Unit 3 - Biodiversity

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

Variety of different species, genetic variety within species, variety of ecosystems within those ecosystems, and diversity of natural services.

Question 2

Genetic diversity

Answer 2

the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species

Question 3

Population bottleneck

Answer 3

Drastic reduction in population size with a corresponding reduction of genetic diversity
- due to natural or anthropogenic causes

Question 4

Species richness

Answer 4

number of species present

Question 5

Species eveness

Answer 5

how close in numbers each species in an environment is.

Question 6

Species diversity

Answer 6

genetic diversity within a species

Question 7

Disturbance/disruption

Answer 7

any natural or anthropogenic even that disrupts a natural system

Question 8

Ecosytem diversity

Answer 8

Earth’s variety of ecosystems that each contain unique species and genetic diversity

Question 9

Habitat diversity

Answer 9

the variety of habitats within an ecosystem, which supports a wide range of species and genetic diversity

Question 10

Specialist

Answer 10

species with narrow ecological niches

Question 11

Generalists

Answer 11

species with wide ecological niches

Question 12

Endemic

Answer 12

the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location

Question 13

Habitat Fragmentation

Answer 13

the process during which a large expanse of habitat is transformed into a number of smaller patches

Question 14

Corridor

Answer 14

connections across the landscape that link up areas of habitat

Question 15

IUNC Red List

Answer 15

International Union for Conservation of nature red list of threatened species

Question 16

Endangered Species Act

Answer 16

In the United States by EPA, based on scientific data, not economics

Question 17

Critical habitat

Answer 17

Designated habitats necessary for species survival, designated by EPA

Question 18

CITES

Answer 18

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Floura
- protects endangered plants and animals through trade

Question 19

Ecosystem services

Answer 19

benefits humans gain from natural processes

Question 20

Provisioning services

Answer 20

products obtained from ecosystems

Question 21

Supporting services

Answer 21

service necessary for the production of all other services

Question 22

Regulating services

Answer 22

benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystems

Question 23

Cultural services

Answer 23

nonmaterial benefits obtained from ecosystem

Question 24

Island

Answer 24

any body of land surrounded by water

Question 25

Biogeography

Answer 25

where species/biomes exist through space and time

Question 26

Theory of Island Biogeography

Answer 26

describes species richness, evolutionary diversity, and community structure of islands based on geographic characteristics

Question 27

Immigration rate

Answer 27

number of species/indivguels coming to the island

Question 28

Extinction rate

Answer 28

the rate at which animals go extinct on islands
- typically a constant background rate

Question 29

Adaptive radiation

Answer 29

Once a species gets to an island with many unoccupied niches, they rapidly evolve into different species to fill niches

Question 30

Edge effect

Answer 30

changes in a population or community along the boundary of a habitat

Question 31

Ecological tolerance/ law of tolerance

Answer 31

ability of an organism to endure unfavourable environmental conditions

Question 32

Adaptation

Answer 32

any heritable trait that helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive and reproduce in its environment.

Question 33

Fitness

Answer 33

reproductive success and reflects how well an organism is adapted to its environment.

Question 34

Natural Selection

Answer 34

the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change

Question 35

Natural Disturbances

Answer 35

Anything that disturbs an ecosystem
EX: fires, insect outbreaks, disease epidemics, droughts, floods, hurricanes, windstorms, landslides, avalanches, and volcanic eruptions.

Question 36

Cyclical Natural Distubances

Answer 36

predictable event occurring at repeating intervals in a self-perpetuating cycle

Question 37

Episodic natural disturbances

Answer 37

occur occasionally and at irregular intervals

Question 38

Random natural disturbances

Answer 38

occur very infrequently and are truly random
often cataclysmic

Question 39

Mass extinction

Answer 39

when the extinction rate significantly exceeds the background extinction rate, extinction of above 66% of all species

Question 40

Ecological succession

Answer 40

the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time.

Question 41

Primary succession

Answer 41

when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time

Question 42

Secondary succession

Answer 42

when a climax community or intermediate community is impacted by a disturbance.

Question 43

Pioneer speices

Answer 43

Species that arrive first in a newly created environment

Question 44

Climax community

Answer 44

An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment.

Question 45

Keystone species

Answer 45

an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem

Question 46

Foundation species

Answer 46

species that have a strong role in structuring a community.

Question 47

Indicator species

Answer 47

an organism whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition.

Question 48

Invasive species

Answer 48

a non-native species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health.