Biodiversity

Question 1

Define ecology

Answer 1

Study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interaction among these that determines their distribution and abundance.

Question 2

What three scales does ecology operate at?

Answer 2

Time
Spatial
Biological

Question 3

What is biological hierarchy?

Answer 3

How biological organisms relate to each other.

Question 4

Who coined the term “biodiversity” and what did he say it was?

Answer 4

E.O Wilson

“Variation of life at all levels of biological organisation”

We can’t finish biodiversity without harming humans.

Question 5

How many species are there?

Answer 5

2 billion

Question 6

How many species of insects are there?

Answer 6

6.8 million

Question 7

How many bacterial species does each insect have?

Answer 7

10 unique species per insect

Question 8

Define species

Answer 8

Group of similar organisms whose members interbreed

Question 9

Define population

Answer 9

A group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same area at the same time

Question 10

Define community

Answer 10

All the populations of different species that live and interact in the same area at the same time

Question 11

Define ecosystem

Answer 11

A community and its physical (abiotic) environment

Question 12

Define landscape

Answer 12

Several interacting ecosystems

Question 13

What type of plants have the most biomass?

Answer 13

Terrestrial

Question 14

What type of animals have the most biomass?

Answer 14

Marine

Question 15

What has most biomass terrestrial or marine?

Answer 15

Terrestrial

Question 16

What is alpha diversity?

Answer 16

Measure of the number of species in one area

Question 17

What is beta diversity?

Answer 17

Measures the amount of change between two sites

Question 18

What is gamma diversity?

Answer 18

Measures the difference of all areas in the landscape

Question 19

What is the equation for gamma diversity? (To find the total species diversity in a landscape)

Answer 19

Y = alpha X beta

Question 20

What is species diversity composed of?

Answer 20

Species richness and species evenness

Question 21

How do you describe diversity?

Answer 21

Plot proportion abundance against abundance rank (makes a species rank abundance curve).

Question 22

Why are species rank abundance curves almost always logged?

Answer 22

Because some species are miles more abundant than others

Question 23

What three ways is rarity considered?

Answer 23

Size of geographic range
Habitat specificity
Local population density

Question 24

Are patterns of diversity evenly distributed?

Answer 24

No poles have few species and the equator is the most diverse

Question 25

What did Humboldt find out?

Answer 25

That species density changes with elevation as the mean annual temp changes.

Question 26

Define diversity hotspot

Answer 26

Biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened with destruction

Question 27

How do you qualify as a biodiversity hotspot?

Answer 27

Contain at least 1500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else

Lost at least 70% of primary native vegetation

Question 28

Two examples of diversity hotspots

Answer 28

Sundaland SE Asia

Cerrado Brazil

Question 29

What are keystone species?

Answer 29

Have a large effect on its environment relative to its abundance

Question 30

Example of keystone species

Answer 30

Sea otters:

Each urchins
Urchin eat kelp
Bad for biodiversity within the kelp as it’s lost