Unit 2: (2.1 - 2.3) Biodiversity

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Three types: ecosystem, species, genetic

species biodiversity

represents the number of different species living in an area

genetic biodiversity

the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species (higher gen. biodiversity makes populations more resistant to disturbance)

ecosystem biodiversity

refers to the variety of ecosystems found in a given area

habitat

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. (abiotic + biotic)

specialist species

Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food. (pandas)

generalist species

Species with a broad ecological niche. They can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. (cockroaches, mice, rats, and human beings)

biodiversity hotspots

Relatively small areas of land that contain an exceptionally high number of species and are at high risk from human activities

ecosystem services

Important environmental benefits, such as clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and fertile soil for growing crops, that ecosystems provide (have a monetary value to humans)

provisioning services

Benefits of biodiversity that humans use, including lumber, fur, meat, crops, water, and fiber

regulating services

the service provided by natural systems that helps regulate environmental conditions (trees removing carbon from atmosphere and roots filtering ground water)

supporting services

the basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to maintain other services like agriculture (bees, moths pollinating agricultural crops)

cultural services

ecosystems provide cultural or aesthetic benefits to many people (tourists willing to pay to visit nature, or scientists conducting research that leads to new knowledge)

Anthropogenic

caused by humans

ecological

relating to or concerned with the relation of living organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

island biogeography theory

explains how species come to be distributed among oceanic islands

limited resources

the condition of there not being enough resources to fulfill the needs of all organisms in a given area (food, shelter, water)

invasive species

plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native. often outcompete natives (zebra mussel, asian carp, kudzu vine)

native species

Species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem

Zebra Mussel

a small freshwater mollusk with zigzag markings on the shell. Introduced to US by large ships traveling over from Europe. Reproduce rapidly and outcompete natives for algae (food source)

Colonization

The process of a species migrating to a new habitat such as an island