Biodiversity Flashcards
What does biology mean?
It is the study of life
Derived from Greek - Bios (life), logos (to study)
Why study biology? (4)
- Medical advances
- Biotechnology advances
- Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
- Addressing needs of growing human population
What does biology do? (3)
- Studies characteristics and behaviors of organisms
- Studies the origin and evolution of species
- Studies the interactions of organisms and their environment
What are the traits of living things? (8)
ORDERHEG
Order Growth Development Reproduction Evolutionary adaptation Energy utilization Homeostasis Response to stimuli
What are the levels of organization? (8)
BECPOGM
Biosphere (contains all ecosystems)
Ecosystem (community and its surroundings)
Community (populations that live together in an area)
Populations (group of organisms of one type that live in one area)
Organism (individual living thing)
Groups of cells (tissues, organs, organ systems)
Cells (smallest functional unit of life, organelles)
Molecules
Define biodiversity
The variety of different species in an ecosystem, genetic variation within a population of species and variety of kinds of ecosystems
Define species
All organisms capable of breeding freely with each other under natural conditions
Define hybridization
The cross breeding between 2 different species
How are organisms defined by?
Defined by species however those who reproduce asexually are defined by morphology as they are not considered species
Define morphology
Physical appearance and characteristics of an organism; the science of the study of these physical characteristics
Define evolutionary change
A change that occurs in an entire population usually over a long period of time
Define genetic diversity
The genetic variability among organisms; usually referring to individuals of the same species
Species is composed of individuals with different traits like skin color or size while still belonging to the same species
Caused by genetic info from biological parents combining to make a unique individual
Define heterotroph
Organism that consumes living or dead organisms for nutrients
Define autotroph
Organism that can produce its own nutrients from gases, water, etc.
Define species diversity
Measure of diversity in ecosystems, taking into account the variety of species and the quantity of each species present
The more diverse an ecosystem the more stable it will be
Define structural diversity
Range of physical shapes and sizes within a habitat or ecosystem
The more diverse, the better chance of survival
Logs on the ground house parasites, large trees house bigger animals and birds
What is happening to the diversity of life and what would this mean for humans?
Diversity is decreasing, species are going extinct at an alarming rate (3 species per hour as of 2017)
Would mean lost food supply, loss of natural medicines, economic impact on tourism and forestry, and cause of disruptions in biogeochemical cycles
What are the three components of biodiversity?
- Species diversity (different types of living organisms)
- Genetic diversity (differences between living organisms within a species; genes create a unique offspring with gives the species the ability to adapt to changing environments)
- Ecosystem Diversity (the variety of different habitats in a particular area; the more places to live, the more organisms can live there, the more diverse the area, the more stable the ecosystem)
Explain how “survival of the fittest” pertains to biodiversity
The more organisms live in an ecosystem, the more likely at least some of the species will survive anything that could wreck the ecosystem
Name things that could kill off a species (6)
Disease, new species (invasive), territorial behavior, limited resources, human activities, climate (natural disaster)
Why care about biodiversity?
Has intrinsic value (value in and of itself)
Has utilitarian value (value something has a means to an end)
What do we get from biodiversity? (7)
Oxygen, food, clean water, medicine, aesthetics, ideas, resistance to environmental stresses and diseases
What are some threats to biodiversity? (5)
Habitat destruction Pollution Species introductions Global climate change Exploitation
