Unit 5 Flashcards
Ecosystem management
Sustainable development - environmentally, economically, socially
Levels of biological organization found in the environment
Species - individuals that share common genetic characteristics and able to breed and produce viable offspring
Population - members of a species interacting in groups that live together in a particular place or habitat
Community - consists of populations of different species living and interacting in an area (living)
Ecosystem - is a community (living) interacting with its physical and chemical environment (non living)
Landscapes - connections linking several ecosystems in a particular region
Ecosystem management
- achieving societal goals in a defined geographic area for the interacting biotic communities and their abiotic attributes
- humans are a component of any ecosystem
Invasive alien species
- organisms not native to a region that when introduced, either intentionally or accidentally, are considered harmful, since they can out compete native species for available resources
- they are a major contributing factor to loss of biodiversity
Why are IAS important
Ecological changes - prey on native species, compete for food and breeding space, distrust food webs, introduce new pathogens, contribute to a loss of biodiversity
Economic losses - impacts to commercial and consumptive interests
Health concerns - introduction to human pathogens and their vectors
Recreational losses - affects human enjoyment and use of the environment
International union for the conservation of nature
- tracks and reports the status of species and the overall barometer of the health of the biosphere
- can determine the status of species in every country
- called the red list
Canadas species at risk act (Sara)
- to prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies, and distinct populations from becoming extinct
- to provide for recovery of endangered or threatened species and habitats
- to encourage management of other species to prevent them from becoming at risk
Sara categories
Extinct - a species that no longer exists anywhere
Extirpated - a species no longer existing in the wild where it once occurred, but occurring elsewhere
Endangered - a species facing imminent extirpation or extinction
Threatened - a species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed
Special concern - a species particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events
