biodiversity

biodiversity

ecosystems (the # of ecosytems in a region), species (the # of species in an ecosystem) Genes and alleles (the # of alleles in a species)

intrinsic value

independent of its value to humans, interesting just because, they are cool

provisioning services

food, raw maertials, fresh water, medicines

regulating services

air, water, and soil quality, carob storage and climate regulation, pollination and biological control

habitat services

habitats for species, maintenance of genetic diversity

cultural services

aesthetics and inspiration, recreation and mental health, tourism, spiritual experience

three domains of life

bacteria, archaea, eukarya

Domain 1: Bacteria

single celled organisms, prokaryotes, reproduce asexually, very diverse, many bacteria fall into the helpful for people (probiotics)

Domain 2: Archaea

close to bacteria, newest domain, extremophiles: live in very different enviroments, different DNA sequences

protists

first eukaryotes to evolve, animal-like (move and hunt), fungas-like protists (cells like a fungus), plant-like protist (photosynthesis like a plant)

vertebrates vs. invertebrates

Vertebrates generally have an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) and, often, a larger, more complex body structure, while invertebrates (making up ~97% of animal species) often rely on an exoskeleton for protection.