EESC 101 Topic.6

(6.4-6.6)

What are the five things organisms can be important for?

1. food

2. medical importance

3. industrial products

4. tourism

5. ecological importance

How many possible species are there living on earth?

5 million - 100 million

How many species have so far been classifyed?

1.4 million species

What are the three components of biodiversity?

1. genetic diversity

2. species diversity

3. ecosystem diversity

What does genetic diversity refer to?

the genetic variation within a species population

What does species diversity refer to?

measures the number of different species in an area

What percent of species do tropical rainforests contain?

50-90%

What is ecosystem diversity?

the variation of habitats and environmental types in a region

What are organisms economically important for?

1. Food

2. Industrial products

3. Tourism

4. Medical importance

5. Ecological importance

What harm does rapid human population growth pose to the environment?

drives massive habitat conversion and resource consumption

How much have our extinction rates increased by?

1,000 times greater than natural background rates

What is the greatest threat to wild species in terms of extinction?

habitat loss

How many species face extinction?

1 million

What was the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) about?

hosted in Montreal, it brought nations together to discus the crisis of extinction

What is causing the sixth mass extinction event?

human activity

Islands are prone to what?

Having its endemic species go extinct

What are the three general types of hunting

subsistence hunting, sport hunting, commercial hunting

What species was killed off by subsistence/sport hunting in less than 300 years?

The passenger pigeon

What percent of coral reef ecosystems have been destroyed

25%

What is biomagnification?

concentration of toxic chemicals/pollutants increases the higher up in food chains