3.1 An Introduction to Biodiversity Flashcards
define biodiversity
it is a broad concept encompassing total diversity, including species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity per unit area
define species diversity
the variety of species per unit area, including the number of species in an area and their relative abundance
relationship between species diversity and complexity of an ecosystem
the higher the species diversity of a community/ecosystem, the greater the complexity.
higher survival rate because the alleles that exist will help the species against any issue in the enviornment
species richness
number of species in an area
species evenness
relative abundance of each species
define species
a group of organisms that interbreed and are capable of producing fertile offspring
define habitat diversity
the range of different habitats in an ecosystem or biome. conservation of habitat diversity usually leads to the conservation of species and genetic diverstiy
- variety of ecological niches
genetic diversity
the range of genetic material present in a population of species
why is quantification of biodiversity important?
Its important to conservation efforts so that areas of high biodiversity may be identified, explored, and appropriate conservation put in place where possible
example of a diversity indicies
simpsons diversity index
usefullness of providing numerical values of species diversity to understanding the biological communities and the conservation of biodiversity
- comparison is possible
- essential in identifying areas that should be protected against damaging human activity