Biodiversity PBL Flashcards
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is lots of species, lots of ecosystems, and the processes their involved in
What are the 5 components to biodiversity? Explain
- Ecosystem Diversity- there are many different types of ecosystems, such as marshes, lakes, streams, and forests.
- Community Diversity- populations of different species living within a community
- Species Diversity- there are many variations within a particular species
- Genetic Diversity- there is a variety of genetic material in all living things
- Species Distribution Diversity- plant and animal species are not evenly distributed throughout the various ecosystems on Earth
Where do you find the most diversity?
We find the most biodiversity near the equator and in the tropical rainforests.
Why are coral reefs important?
They provide protection and shelter for many different species of fish.
Controls how much carbon dioxide is in the ocean water.
They provide a barrier between the ocean and the shore protecting the coasts from strong winds. (That’s why they are called Barrier Reefs)
Name the one particularly important coral reef?
the Great Barrier Reef
What is interdependence?
Interdependence is when a species is dependent on other species in its environment
What is a important example of interdependence found in nature?
Food webs and food chains (predator/prey) are important examples of interdependence found in nature.
What is symbiosis?
Symbiosis is a type of interdependence. It is an associations between members of different species.
Name the 4 types of symbiosis
Commensalism, Mutualism, Neutralism, Parasitism
What is Commensalism? Give an example
One organism benefits and the other is neither benefited nor get harmed
Example: a bird living in a tree. (birds get shelter, tree does nothing)
What is Mutualism? Give an example
Where both organisms benefit
Example: a bee pollinating a flower (bee can make honey, flower can reproduce)
What is Neutralism? Give an example
Neither species benefits or is harmed. Both organisms are unaffected.
Ex. An American Goldfinch is a bird that eats mostly seeds. It may share a tree with a Great Crested Flycatcher, which eats mostly insects. Neither affects the other.
What is Parasitism? Give an example
One organism benefits and the other is harmed
Example: Tapeworms attach themselves to the insides of the intestines of animals such as cows, pigs, and humans. They get food by eating the host’s partly digested food, depriving the host of nutrients.
What is a niche?
A niche describes the role of an organism in the ecosystem which includes what it eats, what eats it, its habitat, nesting sites, etc.
Niches are important because..?
They are important because they allow species to exist in the same location
