Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Flashcards
how is biodiversity quantified
Species richness
Species evenness
Genetic diversity
Functional diversity
what is Genetic diversity
Total genetic information contained within individuals of all population/species
Number and relative frequency of all alleles in a specis
Importance: represents adaptive capacity of a group
what is ecosystem function
biological and chemical processes of an ecosysten
Incluses primary production, nutrient cycling, decompositions. Product of the organisms interacting with their abiotic environment
what is functional diversity
variety of roles that different species play within an ecosystem
what is a endemic species
Species that are native to and found only in a specific geographic area — and nowhere else in the world.
Areas with high endemism sometimes correspond to areas with high species richness, but they are not identical
Evaluating both can be more insightful than evaluating either alone
how much higher is modern extinction compared to background rate
Modern extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times greater than “background” rate
in Canada what threatens endangered species the most
Habitat loss is most important factor
Marine species are threatened most by overharvesting
Freshwater species most affected by pollutants
how does habitat loss threaten species
Destructions by logging, burning, grazing livestock, draining wetlands, excavating minerals, building
how does Deforestation threaten species
Forest loss in south america and Africa is very imporant, their biodiversity hotspots
Important in moderating efffects of climate change by storing carbon
how does habitat fragmentation threaten species
Increases isolation, reduces population size
May reduce genetic exchange
how does overexploitation threaten species
Unsustainable removal of organisms for use by humans
Dominant threat to marine species
90% of large-bodied fish species have been harvested, threatening trophic cascades \
Overhunting threatens many mammals - especially in Africa
Capture of animals for the pet trade
how does pollution affect species
Humans release of chemicals into ecosystems
Industrial pollutants
Pharmaceutical drugs in human urine pass through water systems into rivers/streams
Nutrient runoffs can cause eutrophication
how does climate change affect species
Wide-range of effects, hard to predict
Slow-dispersing species unable to track changes, altering community coompositions
Ocean acidification due to increased CO2 concentration
Inhibits ability of marine animals to make calcium carbonate skeletons
importance of biodiversity
Intrinsic and instrumental value; biological,economic and cultural benefits
Does species number affect community productivity
More species = higher productivity
NPP increased with increasing species richness and increase functional diversity up to a point.
Resource use efficiency - diverse plant assemblages are more efficent at utilizing avaiable resources
Facilitation - certain species assist the growth of other species
what does community stability refer to
Maintain productivity and ecosystem function as conditions change over time
Recover to former levels of productivity or species richness after a disturbance
Resistance: extent to which a community remians unchanged during a disturbance
Resilience: how quickly a community recovers following a disturbance
arguments to support human intervention
- Organisms have intrinsic worth
- Industrialized nations are responsible for most of the environmental harm
- It’s unethical for the current generation to deprive future generations of ecosystem services
what is sustainability
Consumption does not exceed nature’s rate of replenish, meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future
contributions to carbon foot print
Land use
Water use
Greenhouse gas emissions
what are the current efforts in conservation
Education campaigns, Genetic Restoration, Seed Banks, Management plans for threatened species(captive breeding),wildlife corridors, Protected areas and ecosystem restoration
