7. Mass Extinction and Biodiversity - Measuring Biodiversity Flashcards
What might a population dieing out mean for a species?
That it has lost genetic biodiversity, which may limit its ability to adapt to changing conditions
What are three measurable components of biodiversity?
Genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity
What is genetic diversity measured by?
The number and frequency of all of the alleles in a population
What does genetic diversity comprise?
The genetic variation represented by the number and frequency of all the alleles in a population
What is species richness?
The number of species in an ecosystem
What is species diversity?
The relative abundance of each species in an ecosystem
What does a community with a dominant species have?
A lower species biodiversity than one with the same species richness but no particularly dominant species
What is ecosystem diversity?
The number of distinct ecosystems within a defined area
