Ch 10 key terms

Question 1

biodiversity

Answer 1

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Question 2

gene

Answer 2

In biology, a gene is a basic unit of heredity and a sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that encodes the synthesis of a gene product, either RNA or protein. During gene expression, the DNA is first copied into RNA.

Question 3

keystone species

Answer 3

a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

Question 4

ecotourism

Answer 4

tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

Question 5

endangered species

Answer 5

a species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.

Question 6

threatened species

Answer 6

Threatened Species are any species which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of critical depensation, a mathematical measure of biomass related to population growth rate.

Question 7

exotic speicies

Answer 7

An exotic species, with respect to a particular ecosystem, refers to any species, including its larvae, seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating the species, which is not native to that ecosystem

Question 8

poaching

Answer 8

Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and a supplement for meager diets. It was set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers

Question 9

endemic speicies

Answer 9

Endemism is the state of a species being native to a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere.

Question 10

germ plasm

Answer 10

Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses.

Question 11

endangered species act

Answer 11

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species.

Question 12

habitat conservation plan

Answer 12

A Habitat Conservation Plan is a required part of an application for an Incidental Take Permit, a permit issued under the United States Endangered Species Act to private entities undertaking projects that might result in the destruction of an endangered or threatened species.

Question 13

biodiversity treaty

Answer 13

The Convention on Biological Diversity, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.