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1-3 Direct Impacts of Biodiversity Loss
Outcomes:
1. Defend a decision or judgement and demonstrate that relevant arguments can arise from different
perspectives. (118-5)
2. Propose a course of action on social issues related to science and technology, taking into account human
and environmental needs. (118-9)
3. State a prediction and a hypothesis based on available evidence and background information (e.g.,
predict the impact of fishing or harvesting resources such as seaweed, after examining an aquatic
ecosystem; predict the impact on an ecosystem of supplying an excess of food for a particular organism).
(212-4)
4. Describe the significance of global warming. (215-1)
5. Explain why different ecosystems respond differently to short-term stresses and long-term changes.
(318-4)
6. Analyse the impact of external factors on an ecosystem. (331-6)
Climate Change
Humans are destroying the tropical rainforest in
Brazil. This may seem to be an unimportant event
far removed from the everyday life of the average
Newfoundlander and Labradorian, but its loss is
very significant to us.
When these rainforests are destroyed, plants and
animals die because they lose their habitat. Also,
destroying trees releases large amounts of carbon
dioxide (CO
2
)

into the atmosphere. This
significantly increases the warming of Earth. Plants
naturally use carbon dioxide to make their food in
a process called photosynthesis. This process uses
the energy from sunlight to make sugars that
plants and animals use for food.
When plants make their food they also produce
oxygen (O
2
) that we breathe to survive.
Unfortunately, the extra carbon dioxide adds to the
ability of the earths atmosphere to trap heat from
the sun. This effect of making our planet a little
bit warmer each year is called the Greenhouse
Effect. For us, this means many things, the most
important being changes
to our climate and weather
patterns. Most climate
scientists agree that human
activity is changing our
climate. As Figure 1shows,
there has been a significant
increase in greenhouse
gases in the last 100 years.
Habitat: Where an organism
lives or its home
Photosynthesis: Carbon
dioxide + water sugar + O
2
Greenhouse Effect: The effect
of increasing the temperature of
Earth by increasing greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere
128 SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
APPENDIX A
The graphs show that there has been a significant
increase in the levels of these three greenhouse
gases since the year 1900. The carbon dioxide
levels in particular have tripled from the year 1900
to 2000.
The pollutants we pump into our atmosphere are
changing its make-up and preventing heat from
escaping Earths surface. Todays atmosphere
contains 32 per cent
more carbon dioxide
than at the start of the
industrial era about 150
years ago.
The result is climate change. This means long-term
changes in weather patterns. One example is global
warming, a rise in the average global temperature.
This is a good measure of climate change. And it has
already begun. Global average temperature has risen
Pollutants: Things that make
the environment dangerous to
life
by almost 1 degree Celsius since 1900, and the
northern hemisphere is substantially warmer now
than at any point during the past 1000 years. This
may not seem like much; however, it may be enough
to melt the polar ice caps!
Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is largely
responsible for the climate change. Deforestation,
particularly of the
rainforests, and modern
farming methods also
contribute to the problem.
A recent weather event in
Atlantic Canada gives some proof of our changing
climate. On September 29, 2003, Hurricane Juan hit
Halifax, Nova Scotia. Although it is not uncommon
to have hurricanes hit Nova Scotia or Newfoundland
and Labrador, what made this one different,
according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, was its
intensity as it moved from the ocean to the land.
Hurricane strength is measured in categories
numbered 1 through to 5 with a category 1 being
the least powerful and a category 5 the most
powerful. Hurricane Juan as it came ashore was
barely a category 2 hurricane with maximum
sustained wind speeds of 158 km/h. Based on
hurricane records during the past 100 years, it
appears that such a strong hurricane in Nova
Scotia occurs only once in 50 years. This means
we may see more hurricanes more often in Atlantic
Canada.
Figure 1: Gobal atmospheric concentrations of three
well-mixed greenhouse gases.

Deforestation: The process

of removing trees from an
area
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SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
So what made Juan so powerful when it reached
Nova Scotia? The answer to that question has a lot
to do with the unusually warm water temperatures at
the surface of the ocean during the tail end of
September 2003. Hurricanes need 26
o
C (Celsius)
water to grow stronger. Once they move over colder
waters, they begin to weaken. The rate at which they
weaken depends strongly on the water temperature.
