Lecture 1

Question 1

Biodiversity definition

Answer 1

The variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems

Question 2

Ecological diversity

Answer 2

Biomes
Provinces
Ecoregions
Ecosystems
Habitats
Populations

Question 3

Genetic diversity

Answer 3

Populations
Individuals 
Chromosomes
Genes 
Nucleotides

Question 4

Organismal diversity

Answer 4

Domains or kingdoms
Phyla
Families
Genera
Species
Subspecies
Populations
Individuals

Question 5

How to measure biodiversity

Answer 5

Number - species richness
Heterogeneity - diversity index
Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Question 6

Biodiversity hotspots

Answer 6

35 hotspots covering 17.3% of Earth’s land surface area
80% threatened amphibians
43% vertebrates
Marchese, 2015
Conservation priorities

Question 7

When did primates evolve?

Answer 7

65 Mya

Question 8

What percentage of extinctions do background extinctions account for?

Answer 8

96%

Question 9

How many times higher than the background rate of extinction is the current rate?

Answer 9

1000 times higher

Question 10

I = PAT

Answer 10

I = impact on diversity
P = population size
A = affluence
T = technologies and sociology-political-economic arrangements to service that consumption

Question 11

What are human cavities causing?

Answer 11

Human activities, especially conversion and degradation of habitats, are causing global biodiversity declines
Newbold et al. 2015