Conservation of Biodiversity

Flashcards about Conservation of Biodiversity

What is a powerful new factor that has been introduced in the last few centuries affecting the diversity of life?

The growth and influence of the human species

What are the three different levels at which biodiversity can be studied?

Ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity

What does biodiversity mean?

The variety of life found in an area.

What is ecosystem diversity?

The measure of how many types of ecosystems there are in a given location.

What is species diversity?

How many types of species exist in a single ecosystem.

What is species evenness?

A measure of the relative abundance of each of the species in a community.

How does genetic diversity affect a population's ability to withstand environmental pressures?

Populations with greater genetic diversity are more stable and can better withstand environmental pressures.

What is speciation?

The formation of new species.

What is adaptive radiation?

When organisms reach one or more islands, leading to speciation into two or more species in the different island ecosystems.

What is anthropogenic species extinction?

The extinction brought upon a species caused by human activity.

Name three species that have gone extinct due to anthropogenic causes.

The North Island giant moa, Caribbean monk seal, and a locally relevant extinct species.

What happened to the North Island giant moa?

It died out by 1300 CE due to being hunted to extinction by Polynesian people after they populated New Zealand around 1200-1300 CE

What is clear-cutting?

Stripping the land of its trees, leading to total loss of the local ecosystem

Name two examples of ecosystem loss due to anthropogenic activities.

The loss of mixed dipterocarp forests in Southeast Asia and a locally relevant lost ecosystem.

What are dipterocarp forests?

The dipterocarps are a family of hardwood, tropical trees comprising about 500 species.

What is monoculture?

Using large areas of land to grow a single crop.

What is the purpose of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)?

To provide significant and reliable scientific guidance for policymakers on biodiversity.

What is the IUCN Red List?

A continuously updated list of the world's threatened species.

What are the specific causes of the current biodiversity crisis?

Hunting, urbanization, deforestation, pollution, and spread of pests, diseases and alien invasive species.

What is an overarching cause, leading to the current specific causes, of the current biodiversity crisis?

Human population growth

Name a few activities that have been influenced by or are direct causes of human population growth, in relation to an increase in the rate of extinction for many species.

Hunting and other forms of over-exploitation; urbanization; deforestation and clearance of land for agriculture with consequent loss of natural habitat; pollution and spread of pests, diseases and alien invasive species due to global transport.

What is the Burmese python?

A species accidentally introduced into the Florida Everglades that has no natural predators in the area.

What are in situ conservation efforts?

Managing natural areas.

What are ex situ conservation efforts?

Managing one or more species outside their natural area.

Give some examples of in situ efforts to improve biodiversity.

National parks, nature reserves, rewilding, and reclamation of degraded landscapes.

Give some examples of ex situ efforts to improve biodiversity.

Breeding programmes by zoos, botanic gardens, seed banks, and animal tissue banks.

What is a national park?

An area of land established by a nation and dedicated to preserving the geology and wildlife of that area.

What is the aim of reclamation projects?

To rebuild and replant as much of an ecosystem as possible, especially in areas damaged by human intervention.

What is the purpose of breeding programmes in Zoos?

They help to promote the continuation of species that are threatened and endangered.

What is the purpose of botanic gardens?

They provide a living store of plant material that helps to promote biodiversity and helps conservation efforts.

What is one of the largest and most famous seed banks?

The Svalbard International Seed Vault

What does germplasm include?

Sperm, eggs and embryos

What does Somatic tissue include?

Non-reproductive tissue samples.

What is the goal of the EDGE of Existence programme?

To select evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species and then promote them for priority status in conservation programmes.

What two factors determine a species' EDGE score?

The IUCN Red List rating and the species' unique evolutionary history (DNA sequencing information).