Part 1: biodiversity (other way around) Flashcards
Autecology
Study of organisms or a species
Population
A group of individuals that all belong to the same species. Geographically based living in a particular area & scale.
Community
A group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area in a particular time and interact with one another. All the biotic factors of an area.
synecology
Community ecology
The study of interactions between species.
Ecosystem
The living organisms (all the populations) in an area and the non living aspects of the environment. Biotic + Abiotic factors in an area.
biodiversity
The variability among living organisms from all sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.
3 levels: genetic & species & ecosystem diversity.
Multi dimensional different facets can’t be captured by a single number
Species
A group of individuals that actually or potentially interbreed in nature (= Reproductive isolation).
The type of organism.
Human invented concept with different problems:
- formation of hybrids
- asexually reproduction bacteria
- reproductive isolation even if they are the same species.
richness
the number of species in a sample or area
evenness
equality in abundance between species
genetic diversity
The amount of naturally occurring genetic variation among individuals of the same species. Diversity within species. Biodiversity within species.
niche
Range of environmental conditions in which a species can survive.
The area that a species will occupy, dependant on the environmental conditions.
specialist species
Species that has a very narrow niche/range.
Generalist species
species that has a wide niche/range
Adaptability
The likeness of a species to survive a change in environmental conditions. How a species response is to new circumstances.
Domestication
Selective breeding of species. Artificial selection to pass on desirable traits of the species while omitting the undesirable ones. A few individuals with desirable traits are selected and propagated.
Crop wild relatives
Wild plant species that are genetically related to cultivated crops. Could be interesting for breeding. They are continuously evolving: Subjected to natural selection. Not agronomically desirable but can have other desirable characteristics like resistances.
Natural selection
New offsprings are different and the best adapted will survive. Sexual reproduction.
grafting
New offsprings have exactly the same genetic information. Asexual reproduction.
Crop improvement
Crossing crop wild relatives with domesticated crops to produce new varieties with desirable traits.
Biotic homogenization
Homogenization of local communities. (often less specialist species and more generalist species)
The process by which ecosystems become increasingly similar over time caused by:
- anthropogenic disturbances: loss of specialist in favor of generalist
- biological invasions: loss of rare indigenous species in favor of the spread of a few invasive species
Mass extinction
Extinction where more than 75% of the present species goes extinct. 5 in the past 540 million years.
Mostly caused by warming and cooling events.
The rate and magnitude can be measured.
Geographical range
Region where a species occurs & is part of the regional species pool.
Abundance
How many individuals that are left. The population size
living plant index (LPI)
The average decline of populations that are monitored.
limitations
- tropics are under represented even though they have the largest species diversity (LDG)
- many groups aren’t covered ex. insects
red list
Inventory of the global conservation status of species by the IUCN (threads & other information).
- extinction rate is evaluated based on objective criteria
- critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity Classified in categories from extinct to threatened to not evaluated.
IUCN
international union for conservation of nature
Organization behind the red list, also greenlist of protected and conserved areas (green status of species)
IPBES
Intergovernmental Science-policy platform for Biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Makes a global assessment reports on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
novel entities
human created substances (toxic compounds & plastics & GMO’s)
Safe operating space
The boundaries where humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come
Doughnut economics
Planetary boundary concept that includes the social thresholds within the biophysical boundaries from our planet.
Antropocene
Epoch in which atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic biospheric and other earth system processes are altered by human activities. Started at the beginning of the industrial evolution Not official nor geological.
The great acceleration
hockey stick curves: rapid increase in the scale and speed of changes since the 1950s
Malthusian view
more people less trees. more people need to be fed;
more land and resources needed & deforestation increases
stage 1-2 of forest transition curve
Boserupian view
more people more trees.
more people leads to more labor and brains this leads to more innovations & will lead to afforestation.
stage 3-4 of forest transition curve
Coppice
woodland which has generated from shoots formed at the stumps of the previous crop trees
Meta-population
Separate population which are still in connection with each other. Exchange is still possible.
alien species
Exotic species / non-native species
Species that are introduced by humans (accidentally or intentionally) outside of their natural geographic range into an area where they were not naturally present.
Indigenous species
A species whereby the presence of the species in that region is the result of only natural processes No human intervention.
IAS
Invasive alien species
non-native species that cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health
passes dispersal barrier
They don’t cause the same effects when they are indigenous. In their own region the negative effects aren’t shown to the same extent.
They aren’t the best competitors in their native range. In the new environment there is no need for defenses.The resources are freed up for increased competition.
