Chapter 47 Flashcards
Why is biodiversity important
biodiversity is insanely important because many differnet organisms are used by humans to benefit them (medicine etc.)
Richness and diveristy
Richness- Amount of presence
Diversity- ez
Genetic Diversity
total genetic info within all individuals
Chemical Diversity
Proteins and metabolsims pathways in organisms. Important becausr if there are less species then there are less chemicals that can benefit us
Ecosystem diversity
of ecosystems in an area
Biome v Ecosystem
an ecosystem refers to a specific community of living and non-living things and the interactions of those constituents. A biome refers to the broad definition of plants that are adpated to certain weather conditions
Ecosystem function
sum of all biological and chemical process (carbon cycle nitrogen cycle etc.)
How does biodiversity affect productivity in an ecosystem?
It increases productivity through efficent use of resources and facilitation
Biodiversity hotspots
Places on earth with VRY HIGH biodiversity caused by geological past
Pleistocene
The last major epoch of recent times (2.5 mil to 11,700 yrs ago) commonly known as the ice age
4 types of ecosystem services
Provisioning: being wary how we use raw materials
Regulating: Creating laws to control things that have a negative impact on the envionment
Cultural: Creating a culture that supports our biosphere
Supporting: Process of how things live
How can invasive species usurp ecossystem services
All of these example are just for australia:
Brumby- horse that was used for farming and now eat wild vegetation
Cane Toad- posiones frog that was brought to kill native populations that ate produce
Honey Bee- these bees outcompete with birds for trees
Eutrophocation
The excess of nutrients in a body of water that can cause a HAB
Why are HABs well studied?
HABS are well studied because it impacts fishery, so studies were funded to find out why all of these fish are dying. The ecological impacts were just a side note.
Bioprospecting
Bioprospecting is the exploration of natural sources for small molecules, macromolecules and biochemical and genetic information that could be developed into commercially valuable products.
Cons: environmental problems related to unauthorized (over-) exploitation, and social and economic problems related to unfair sharing of benefits
