A4.2 SL/HL Flashcards
Biodiversity
wide variety of ecosystems and living organisms: animals, plants, their habitats and their genes
Ecosystem diversity
the variety of different habitats, communities and ecological processes
Species diversity
the number of different species present in an ecosystem and relative abundance of each of those species
species richness
a measure of the variety of species based simply on a count of the number of species in a particular sample
species evenness
a description of the distribution of abundance across the species in a community
Genetic diversity
he biological variation that occurs within species
mass extinction
when species vanish much faster than they are replaced. This is usually defined as about 75% of the world’s species being lost in a short period of geological time - less than 2.8 million years
Holocene extinction
The ongoing extinction of the Earth’s flora and fauna due to human activities
Anthropogenic extinction
the extinction of species from the surface of earth that is due to human activities. It is mainly due to humans activities like hunting, poaching, deforestation etc.
Giant moa
an extinct group of flightless birdsformerly endemic to New Zealand
Caribbean monk seal
the only seal species native to Central America, was declared extinct in 2008
deforestation
the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities
Intensive farming
uses machines, natural and artificial fertilisers, and high-yield. The percentage yield is a measure of the yield obtained compared to the maximum possible yield
Dipterocarp
family includesaround 500 tree species with a pantropical distribution, although the large majority are located in Southeast Asian
Keystone species
a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance
overexploitation
harvesting a species from its habitat at a rate faster than the population can recover
Monoculture farming
a form of agriculture that is based on growing only one type of a crop at one time on a specific field
eutrophication
the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to the plentiful growth of simple plant life
IPBES
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established by States to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
IUCN Red List
a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity
Citizen Scientists
the involvement of volunteers in science. BRC and the volunteer schemes have worked together to gather and analyse wildlife observations
Overfishing
occurs when too many fish in a particular stock are caught and there are not enough adults to breed and sustain a healthy population
Microplastics
small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life
Acid rain
esults when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents
Biomagnification
a process causing the concentration of a substance (crosses) to increase at higher levels of the food chain
Habitat destruction
the elimination or alteration of the conditions necessary for animals and plants to survive, not only impacts individual species but the health of the global ecosystem
Urbanization
the study of the social, political, and economic relationships in cities, and someone specializing in urban sociology would study those relationships
Fragmentation of habitats
process where a large, continuous habitat is divided into smaller isolated fragments due to human activities like roads
Invasive species
an organism that typically causes ecological or economic harmin a new environment where it is not native
in situ efforts
The process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat
ex situ efforts
the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats
National parks
an area set aside by a national government for the preservation of the natural environment
Nature reserves
area set aside for the purpose of preserving certain animals, plants, or both
Rewilding programs
letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes
Reclaim degraded landscapes
one of many nature-based solutions to climate change that utilise natural assets and biodiversity to mitigate, adapt to, and build
Breeding programs
the planned breeding of a group of animals or plants, usually involving at least several individuals and extending over several generations
Artificial insemination
the process of collecting sperm cells from a donor male and manually depositing them into the reproductive tract of an ovulating female to achieve pregnancy
Botanic gardens
institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the purpose of scientific research, conservation, display, and education
Seed banks
a place where suitable conditions are maintained to conserve seed specimens of different plant species (wild or cultivated)
Animal tissue banks
large collections of biospecimens linked to relevant personal and health information
Germplasm
the genetic material of an individual that may be transmitted, sexually or somatically, from one generation to another
Somatic tissue
the cells in the body other than sperm and egg cells
EDGE of Existence Program
a research and conservation initiative that focuses on species deemed to be the world’s most “Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered”
