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STS Finals > Chapter 7: Biodiversity & A Healthy Society > Flashcards

Chapter 7: Biodiversity & A Healthy Society Flashcards

1
Q

The sum of an area’s organisms, considering the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities.

A

Biodiversity / biological diversity.

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2
Q

The best-known spokesperson for biodiversity.

An accomplished scientist and writer, he has raised awareness of threats to Earth’s life, and of impending species extinctions.

A

Edward O. Wilson.

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3
Q

Biodiversity exists on three (3) levels, which are?

A
  1. Genetic diversity
  2. Species diversity
  3. Ecosystem diversity
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4
Q

The number or variety of species in a particular region.

A

Species diversity.

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5
Q

Refers to the number of species.

A

Species richness.

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6
Q

The extent to which numbers of different species are equal or skewed.

A

Evenness, or relative abundance.

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7
Q

A particular type of organism; a population or group of populations whose members share certain characteristics and can freely breed with one another and produce fertile offspring.

A

Species.

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8
Q

Includes the differences in DNA composition among individuals within a given species.

A

Genetic diversity.

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9
Q

Includes diversity above the species level.

A

Ecosystem diversity.

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10
Q

Three (3) alternative ways to categorize ecosystem diversity.

A
  1. Community diversity
  2. Habitat diversity
  3. Landscape diversity
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11
Q

Each species is classified within a hierarchy reflecting the evolutionary diversification of life.

A

Species and taxonomy.

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12
Q

Geographic variations within species.

A

Subspecies.

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13
Q

Roughly how many species have been formally described by science?

A

1.75 million species.

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14
Q

The estimated range of the total number of species in the world is equal to?

A

3 million to 100 million.

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15
Q

Three (3) reasons why we are still so unsure of the number of species on Earth.

A
  1. Some areas remain little explored (hydrothermal vents, rainforest canopies, tropical soils)
  2. Many species are tiny and inconspicuous (microbes, roundworms, protists, fungi…)
  3. Some species are very similar in appearance (many taxa, even trees, birds, whales)
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16
Q

Comprise more than half of all species in world.

A

Insects.

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17
Q

Beetles comprise ___ of all insects.

A

40%.

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18
Q

Mammals are outnumbered by spiders and their relatives by?

A

16 to 1.

19
Q

This is when an ancestral species give rise to many species that fill different niches, adapting to them by natural selection.

A

Adaptive radiation.

20
Q

Species richness increases toward the equator.

A

Latitudinal gradient.

21
Q

Last member of a species dies and the species vanishes forever from Earth.

A

Extinction.

22
Q

Disappearance of a particular population, but not the entire species globally.

A

Extirpation.

23
Q

The background rate of extinction?

A

One species goes extinct naturally every 500–1000 years.

24
Q

Earth has experienced how many mass extinction events in which over half its species were wiped out suddenly?

A

Five (5).

25
Q

Lists species that today are facing high risks of extinction.

A

Red List

(from International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN).

26
Q

How many species are known to have gone extinct in the past 400 years?

A

1100 species.

27
Q

Five (5) causes of species extinction.

First letters spell the word “HIPPO.”

A

Habitat alteration
Invasive species
Pollution
Population growth
Overexploitation

28
Q

The greatest cause of extinction today.

Accounts for 85% of population declines of birds and mammals.

A

Habitat alteration.

29
Q

Habitat alteration happens due to at least four (4) factors, which are?

A
  1. Forest clearing
  2. Urban development
  3. Agriculture
  4. Global climate change
30
Q

The accidental or intentional introduction of exotic species to new areas.

Second-worst threat to biodiversity.

A

Invasive species.

31
Q

Refers to air and water pollution; agricultural runoff, industrial chemicals, etc.

Does serious and widespread harm, but is not as threatening as the other elements of HIPPO.

A

Pollution.

32
Q

Exacerbates every other environmental problem.

Along with increased resource consumption, it is the ultimate reason behind proximate threats to biodiversity.

A

Population growth.

33
Q

Overharvesting of species from the wild and overconsumption of resources.

It is not the sole cause of extinction, but it often contributes in tandem with other causes.

A

Overexploitation.

34
Q

Ten (10) benefits of biodiversity.

A
  1. Food, fuel, and fiber
  2. Shelter and building materials
  3. Air and water purification
  4. Waste decomposition
  5. Climate stabilization and moderation
  6. Nutrient cycling
  7. Soil fertility
  8. Pollination
  9. Pest control
  10. Genetic resources
35
Q

Another benefit of biodiversity, in which many species not now commonly used for food could be.

A

Food security.

36
Q

Another benefit of biodiversity, in which many species can provide novel medicines; we don’t want to drive these extinct without ever discovering their uses.

A

Medicine.

37
Q

Another benefit of biodiversity, in that for all nations, ecotourism can be a major contributor to the economy—especially for developing nations rich in biodiversity.

A

Economic benefits.

38
Q

Refers to the human love for and attachment to other living things.

“The connections that human beings subconsciously seek out with the rest of life.”

A

Biophilia.

39
Q

Occurs as continuous forest habitat gets broken up gradually.

This leads to local extirpations of forest species, as fragments become too small to support them, and too distant to allow immigration.

A

Forest fragmentation.

40
Q

An example are large species with large home ranges (like tigers and other top predators).

When habitat is preserved to meet the needs of this kind of species, it helps preserve habitat for many other species.

A

Umbrella species.

41
Q

A newly suggested conservation approach that uses molecular techniques to clone endangered or even extinct species, raise them in zoos, and reintroduce them to the wild.

A

Cloning.

42
Q

This bans international trade and transport of body parts of endangered organisms.

Prepared in 1973.

A

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

43
Q

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), from the Rio Conference in 1992, has three (3) aims, which are?

A
  1. Conserve biodiversity
  2. Use it sustainably
  3. Ensure fair distribution of its benefits
44
Q

An area that supports an especially high number of species endemic to the area, found nowhere else in the world.

A

Biodiversity hotspot.

STS Finals (4 decks)

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