BI303 - Section 2 Lecture 7

What is Anthropocene?

The current geological age dominated by humans

What does Global Environmental Change address?

Large-scale perturbations of Earth's systems

What are the principal drivers of biodiversity loss?

Habitat loss and overexploitation

How does habitat loss occur?

Through destruction, fragmentation and degradation

What is overexploitation?

Depletion of species through harvesting

How does habitat loss impact biotic interactions?

It alters competitive interactions and predation

What is a trophic cascade?

An ecological phenomenon from predator changes

What happned to otter populations due to killer whales?

Otter populations declined significantly

What is an invasive alien species?

An introduced species threatening native diversity

What are the impacts of invasive species?

Species extinctions and economic costs

What is the estimated cost of biological invasions?

180 billion per year

Why are some introduced species successful?

Due to vacant niches and reduced competition

What is the enemy release hypothesis?

Invasive species face fewer natural enemies

What is the impact of Japanese knotweed?

It alters habitat and reduces diversity

How does climate change affect species interactions?

It causes trophic mismatches and range shifts

What are climate change winners and losers?

Species that thrive or decline due to change

What is the relationship between biodiversity loss and ecosystem function?

Biodiversity loss disrupts ecosystem functions

How does habitat loss affect pollinators in Europe?

It's linked with declines in pollinator populations

How do climate induced range shifts affect species?

They create mismatches in distributions

What is the impact of climate change on competitive interactions?

It alters dominance of species in ecosystems

What are the key points about the Anthropoene and biodiversity loss?

Human activity impacts climate and ecosystems.
Habitat modification and overexploitation disrupt interactions.
Invasiveness of non-native species regulatied by interactions.
Climate change alters competitive interactions and ecosystem structures