Science Q1, W6 - Biodiversity and Species Extinction

Question 1

What does biodiversity mean?

Answer 1

bio - life
diversity - variety

Question 2

termination of a kind of organism or a group of kinds, usually a species

Answer 2

Extinction

Question 3

number one cause of biodiversity loss (E_________n)

Answer 3

Species Extinction

Question 4

an animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

Answer 4

Endangered Species

Question 5

a species that no longer exists

Answer 5

Extinct Species

Question 6

species whose presence and activities strongly affect other species in the community

Answer 6

Keystone Species

Question 7

• where a species of organisms is lost every 1000 years
• sudden disturbance of a huge magnitude
• puts immense pressure on organisms; those that can adapt, others perish

e.g.
climate change
changes in landscape
acid precipitation
disease/epidemic
meteoric impact/cosmic radiation
spread of invasive species

Answer 7

Natural Extinction

Question 8

How many natural mass extinctions have occurred?

Answer 8

5

Question 9

• species of organism is lost at a rate of 100 species per day, which is 1000x higher than the natural extinction rate
• caused by human activities

e.g.
overhunting, over harvesting, introduction of alien species, pollution, predation and pests control, disease, international trade in exotic animal and plant species, illegal pet trade / exotic plant collection

Answer 9

Accelerated Extinction

Question 10

thinning, fragmenting, or outright destruction of an ecosystem’s plant, soil, hydrologic, and nutrient resources

Answer 10

Loss of Specific Habitats

Question 11

when species with less genetic variation are exposed to the risk of being eliminated

Answer 11

Loss of Genetic Variations Within Species

Question 12

a worldwide concern regarding the extinction of species, loss of specific habitats, and a decrease or loss of genetic variation

Answer 12

Biodiversity Loss

Question 13

the ability of organisms to respond to changes in the environment that is instinctive, or that an organism has learned or has become conditioned to do, for protection against environmental change

Answer 13

Adaptation

Question 14

involves changes in the morphology of an organism

e.g.
the presence of thorns of a cactus
the strong jaws and sharp teeth of predators
the preys resembling a twig, stone, or bark through cryptic coloration

Answer 14

Structural Adaptation

Question 15

function which an organism exhibits as a direct response to an environmental change

e.g.
humans sweating (an evaporative cooling process)
camels’ metabolic process that changes the fats in their hump to water
running can cause an increase in breathing and heartbeat rates
darkening of the skin when exposed to the rays of the sun

Answer 15

Physiological Adaptation

Question 16

activity that is instinctive or, which an organism has become conditioned to of doing, for protection to the environmental change

e.g.
the opossum plays dead when it spots a predator
to migrate or hibernate during the winter season
to estimate during summer

Answer 16

Behavioral Adaptation

Question 17

Adaptive traits can be acquired through ______ ___________?

Answer 17

Sexual Reproduction

Question 18

pertains to the variety, as well as relative abundance, of species within a region

Answer 18

Species Diversity

Question 19

• pertains to the variation of genes within a species, the difference in the genetic makeup (genotype) between distinct species, or the variability in the genetic makeup of a given species
• exists as a result of the variations in the sequence of the four base-pairs which are the components of nucleic acids

Answer 19

Genetic Diversity

Question 20

• variation among groups of organisms in different physical settings
• may vary in terms of species composition, physical conditions, and physical structures and activities

e.g.
desert
tropical rainforest
grassland
wetlands
mangroves
coral reefs

Answer 20

Ecosystem Diversity