Unit 2 - The Living World: Biodiversity Flashcards
biodiversity
a measure of richness (# of different species) and evenness (# of individuals of each species) in a given area
species diversity
- the number of diff species in an ecosystem
- the balance/evenness of the population sizes of all species in the ecosystem
genetic diversity
how different the genes are of individuals within a population (group of the same species)
ecosystem diversity
variations in species, communities, habitats, and processes in a given region
higher biodiversity
higher ecosystem or population health
richness (r)
is the total number of different species found in an ecosystem
evenness
is a measure of how all of the individuals organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between the different species
bottleneck event
- an environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills organisms regardless of their genome
- reduces genetic variation
inbreeding depression
- when organisms mate with closely related family members
- higher chance of offspring having harmful genetic mutations because they receive similar genotypes from parents
- smaller populations are more likely to experience inbreeding
ecosystem resilience
- the ability of an ecosystem to return to it’s original conditions after a major disturbance
- high species diversity = high ecosystem resilience
ecosystem services
goods that come from natural resources or services or functions that ecosystems carry out that have measurable economic/financial value to humans
provisioning
- goods produced directly from ecosystems or made from natural resources (wood, paper, food, fish, honey)
- ex: fish, hunting, lumber, paper
regulating
- natural ecosystems regulate climate/air quality, reducing storm damage and healthcare costs
- ex: trees in a forest store CO2 through photosynthesis which reduces rate of climate change and lessens damage caused by rising sea level and reduces crop failure from drought
supporting
- natural ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, making them cheaper and easier (bees pollinate crops)
- provide a service that would be costly to humans to generate
- ex: wetland plant roots filter pollutants, leading to cleaner groundwater; we don’t have to pay as much to purify water with expensive water treatment plants
cultural
- money generated by recreation (parks, camping) or scientific knowledge
- ex: national parks, fisherman pay for fishing licenses to catch fish in clean rivers
island biogeography: larger islands
- support more total species
- the larger the islands, the greater the ecosystem diversity
- greater ecosystem diversity = more food and habitat resources
- more niches, or “roles” organisms can play
- as size of island increases, biodiversity increases
island biogeography: islands closer to the mainland
- easier for colonizing organisms to get into island from mainland
- more colonizing organisms = more genetic diversity in new populations
- as distance from the mainland increases, biodiversity decreases
relative abundance
the number of individuals per species
describe 5 way that humans have disrupted ecosystem services on earth
a) Deforestation has led to cutting down and releasing excess amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere leading to climate change.
b) Pesticides have led to the reduction in the bee population which has decreased rates of pollination.
c) Clearing wetlands have led to less flood control and more damage from storm systems.
d) Bottom trawling has led to the destruction of coral reefs which provide habitats for fish and other species.
e) Overuse of water and draining aquifers, water can’t replenish quickly enough to keep up with demand
ecological range of tolerance
- The conditions in which an organism can survive.
- Many different physical, abiotic (non- living) factors influence where species live, including temperature, humidity, soil chemistry, pH, salinity and oxygen levels.