological changes that take place are increased sugar and fats into the bloodstream, the production of more adrenaline, cortisol, and glucagon into the blood, a decrease in digestive function, increased blood pressure, heartbeat, breathing rate, muscle tension and, thus, the creation of more energy. Corticosterone is the main hormone produced by birds in response to stress. It causes many changes in behavior and physiology, helping the bird to cope with stressful stimuli.

Stress may also manifest inward to one of the organ systems, such as the nervous system, circulatory, or digestive system. Stress increases the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. There is an increased excretion of amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus and a decreased storage of calcium.

All birds carry yeast, bacterial and viral cells but, under healthy conditions, they remain in small numbers and harmless. However, at stressful times, when the immune system is weakened, these opportunistic microorganisms may proliferate and birds then become more vulnerable to the development of an infection.

---

Quote:

---

All wild animals stress easily in captivity and oiled birds typically suffer stress from the effects of the oil, capture and transport. Before they can be washed they must be stabilized or the additional stress of the wash process could kill them. Stabilizing most oil-affected animals requires medical treatments under veterinary supervision and intensive supportive care for at least 48 hours.

When a bird arrives at the center, a thorough physical exam determines the condition of the bird and the degree of oiling. Frequently, oiled birds are debilitated either by the toxic effects of ingesting oil, or by exhaustion/starvation. The oil may cover only a small patch, or the bird may be totally soaked in oil.

Immediately following its initial examination, it is fed a rehydration solution through a tube inserted into its stomach. The solution treats dehydration commonly seen in oiled aquatic birds, which can be life threatening, absorbs digested oil from the birds digestive tract, and flushes out the birds system.

Preliminary treatment and stabilization helps the bird regain its strength before the cleaning process begins. The bird is discouraged from preening itself and ingesting oil by being kept in a warm, quiet environment until it becomes alert and responsive, and ultimately, ready to be washed. An oiled bird is not able to thermo regulate their internal body temperature, so it is stabilized in a warm environment and monitored closely for signs of hypo- and hyperthermia. The bird is constantly monitored for stress, dehydration and disease, and is given intensive supportive nutrition and hydration therapy for at least two days or until it is strong enough to withstand the cleaning procedure.

---

Quote:

---

Pelicans, like penguins, can tolerate the stress of rehabilitation much better than birds like loons and murres for example (both of which species tend to rarely even see humans). One recent example was a brown pelican, oiled and rehabilitated, during the American Trader spill in 1990 in Southern California. This bird was sighted still alive in Newport Beach earlier this year, 20 years on, and is considered one of the oldest brown pelicans ever recorded.

While it's impossible to predict the future, these are very healthy and strong birds and have a good chance at surviving the rehabilitation process. The majority of these birds are handling the stress of oiling, washing and rehabilitation extremely well, as expected. Over 300 of them have been cleaned and are in outside aviaries at this time getting ready for release. Brown pelicans typically have a high survival rate in oil spills when they are captured early on and given the appropriate care, as has happened here to date.

---

Quote:

---

Recent studies indicate that birds can be successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild, where many survive for years and breed.

The papers cited by opponents of oiled bird rehabilitation tend to rely on anecdotal band returns (meaning there is no daily tracking method for individuals released and no control groups observed). These surveys are misleading because they fail to consider some important variables: the protocols used to care for the birds in question, the experience of the organization caring for the oiled birds and basic things like how the bird’s health and water proofing were assessed prior to release.

---

Quote:

---

Agriculture and thermoelectric power generation account for about 80 percent of water withdrawals in North America. Irrigation is a particular threat. The Oglala Aquifer underneath the Great Plains has water resources equivalent to Lake Huron, but it is being depleted by irrigation faster than it can recharge.

---