Biodiversity Flashcards
Define ecology
Study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interaction among these that determines their distribution and abundance.
What three scales does ecology operate at?
Time
Spatial
Biological
What is biological hierarchy?
How biological organisms relate to each other.
Who coined the term “biodiversity” and what did he say it was?
E.O Wilson
“Variation of life at all levels of biological organisation”
We can’t finish biodiversity without harming humans.
How many species are there?
2 billion
How many species of insects are there?
6.8 million
How many bacterial species does each insect have?
10 unique species per insect
Define species
Group of similar organisms whose members interbreed
Define population
A group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same area at the same time
Define community
All the populations of different species that live and interact in the same area at the same time
Define ecosystem
A community and its physical (abiotic) environment
Define landscape
Several interacting ecosystems
What type of plants have the most biomass?
Terrestrial
What type of animals have the most biomass?
Marine
What has most biomass terrestrial or marine?
Terrestrial
What is alpha diversity?
Measure of the number of species in one area
What is beta diversity?
Measures the amount of change between two sites
What is gamma diversity?
Measures the difference of all areas in the landscape
What is the equation for gamma diversity? (To find the total species diversity in a landscape)
Y = alpha X beta
What is species diversity composed of?
Species richness and species evenness
How do you describe diversity?
Plot proportion abundance against abundance rank (makes a species rank abundance curve).
Why are species rank abundance curves almost always logged?
Because some species are miles more abundant than others
What three ways is rarity considered?
Size of geographic range
Habitat specificity
Local population density
Are patterns of diversity evenly distributed?
No poles have few species and the equator is the most diverse
What did Humboldt find out?
That species density changes with elevation as the mean annual temp changes.
Define diversity hotspot
Biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened with destruction
How do you qualify as a biodiversity hotspot?
Contain at least 1500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else
Lost at least 70% of primary native vegetation
Two examples of diversity hotspots
Sundaland SE Asia
Cerrado Brazil
What are keystone species?
Have a large effect on its environment relative to its abundance
Example of keystone species
Sea otters:
Each urchins
Urchin eat kelp
Bad for biodiversity within the kelp as it’s lost
