The Living Earth Unit 8 Lesson 2: Human Impacts on Biodiversity

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the impact of introduced species, management of invasive plants, and the effects of overharvesting and overhunting on biodiversity.

Introduced species

Non-native species that have been introduced into new areas that have not historically been part of their native range.

Invasive species

An introduced species that causes economic or environmental harm or poses a threat to human health.

Native range

The geographic area where a species has historically been a part of the ecosystem.

Predators

One of the roles that invasive species can take in a new area, alongside causing disease or outcompeting native species.

Economic impact

A consequence of invasive species that affects both humans and ecosystems.

Physical removal

A method used to control invasive plants by manually extracting them from the environment.

Chemical herbicides

Substances used as a control method for invasive plant populations.

Burning

A management method used for controlling invasive plants through fire.

Grazing

A method that uses animals to control the growth and spread of invasive plants.

Biological controls

A particularly useful management option specifically mentioned for controlling invasive plants.

Overharvesting

Occurs when individual organisms are removed from an ecosystem faster than a population can replace them.

American bison

A specific example cited as a population impacted by overharvesting.

Overhunting

An activity that impacts biodiversity by causing a decrease in species richness or resulting in extinction.

Species richness

The number of different species present in a given area.

Western black rhinoceros

A species that was declared extinct in the year $2011$ as a result of overhunting.

Fishing

The harvesting of aquatic species from their environment.

Overfishing

Occurs when more individuals are removed from an aquatic population than the population can produce.

Reproduction rates

In a fishery, these must be $\ge$ harvesting rates to ensure sustainability and prevent overharvesting.

Californian Sardine Fishery

A fishery that experienced an apparent collapse in the year $2015$.

Zebra / Quagga Mussel

Invasive aquatic species tracked by the U.S. Geological Survey since $1986$ as they spread across the United States.