L1: Intro to Biodiversity and Con Flashcards
What is the Wildlife Fund 1989 definition of biodiversity?
The millions of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the genes they contain and the intricate ecosystems they help build into the living environment (Wildlife Fund 1989)
What is the Global Biodiversity Strategy 1992 definition of biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a region (Global Biodiversity Strategy 1992)
What is the textbook definition of biodiversity?
The complete range of species and biological communities on Earth, as well as the genetic variation within those species and all ecosystem processes (Sher and Primack, 2020)
How many species have been identified?
Almost 2 million species have been identified, the majority being plants and insects.
How many insects have been described?
Approx. 1,000,000
How many animals (excluding insects) have been described?
370,478
How many viruses have been described?
3,704
How many fungi and protists have been described?
178,110
How many species of plants have been described?
366,474
How many species of algae have been described?
44,000
How many species of bacteria and similar organisms have been described?
13,000
What are the most species rich environments?
-Tropical forests
-Coral reefs
-Deep sea
-Large tropical lakes and river systems
-Mediterranean climates
What are endemic species?
Are species that occur in a particular environments or habitats and no where else
What % of species that have ever existed are extinct?
99.9% of species that have ever existed are extinct
What is a mass extinction event?
When a rapid extinction across a wide range of species groups and geographical areas occurs
What is the current estimated annual rate of extinction?
30,000 a year, given that many species have not even been described yet (EO Wilson, 1992)
How high is the current extinction rate compared to normal background rates?
100 - 1000 times higher - is classified as a mass extinction
How many species are threatened with extinction?
41,459
23.7% mammals
13% birds
41% amphibians (IUCN Red List, 2022)
What was the human population in 2021?
7.8 billion
What are the impacts of increased temperature?
-Increased temperature and incidence of heat waves
-Melting glaciers and polar ice
-Rising sea levels
-Earlier spring activity
-Shifts in species ranges
-Population declines
How much has water temperatures increased by in the last 50 years?
0.75 Celsius
How much of Co2 is absorbed by the oceans?
Up to 1/3