Module 5 - Biodiversity and Conservation Flashcards
What is extinction?
A process in which entire species permanently disappear from the biosphere when the last member of the species dies
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area
What is genetic diversity?
The variety of genes or inheritable characteristics that are present in a population
What are the types of biodiversity?
Genetic diversity
Species diversity
Ecosystem diversity
What is species diversity?
The number of different species and the relative abundance of each species in a biological community
What is ecosystem diversity?
The variety of ecosystems present in the biosphere
What is background extinction?
The gradual process of species becoming extinct
What is mass extinction?
An event in which a large percentage of all living species become extinct in a relatively short period of time
What are natural resources?
All materials and organisms found in the biosphere (eg minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, plants, animals, soil, etc.)
What is overexploitation?
Excessive use of species that have economic value
What is habitat fragmentation?
The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces of land
What are edge effects>
Different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem (eg different abiotic factors along a road than in the middle of the forest.
What is biological magnification?
the increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as trophic levels increase in a food chain or food web.
What are DDTs?
A pesticide called dichloro-diphenyl-dichlor oethane
What are PCBs?
An industrial chemical called polychlo rinated biphenyls
What is eutrophication?
Substances rich in nitrogen and phosphorus (eg. fertilizers, animal waste, sewage) flow into waterways, causing extensive algae growth. The algae take up the oxygen as they grow and cause other organisms to suffocate
What are invasive species?
Species that can significantly modify or disrupt that habitat
What are renewable resources?
Resources that are replaced by natural processes faster than they are consumed
What are nonrenewable resources?
Resources found on Earth in limited amounts or are replaced by natural processes over extremely long periods of time.
What is sustainable use?
Using resources at a rate at which they can be replaced or recycled while preserving the long-term environmental health of the biosphere
What are endemic species?
Species that are only found in that specific geographic area
What is bioremediation?
The use of living organisms to detoxify a polluted area
What value does biodiversity provide to humans?
Aesthetic, scientific, and direct and indirect economic values
Why is biodiversity important?
It holds several different values to humans, biodiversity preserves the reservoir of genes that might be needed in the future, healthy ecosystems can provide
