Unit 2

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

variety of life in an ecosystem

Question 2

Cultural Ecosystem service

Answer 2

intangible aesthetics provided by nature

Question 3

Ecological tolerance

Answer 3

a measurement of a species’ ability to handle change in abiotic factors

Question 4

Ecosystem services

Answer 4

an essential service that supports life and makes economic activity possible

Question 5

Endemic Species

Answer 5

a species that is unique to a specific area

Question 6

Evolution

Answer 6

the process in which a species changes over time and adapts to its environment

Question 7

Generalist species

Answer 7

species that have a wide niche or range of tolerance and are more suited for changing conditions

Question 8

Genetic diversity

Answer 8

variety of genes found in population of species that can be visible or non visible

Question 9

Indicator species

Answer 9

a sensitive organism that points out changes in the ecosystem (usually to an abiotic factor)

Question 10

Invasive species

Answer 10

Non-native species that has a negative effect on the ecosystem, usually because they have no predators and outcompete native species

Question 11

Island biogeography theory

Answer 11

the theory that concludes that islands that are large and close to the mainland will have the most biodiverse communities when colonizing. Also, the islands that are smaller and farther from the mainland will have more specialist species and will have greater extinction rates

Question 12

Keystone species

Answer 12

a species that has an unproportionally large effect on its environment

Question 13

Mutation

Answer 13

a change in genes that could affect many generations of the species

Question 14

Natural disruptions

Answer 14

natural phenomena that causes damage to the ecosystem, examples include tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes

Question 15

Natural Selection

Answer 15

when a species goes extinct because it doesn’t have the right genes to survive (aka survival of the fittest)

Question 16

Optimal Zone

Answer 16

the range of an abiotic factor when a species is most comfortable

Question 17

Pioneer species

Answer 17

some of the first species to appear in an ecosystem, examples include lichens, mosses and weeds

Question 18

Primary succession

Answer 18

a form of ecological succession after an extreme disturbance where the ecosystem starts as bare rock with no soil

Question 19

Provisioning service

Answer 19

tangible goods that nature provides to humans

Question 20

Regulating ecosystem service

Answer 20

a service provided by the ecosystem that moderates natural phenomena including pollination

Question 21

Resilience

Answer 21

the ability to recover quickly after a disturbance

Question 22

Secondary succession

Answer 22

a type of ecological succession where soil is still present after a disturbance

Question 23

Specialist species

Answer 23

species that are the best at surviving in one ecosystem and are more prone to extinction with an environmental change

Question 24

Speciation

Answer 24

when a species develops new characteristics and can no longer mate, it separates off and becomes a new species

Question 25

Species diversity

Answer 25

the number and abundance of different diversities

Question 26

Supporting ecosystem services

Answer 26

services like nutrient cycling that make all other ecosystem services possible

Question 27

Zone of intolerance

Answer 27

ranges of an abiotic factor where all organisms of a species die

Question 28

Zone of physiological stress

Answer 28

ranges of abiotic factors where species start to exhibit stress and reduction in population