SBI3U - Unit 1 - Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and the Biodiversity Crisis

Biodiversity

Biodiversity

The variety and number of life forms on earth

Species Diversity

The variety and abundance of species in a given area

Genetic Diversity

The variety of heritable characteristics in a population of interbreeding individuals

Genes

The genetic material that controls the expression and inheritance of traits and the production of protein

Gene Pool

All the genes of all the individuals in a population

Population

A group of individuals of the same species in a specific area at a specific time

Genetic diversity in species vs. populations

The genetic diversity is usually greater within a species, rather than a population, because separated populations will have combinations of genes best suited towards their environment

How genetic diversity benefits an ecosystem

Genetic diversity provides resistance to disease and changing environments, as individuals with genes best suited to resist a challenge can interbreed with the population. Genetic diversity supports conservation biology, as species can be introduced to an area to establish a greater genetic diversity.

Ecosystem Diversity

The variety of ecosystems in the biosphere

Factors that influence ecosystem diversity

Populations of organisms in a given area, altitude, climate, and light

Ecosystem Services

The benefits experienced by organisms, including humans, which are provided by sustainable ecosystems, and the benefits an ecosystem experiences provided by organisms.

Examples of ecosystem services

Climate regulation, water supply, pollination, habitats, food production, raw materials, recreation, genetic resources, and nutrient recycling

Ecosystem services and biodiversity

Ecosystems with greater species diversity provide reliable services and resilience. A large amount of diversity is required to fulfill ecological niches and keep other species numbers in check

Inertia

The ability for an ecosystem to resist disturbance

Resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to remain functional and stable in the presence of disturbances to its parts

Keystone Species

A species that is more influential in an ecosystem than others in the stability of the system

Examples of symbiotic and composite organisms

Lichen (fungi and plants), Rhizobium Bacteria (bacteria and plant roots), and mycorrhizae (fungi and plant roots)

Mass Extinction

A large-scale dying out of a large percentage of all living organisms within an area over a short time

Biodiversity Crisis

The current decline in genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity that may represent a mass extinction

Biodiversity crisis and caribou

Warmer climates have increased plant growth and limited lichen growth, which has been detrimental for caribou foraging for lichen in the winter. As well, plants begin growing earlier in the year, so caribou have a harder time finding food at peak nutritional value

Biodiversity crisis and high altitude ecosystems

Ecosystems formed in high altitudes as suffering as the suitable land for growth continues to move towards a higher, smaller area. As well, plant populations can become isolated, leading to a lack of biodiversity

Biodiversity crisis and Ontario turtles

Reptiles, such as Ontario turtles, that rely on temperature sex determination are suffering, as increasingly warmer temperatures are producing increasingly more females

Biodiversity crisis and pollination

Warmer temperatures have caused pollination relationships to lose their matched timing, so that pollinators emerge too early and starve, and plants no longer have surviving pollinators to help the species to survive

Biodiversity crisis and aquatic systems

An increase in aquatic system temperature caused invertebrate population densities to decrease, and reduced the growth of fish