The general water temperatures between the Gulf
Stream and the Nova Scotia coast on September
28th were about 18
o
C. The normal temperatures are
around 15
o
C for this date, so this meant a 3
o
C
increase. Juan was very powerful because the warmer-
than-normal water did not allow the hurricane to
weaken as it hit Halifax.
There is more to the story than just water
temperatures. Hurricane Juan actually did not
weaken much at all when it headed across the
cooler shallow waters south of Nova Scotia. The
hurricane actually accelerated. As a result, the
hurricane spent less time over the cooler waters
because it was moving so fast. This meant there
was less time for the storm to weaken.
The warmer-than-normal water can have two effects.
First, it can keep the hurricane going a little longer
than it normally would. Second, it made the winds
stronger because the air above the ocean was
unstable. This meant stronger winds reaching the
ground and ocean. If stronger winds reach the ocean,
then these winds can help fuel the storm with more
moisture and energy from the water. There are
indications that hurricane Juan may have been 20-30
km/h weaker than when it hit Nova Scotia under
normal conditions. That means it probably would
have been about a 130 km/h storm, making Juan less
violent and distructive. When you factor in the
increased stability of the atmosphere over 15
o
C

water
(as opposed to the 18
o
C

water it was), then this may
account for 10-20 km/h less wind at the surface. The
result is a weaker hurricane hitting the coast, with less
damage.
More work may need to be done in order to measure
the influence of ocean surface water temperature on
the intensity of hurricanes in Atlantic Canada. If the
seemingly small change of water temperature from 15
o
C to 18
o
C makes a large impact on storm strength,
then we should be very concerned about long-term
trends in ocean temperatures. This could happen with
an increasingly warmer climate or with changes in the
ocean water temperatures of the Gulf Stream. We may
see even warmer waters moving toward Nova Scotia
and the rest of Atlantic Canada.
We are not sure if changing climate conditions in
Newfoundland and Labrador are directly linked to
loss of biodiversity in regions like the Brazilian
rainforest. What we are sure of is that our yearly
weather patterns are changing and more severe
weather is predicted to occur in the near future.
Conserving existing ecosystems must be a priority
in all regions of our planet if we are to see a settling
of climatic conditions. See STSE 1-3 Supplement A
for a first hand account of hurricane Juans effects.
Analysis
1. a) Identify three greenhouse gases.
b) Which one is linked directly to the loss of the
rainforest?
c) What effect do these gases have on the
atmosphere?
2. When did Hurricane Juan hit Halifax? Why was
this date so important?
3. Why was this a significant storm for our region?
Extension
1. Research how hurricanes form and where they are
most common.
130 SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
APPENDIX A
Economic and Cultural Effects
In June 1497, John Cabot arrived in Newfoundland
waters. He reported to the King of England that the
fish were so plentiful you could catch them in
baskets. In July of 1992, the Government of Canada
closed a fishery that was nearly 500 years old and was
the backbone of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Northern cod stocks were deemed to be so low
that an immediate ban was placed on all cod fishing
in hopes that the cod population would recover.
There were 5 contributing factors to the cod
population decline. These were:
1. Excessive offshore fishing by foreign fishing
fleets and Canadian fishing vessels;
2. Improvements in fishing technology e.g.
Factory trawlers and fish finders;
3. Decline in cod food sources e.g. over-fishing of
capelin which is one of the cods main foods;
4. Changing water temperature;
5. General mismanagement of the resource by
setting quotas too high.
On July 2, 2002, government officials and various
stakeholders in the fishery marked the tenth
anniversary of the closure
of the Northern cod
fishery. The Premier at the
time, Roger Grimes, was
quoted as saying:
The Northern Cod Moratorium was a
significant event in Newfoundland and
Labrador. Despite the moratorium, the people
in the province endured and worked even
harder, to diversify and revitalize the fishery.
This has been a powerful testament to the spirit
and tenacity of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians, and today we honour our people
in the fishery."
The provincial government, along with FANL
(Fisheries Association of Newfoundland and
Labrador) and the FFAW (Fishermen, Food and
Allied Workers), unveiled a plaque, which reads:
For nearly 500 years the fishery sustained, employed,
and defined the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador. Generations of coastal people built a
fishing society along thousands of kilometres of rugged
coastline. On July 2, 1992, five centuries of fishing
activity was abruptly halted. The northern cod
moratorium altered the fabric of our province -
economically, socially and culturally. Yet the people
of our fishery endured. We honour their strength,
determination and perseverance.
