Unit 2: Biodiversity

Question 1

Ecosystem diversity

Answer 1

the number of diff. habitats available in
a given area

Question 2

Species diversity

Answer 2

the number of diff. species in an ecosystem and the balance or evenness of the pop. sizes of all species in
the ecosystem

Question 3

Richness

Answer 3

Richness (r) is just the total number of different
species found in an ecosystem

Question 3

Genetic diversity

Answer 3

how different the genes are of individuals
within a population (group of the same species

Question 4

Higher biodiversity = _______ ecosystem/
population health

Answer 4

Higher biodiversity = higher ecosystem/
population health

Question 5

Evenness

Answer 5

Evenness is a measure of how all of the individual
organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between
the different species

Question 6

Species

Answer 6

A group of organisms that is distinct form other groups in its
morphology (body form and structure), behavior, or biochemical properties.
Species must produce fertile offspring

Question 7

Speciation

Answer 7

The evolution of new species

Question 8

Background extinction rate

Answer 8

The average rate at which species become
extinct over the long term.

Should be 1 species per million per year.

Question 9

Bottleneck Event

Answer 9

An env. disturbance (natural disaster/human hab.
destruction) that drastically reduces pop. size & kills
organisms regardless of their genome

Question 10

Higher species diversity = ______ ecosystem resilience

Answer 10

higher

Question 11

Restoration ecology

Answer 11

Restoration ecology The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystem

Question 12

Provisioning Service

Answer 12

Goods taken directly
from ecosystems or
made from nat.
resources (wood,
paper, food)

Question 13

Regulating

Answer 13

Nat. ecosystems
regulate climate/air
quality, reducing
storm damage &
healthcare costs

Trees in a forest sequester (store) CO2 through photosynthesis which
reduces rate of climate change & lessens damage caused by rising sea
level & reduces crop failure from drought
ἽἽ
● Trees filter air by absorbing air pollutants which reduces health care costs
for treating diseases like asthma and bronchitis
● Wetland plant roots filter pollutants, leading to cleaner groundwater that
we don’t have to pay as much to purify with expensive water treatment
plants

Question 14

Supporting

Answer 14

Services that support
all of the other
services.
Habitat and genertic
diversity

Natural ecosystems support processes that support all the others.
Providing living spaces for plants or animals and maintaining a
diversity of plants and animals, are ‘supporting services’ and the
basis of all ecosystems and their services.
Examples
● Habitatats for species
ἽἽ
● Maintenance of Genetic biodiversity
️

Question 15

Cultural

Answer 15

Money generate by
recreation (parks,
camping, tours) or
scientific knowledge

Examples
● Beautiful landscapes draw tourists who pay to enter parks, spend
money at local stores/restaurants, or camping fees
ἽἽ
● Fishermen pay for fishing licenses to catch fish in clean rivers
Disrupted by deforestation,
pollution, urbanization
ἽἽ
● Scientists learn about plant compounds that can lead to creation
of new medicines which are sold for profit

Question 16

Ecosystem services

Answer 16

Goods that come from natural resources or services/functions that
ecosystems carry out that have measurable economic/financial
value to humans

Question 17

How are Provisioning services interupted?

Answer 17

Disrupted by overharvesting, water pollution,
clearing land for ag/urbanization
ἽἽ

Question 18

How are cultural services disrupted?

Answer 18

disrupted by deforestation,
pollution, urbanization
ἽἽ

Question 19

Island Biography

Answer 19

Study of ecological relationships & community structure on islands

Question 20

What are the two rules of Island Biography

Answer 20

The larger the island, the greater the ecosystem diversity
● Greater ecosystem diversity = more food & hab. resources
● More niches, or “roles” organisms can play in the ecosystem

Islands closer to the “mainland” support more species
Island Biogeography
● Easier for colonizing organisms to get to island
from mainland
● More colonizing organisms = more genetic
diversity in new pop.

Question 21

Natural selection

Answer 21

Natural selection: organisms that are better adapted to their env. survive
and reproduce more offspring

Question 22

Selective pressure/force

Answer 22

Selective pressure/force: the
environmental condition that kills
individuals without the adaptation
Predation (hawk) = selective
pressure

Question 23

Range of tolerance

Answer 23

Range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, pH, or sunlight
that an organism can endure before injury or death

Question 24

Optimal range

Answer 24

Optimal range: range where organisms survive, grow, and reproduce

Question 25

Zone of physiological stress

Answer 25

Zone of physiological stress: range where organisms survive, but experience
some stress such as infertility, lack of growth, decreased activity, etc

Question 26

Zone of intolerance

Answer 26

Zone of intolerance:
range where the
organism will die
Ex: thermal shock,
suffocation, lack of
food/water/oxygen

Question 27

Periodic disturbance

Answer 27

Periodic: occurs with regular frequency (ex: dry-wet seasons

Question 28

Episodic disturbance

Answer 28

Episodic: occasional events with irregular frequency (ex:
hurricanes, droughts, fires

Question 29

Random disturbance

Answer 29

Random: no regular frequency (volcanoes, earthquakes,
and asteroids)
ἽἽ
ἽἽ

Question 30

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

Answer 30

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
The highest diversity of species in an ecosystem is
maintained by a level of disturbance intermediate between
frequent and rare disturbance.

If disturbance is frequent the succession may fail to develop
beyond the pioneer phase.

If disturbance is rare, the climax will be established and
diversity reduced according to the competitive exclusion
principle
Ex. Fire

Question 31

Primary Succession

Answer 31

Primary Succession: starts from bare rock in an area with no previous soil formation
Moss & lichen spores carried by the wind grow directly on rocks, breaking them down to form soil

Question 32

Secondary Succession

Answer 32

Secondary Succession: starts from already established soil, in an area where a disturbance (fire/tornado/human land clearing) cleared out the majority of plant life
Grasses, sedges, wildflowers, and berry bushes have seeds dispersed by wind or animal droppings

Question 33

Invasive Species to know

Answer 33

Emerald Ash Borer
Spread by wood packing materials of ships/planes & fire wood

Cane Toad
Introduced to eat cane beetles causing sugarcane crop loss in Australia

Became invasive due to huge appetite

Drove declines in other amphibians and small reptiles

Pythons (FL)
Brought to Florida as pets, released into wild by owners
Decimated mammal populations in Everglades ~90-95%
Aggressive hunters with no natural predators

Question 34

Anrthopogenic activties

Answer 34

Poaching
Invasives
Climate change
Special food/needs

Question 35

⛰️ CITES:

Answer 35

⛰️ CITES: International agreement for countries to set up agencies to monitor import and export of endangered species (as specified by IUCN Red List)

Question 36

⛰️ Endangered Species Act:

Answer 36

⛰️ Endangered Species Act: US law giving USFWS power to designate species as endangered or threatened, monitor trade, and purchase land critical to these species’ habitats

Question 37

Specialists

Answer 37

Less likely to move to new habitat
Less likely to adapt to new conditions
Disadvantaged by rapidly changing habitat conditions

Question 38

Generalists

Answer 38

More likely to move to new habitat
More likely to adapt to new conditions
Advantaged by rapidly changing habitat conditions