Biodiversity & Sustainability Biomes a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra. The Biosphere All biomes combine to create one systemcalled the biosphere Biosphere is where life exists and includes water, land and air atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphereThe three interacting components of the physical environment that make up the biosphere are the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere Atmosphere the atmosphere is a layer of gases that are held by the Earth's gravity the atmosphere extends from surface level to km above surface level Atmosphere composed of different gases Nitrogen which makes up 78% of the Earth's atmosphere Oxygen which makes up 21% Argon which makes up 0.9% of the atmosphere Carbon Dioxide which makes up 0.04% of the atmosphere The remaining is made up of water vapour and other trace gases. Lithosphere it is the Earth's crust consists of rock materials, soil or other minerals found from underground Lithosphere continued extends 100 km down from surface and runs under the continents and oceans is home to many micro-organisms, plants, animals, and fungi Hydrosphere The hydrosphere is water that is on or surrounds our Earth. Hydrosphere can be found in various forms: in plants, animals, humans etc. under the Earth's sediments, crust and rocks. Hydrosphere continued water that covers the Earth's surface (3/4 of the surface) in liquid plus solid forms such as ice and snow. water vapour and atmospheric water in the air Sustainability Definition: when a population of plants, animals and other living organisms can continue to interact and reproduce indefinitely it is the capacity to endure Biodiversity Definition: number of different types of organisms in an area The greater the number of organisms in an area, the greater the biodiversity of that area High biodiversity levels are connected with a healthy, sustainable environment Natural vs. Artificial NaturalArtificial Decreasing Biodiversity 5 Major Causes of Decreased Biodiversity Habitat change Overexploitation Pollution: i.e. toxicity & acidity of water Invasive species Climate change