Naturalized alien species
non-native species that reproduces consistently in the wild with self-sustainable populations. Passes reproductive barrier
Acclimatized alien species
non-native species that can survive In the new environment (no reproduction); Passes environmental barrier
Exotic alien species
non-native species that is introduced into a new environment. Geographic filter is passed
IPCC
Reviews the scientific basis of climate change. Researches/summarizes impacts on future risks and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Eutrophication
Increased deposition of nutrients that leads to an overload in certain systems. This overload can lead to the competitive exclusion of other species and acidification of the soils and algae growth with depletion of oxygen as a result.
Dead zones
hypoxic zones (low-oxygen) in the world’s oceans and large lakes due to the excessive nutrient pollution
dispersal ability
Ability to move away from a disturbance
Exposure
magnitude of the disturbance
Sensitivity
Reaction to the disturbance Which disturbance causes which reaction & how fast will a reaction occur
ecosystem ecology studies
The study of fluxes of energy and matter in ecosystems.
Species diversity
The diversity among species. Can be defined in terms of evenness and richness. It doesn’t account for differences in characteristics between these species.
scientific name
the genus + species name = binomial name
genetic bottle neck
Small number of individuals are introduces. Gives rise to a low genetic basis. This in turn leads to a low protection against stresses.
Further increased problem because the small number of individuals also mostly get propagated. No new genetics are introduced. Asexual reproduction of the individuals.
ecosystem diversity
The variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. These different ecosystems can perform different functions.
LDG
latitudinal diversity gradient
Diversity is not equally distributed, there is a higher diversity in the tropics.
- species-energy hypothesis; more E more species
- out of the tropics hypothesis longer speciation time & less extinctions/stable climate
Filter model
The facts that influence regional species distributions. From a regional species pool to a local community.
Influences by 3 different filters
- dispersal filter
- environmental filter
- interaction filter
Dispersal filter
A species needs to be able to get to the location. This is easier for birds than for plants.
Environmental filter
A species needs to be able to live in the environmental conditions at the location. Also influenced by habitat heterogeneity. This is influenced by the homogenization of these habitats/conditions by humans (human disturbances)
Interaction filter
A species also needs to overcome interactions at the location. interactions: competition, predation & mutualism.
species diversity loss
Changes in local species diversity / composition.
Global level: extinctions
local/regional level: populations declines and range contractions.
Green list of protected and conserved areas
Spotlight on protected reserves that boost biodiversity. Sites that are certified as being effectively managed and fairly governed With long term positive impact on people and nature.
Green status of species
Tool for assessing species recovery and impact of conservation. Presents a roadmap for recovery: optimistic vision.
How far is the species from being fully recovered & also given into categories. More complete story impact of past and dependence on future conservation.
Forest transition curve
4 stages of changes in forest cover
- pre-transition: High forest cover, no or slow loss of forest
- early transition: Deforestation rate that is increasing
- late transition: low forest cover but rate of deforestation is slowing down.
- post-transition: low forest cover but is again increasing through reforestation
Duration and timing is different between regions. Dependent on urbanization & intensification & economic development.
human driven land use change
- Habitat (area) loss:
decrease in habitat patch size - Habitat fragmentation:
fragmentation of habitat area into smaller pieces - habitat degradation:
degradation of habitat quality
Habitat area loss
- habitat diversity hypothesis Increase in number of habitats leads to an increase in species diversity
- area per se hypothesis
Larger area can sustain more individuals so also more species.
- more resources -> less competition, lower extinction of individuals
- bigger population size -> higher genetic diversity -> lower extinction risk of population
- passive sampling hypothesis larger area is more likely to receive more colonists from outside then small areas. These colonists will represent a wider range of species
Edge effect
All the effects happening at the border of two different habitats.
EAS
Established alien species Alien species that was able to pass the first three barriers. naturalization Mostly in globalized and coastal countries & on islands. (high trade)
Super species
Species created in a region that leads to very successful IAS
- regions of high biodiversity where species must compete and otherwise interact with many others to persist
- large regions (with similar conditions) able to support abundant populations with high genetic diversity that can facilitate selection and adaption.
- environmentally stable regions where selection is given ample time to optimize species for a given set of conditions.
Phenology
The study of the timing and cyclical patterns of events in the natural world. Co-evolution leads to attenuation to each other. Due to climate change the phenology can change. This can lead to mismatch between species that were attenuated.
Nutrient loading
A form of pollution
- excessive use of fertilizers on agricultural fields (N & P)
- livestock production (NH3)
- burning of fossil fuels (NOx)
There are direct effects at the polluted site & indirect effects due to atmospheric deposition and run-off. It changes environmental conditions (changes the filter) + changes interactions.
Eutrophication, soil acidification & dead zones.