The loss of the cod fishery delivered a significant
blow to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy
and it shaped the fishery of the 21
st
century. The
term underutilized species became common to
describe a new and diversified fishery. Marine
species and products such
as snow crab, shrimp, sea
urchins, scallops, capelin
roe, surf clams and
mussels are now being fished or harvested that
historically were not. People did not need to fish
them because cod was so abundant.
The loss of the northern cod as a valuable
commercial fish has resulted in increased fishing
pressures on these so-called underutilized species. The
new fishery has fewer people employed but the
technology now available makes fishing and
processing faster and more efficient. More money
is being made but by a smaller section of outport
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Already, the fear of over-fishing crab and shrimp
species has arisen. In a CBC news story, Fishermen
see warning signs in crab report, it was noted that
the latest stock assessment of snow crab has
fishermen wondering whether the crab could go
the way of the cod. Will there soon be a crab
moratorium?
A federal report on crab stocks released in 2003
indicates the amount of crab available has dropped
significantly off southern Labrador and
Newfoundlands south coast in particular. In the
stock status report, scientists estimate the amount
of crab available to be fished in Division 2J, (a
fishing zone off southern Labrador), decreased by
94 per cent between 1998 and 2002.
Stakeholders: Those who have
an investment of money or
employment
Underultilized: An organism
not normally caught or taken
by people
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Another obvious effect on the Newfoundland and
Labrador economy and culture has been the
out-migration of people directly linked to the cod
fishery. Between the
1970s and 1980s about
3 700 people per year
moved from the island of
Newfoundland. Since
1993 and the closure of the fishery, that number
has almost tripled. Specifically, in the years 1997-
1998, out-migration reached about 11 000
people. The impact has been felt almost entirely in
outport communities where fewer people are left
to work or carry on local traditions.
With a loss of young people in our province comes an
increase in the percentages of older individuals. This
in turn results in an aging workforce, increased
medical costs, reduced school populations, and a
general cultural deterioration.
The near loss of one marine species, in this case
the northern cod fish, has increased human
predation pressures on marine organisms not
normally fished, in particular, marine organisms like
cod, crab and shrimp. This has affected the
provincial economy, reduced our net population
and in turn affected our cultural well-being.
Obviously, the lifestyle of the people in our
province is directly linked to the biodiversity of
our region.
However, with better monitoring, improved
technology and an educated fishing industry, the
aim is not to repeat the mistakes of the past. In
2003, the fishing industry in Newfoundland and
Labrador exceeded 1 billion dollars in total value
to our economy. This was a mark never reached when
the cod fishery dominated.
See STSE 1-3 Supplement B and C for two specific
effects that resulted from the loss of the cod fishery.
Analysis
1. a) Which fishery was closed in July 1992?
b) Has it recovered in 2003?
2. a) Why was this fishery closed?
b) What led to its closure?
3. a) How has this closure affected the people
Newfoundland and Labrador?
b) How has it affected other marine organisms?
4. What does the term "underutilized species" mean?
Give three examples.
5. Explain how the loss of biodiversity has had a
negative effect on the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Extension
1. What other organisms are at risk in
Newfoundland and Labrador? Research one of
them to determine their current condition, what
is being done to help, and their probable future?
The following website may help http://
www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/default_e.cfm.
Out-migration: When people
leave their community or
province
132 SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
APPENDIX A
Ecological Effects - The Appearance of
a New Species
On March 29, 1985, three visitors were seen coming
ashore from pack ice off Marches Point on the Port
au Port Peninsula on the west coast of the island of
Newfoundland. Although the presence of three
unexpected visitors is usually not something to make
particular note of, in this case, however, it was. The
three in question were thought to be wolves.
Additional sightings of others similar to these were
made from 1986 to 2000, including trappings. This
information proved them to be the eastern coyote
(Canis latrans). As of 2004, they have been sighted
in almost every area of the island of Newfoundland.
So, how are the two events related? The answer lies in
the changes to our biodiversity.
With the absence of a native wolf population to act as
a natural control on coyote populations, there may be
increased predation rates on woodland caribou, arctic
hare, and the endangered Newfoundland pine marten
by coyotes. As well, there may be increased
competition with lynx and
red fox for food and space
when coyote numbers rise.
There has been one
documented observation of
a coyote hunting arctic hare and several unconfirmed
reports of predation on caribou. The addition of
another significant predator on the snowshoe hare
may cause a change in natural population cycles and
cause reductions in the yearly catch by people.
