Biodiversity Flashcards
What are the two ways of assessing biodiversity
The species richness - number of different species in an area
The distributions of species
What is generally the area of highest biodiversity
The wet tropics
Biodiversity hotspot
An area with a particularly high level of biodiversity
What are endemic species
Species that are found nowhere else
Why might some area have particularly rich biodiversity
Very stable ecosystems allow many complex relationships to develop between species
Components of biodiversity equation and what they mean
D - diversity index
N - the total number of organisms of all species
n - the total number of organisms of each individual species
E - the sum of all values that follow
Biodiversity equation
N(N-1) / E n(n-1)
Relative species abundance
The relative number of species in an area
Where is high biodiversity seen
Very stable ecosystems
Areas with high levels of productivity
Areas where organisms can grow and reproduce rapidly
Allele frequency
The frequency in which a particular allele appears within a population
How do allele frequencies change
Mutation and natural selection
Genetic diversity
A measure of the level of a difference in the genetic makeup of a population
Issues with low genetic diversity
Higher risk of extinction due to disease etc.
Example is cheetahs
Ethical reasons for maintaining biodiversity
If we destroy biodiversity, future generations cant use the renewable natural resources
Biodiversity is a source of pleasure
Extinction means loss of unique DNA - this is unethical due to human activities
Human activities can cause mass extinctions through climate change
What are ecosystems services
Services provided by the natural environment that are of benefit to people
Provisioning services
Ecosystems provide us with food, fibres for clothing, building materials, fuel, water, medicines etc.
Regulating services
Ecosystems help maintain our environment e.g. water purification, maintaining air quality, disease regulation, pest control, pollination etc.
Supporting services
Ecosystems provide support for other ecosystems services that we need e.g. soil formation and nutrient cycling in the environment are ecosystem services without which we could not grow food to eat
Cultural services
A healthy and biodiverse ecosystem is important for human health and wellbeing. In some areas, the economy of a country depends on animal and plant observations
Conservation
Keeping and protecting a living and changing environment
2 main types of conservation
In-situ
Ex-situ
Ex-situ conservation
The conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats
Ex-situ plant conservation
Crossbreeding crop plants back to original wild plants
Seed banks
Ex-situ animal conservation
Zoos
Wildlife parks
