Biodiversity 3-5 Flashcards
Define biodiversity in simple terms
the number, variety and variability of living organisms
What is the functional value of ecosystem services?
vital in sustaining many biological processes which, in turn are vital to survival of many different species including humans
What is the potential value of ecosystems?
Undiscovered taxa could potentially hold genes that will provide benefits to future generations e.g. new food sources and medicines etc
What is the commercial value of ecosystems?
provide humankind with many economically viable goods and services, Eco-tourism can provide a economic boost for local communities
What is the intrinsic value of ecosystems?
Biodiversity is associated with many cultural, social, ethical and aesthetic values
What is the main aims of biodiversity conservation?
to ‘mainatian the diversity of living organisms, their habitats and the interrelationships between organisms and their environment’
What was stated in the UN conference on Environment and development (UNCED) 1992?
The objectives of this convention… are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources’
What is ex situ conservation?
the conservation means the components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats
What is in situ conservation?
the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings
Name 4 in situ conservation techniques?
protected area
extra PA
on farm
home garden
Name 4 ex situ conservation techniques?
- embryo, semen, ova or seed storage
- DNA pollen storage
- in vitro storage
- field gene bank storage
- botanic zoo garden
What is the conservation technique of extra PA?
The location, management and monitoring of genetic diversity of natural wild population in informally managed in situ conservation sites.
How do the IUCN 2008 define a protected area?
an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means’
What is an ecogeographic survey?
An ecological, geographical, genetic and taxonomic information gathering and synthesis process, can be used to formulate conservation priorities
Name 3 advantages of in situ conservation
- appropriate for all organisms
- dynamic conservation in relation to environmental changes
- permits pathogen interactions, continues dynamic evolution
Name 3 advantages of ex situ conservation
- efficient and reproducible for many species
- easy access to breeding and other form of utilisation
- little maintenance once conserved
Define ecomorphology
the study of teh relationship between the ecological role of an organisms and its morphological adaptation
What factors determine morphology of a species? (5)
- niche availability
- competition
- predators
- resources
- climate
What are homologous traits?
= similarities that results from common ancestry,
Define homology
the existence of shared ancestry between a pair of structures, or genes, in different taxa.
What are analogous structures?
independently evolved features with the same function
What is fosters rule?
some species get smaller and some get larger depending on resources and predation pressures
What does fosters rule actually mean?
large mammals like elephants are often likely to get smaller as there are less food available
> whereas small mammals on islands where there is little competition or predation are likely to get bigger
Define co-evolution
two or more species reciproclally affecting eachother’s evolution e.g. pollinators and plants
Define convergent evolution
Organisms not closely related independently evolve to share similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches
define biogeography
the study of the geographic of nature, including variation on any biological characteristics
What did Alfred Russell Wallace discover?
- the presence of species relates to barriers such as mountains and rivers
- the Wallace line between Australian and south east Asian fauna and flora
What is the number of species on an island determined by?
the rate of immigration and extinction and also affected by the size of the island and distance from mainland
What did Brown and Lomolino add to MacArthur and Wilson’s theory?
- said it was too simplistic and needed to include feedback from the systems and more interactions between organisms
Describe the biographic factors of areas which are more biodiverse? (6)
- warmer
- wetter
- lower seasonal variation
- more vaired topography
- lower altitude
- larger area size
What non biographic factors need to be considered when determining the biodiversity of an area?
= immigration/emigration = distrurbance = dispersal = predator-prey interactions = habitat heterogeneity
Are the broad patterns of distribution of organisms on earth determined by abiotic or biotic factors?
abiotic e.g. sunlight, temperature and water
Why is solar radiation important in biodiversity? (2)
- it allows plants to grow which allows animal species to survive
- also, it acts to warm the earth and temperature is the biggest factor in determining the distribution of organisms because of its effect on biological process
Define speciation?
an evolutionary process in which populations become species
Which form of speciation involves a geographical barrier?
- allopatric
What are biodiversity hotspots?
areas with high species endemism and high level of threat
What are the issues with hotspots?
- tend to be areas subject to great anthropogenic threat
- more remote, less immigration, and extinction means very unlikely to be replaced so high rate of threat
- lack of disturbance, not adapted to disease or predators
Where are all the top 8 hotspots found?
on islands
Define endemism
- unique to a defined geographic location
Define neoendemism
comprise clusters of closely related species and subspecies that have evolved relatively recently
Define paleoendemism
comprises phylogenetically high-ranking taxa usually monotypic section, subgenera/genera that may be regarded as evolutionary reacts and were once widespread
What is direct use value?
economical value of natural goods
what is indirect use value?
economical value of natural services
What is optional value?
economic value of future benefits that a natural area could provide
What is existence value?
economic value of habitat or species based on the amount people who are willing to pay to avoid its destruction