Caribou young are especially vulnerable to coyote
predation and a large proportion of calf mortality has
been caused by coyotes in a small caribou herd in
southern Quebec.
As reported elsewhere, the increasing coyote
populations may also result in reductions in red
fox numbers. However, it remains unclear how
these two species will interact in this Province.
Management of red fox and lynx may have to be
re-evaluated when coyotes become well-established in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Although the sheep
industry in Newfoundland is small, there are
implications for individual farmers. There have been
two coyote-sheep related predation incidents
reported, with several sheep killed in each
instance. Ref :(Range Expansion by the Eastern
Coyote (Canis latrans) to Insular Newfoundland
Government of NL and Lab, Dept. of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation)
The seemingly insignificant loss of one animal, the
Newfoundland wolf (which could have controlled
the coyote population), now has a potentially
greater impact 70+ years later. Perhaps
maintenance of the wolf population rather than
the destruction of it may have been a wiser course
of action. Although the wolf population, it
appears, was never really large, it was in balance with
its environment. Wolf numbers were as large as its
Natural Control: Things in
the environment that keep
populations low, like
predators, disease and lack of
food
A likely competitor for the coyote would have been
the Newfoundland wolf (Canis lupus beothucus),
but it disappeared in the 1920s. Humans hunted
it because some felt it was a threat to both sheep
and human populations. Yet, to this day, in North
America, there has not been a single, proven case
of a person being killed by a healthy, unprovoked
wolf.
Newfoundland wolf (Canis lupus Beothuscus)
Ned Pratt Photo
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APPENDIX A
SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
habitat could support. It seems the wolf was never a
real threat to people. In fact, they helped keep a
healthy balance of predator/prey in our environment.
The rapid decline in the caribou, in the early 1900s
resulted in decline in wolf numbers. This fact,
combined with things like disease, habitat loss, and
competition, which are natural limiting factors, plus
the bounty on wolves, which is not a natural limiting
factor, ultimately led to their
extinction.
Now, 70 years later, the
arrival of three visitors to
our western shore may force
the ecosystems on the island
of Newfoundland into a new balance: a balance that
may have very few animal species like the snowshoe
hare, caribou and fox. The final results are yet to be
seen. Nonetheless, its impact on humans, in one way
or another, will be measurable.
Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans)
4. What animals might be negatively impacted by
these visitors?
5. In this unit, we have identified that biodiversity is
important. Identify three other ways we are
destroying it and three ways we can protect it.
Extension
1. New species to an area often have negative
results as people see it. Yet, on the island of
Newfoundland a number of new animals have
been purposely introduced. Research one of
these to determine if the introduction was
successful ecologically, economically and
culturally. (Note: Canadian Geographic has an
excellent video on the introduction of moose to
Newfoundland)
References
The Atlantic Climate Centre
http://atlantic-web1.ns.ec.gc.ca/climatecentre/
The Canadian Hurricane Centre (Chris Fogarty,
Hurricane Researcher, Canadian Hurricane
Centre)
http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/
intensity_e.html
CBC radio Web One: The One That Got Away
http://www.cbc.ca/webone/cod/index.html
Fishermen see warning signs in crab report
WebPosted Apr 2 2003 11:25 AM NST
http://stjohns.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/
View?filename=nf_crab_20030402
http://www.k12.nf.ca/stmarks/grassroots/2001-
02/research/outmigration/paper.htm
Range Expansion by the Eastern Coyote to Insular
Newfoundlandhttp://www.gov.nl.ca/tcr/wildlife/
wildlife_r_m/coyote.htm
Limiting Factors: Things in
the environment that reduce
the numbers of an organism
Bounty: A price paid for the
capture of animals
See STSE 1-3 Supplement D for more information
on the Eastern coyote.
Analysis
1. Who were the visitors that came to the island of
Newfoundland on March 29, 1985? Have they left
as of 2003?
2. a) What animal did humans make extinct in the
1920s on the island of Newfoundland?
b) How did it happen?
3. How has the loss of that animal become
important with regard to the visitors of 1985?
134 SCIENCE 2200 CURRICULUM GUIDE
APPENDIX A
The Newfoundland Wolf
http://www.nfmuseum.com/notes8.htm
Coyote - National Park Service
http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/
coyote.htm
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/
CTVNews/20020630/
nfld_cod_anniversary020630/Canada?s_name=
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/
CTVNews/1051872714497_24/?hub=Canada
http://www.ology.amnh.org/biodiversity/