Conservation of Biodiversity

State what biodiversity means

• Variety of living things in all forms
• Includes ecosystems, species & genes

List the three levels of biodiversity

• Ecosystem diversity
• Species diversity
• Genetic diversity

Define ecosystem diversity

• Range of different habitats in an area

State why ecosystem diversity helps biodiversity

• More habitats = more niches = more species survive

Explain species diversity

• Includes species richness and evenness

Distinguish richness vs evenness

• Richness = number of species
• Evenness = how balanced their populations are

Define genetic diversity

• Variety of alleles in a population’s genes

State why genetic diversity matters

• Increases chance of survival if environment changes

Compare current species numbers to the past

• More species alive today than ever before (fossil record)

Explain why scientists think many species are undiscovered

• Only ~1.2/8.7 million species described → suggests many still unknown

Describe how “splitters” and “lumpers” classify differently

• Splitters divide organisms into more species
• Lumpers group similar ones into fewer species

State what “anthropogenic extinction” means

• Species dying out due to human activity

Give one case study of anthropogenic terrestrial extinction

• North Island giant moa hunted by humans in New Zealand

Give one case study of anthropogenic marine extinction

• Caribbean monk seal hunted for oil & food

State two overarching causes of current (sixth) mass extinction

• Human population growth
• Habitat destruction

Give examples of causes of biodiversity loss linked to humans

• Overexploitation (hunting, fishing)
• Urbanisation & land clearing
• Pollution & invasive species (ex

Explain why ecosystems like mixed dipterocarp forests are disappearing

• Clear-cutting for palm oil & timber → habitat loss

Describe evidence needed to prove a biodiversity crisis

• Repeated surveys in many habitats
• Measures of richness & evenness
• Peer-reviewed published sources

State one benefit and one drawback of citizen science

• Benefit

State the goal of in situ conservation

• Protect species in their natural habitats

Give two in situ conservation examples

• National parks and rewilding projects

Define ex situ conservation

• Protecting species outside natural habitats

List two ex situ conservation methods

• Zoos with captive breeding
• Seed or tissue banks

State why seed banks preserve genetic diversity

• Store seeds from many populations → maintain alleles

Explain what a tissue bank stores

• Frozen animal cells/germplasm for future use

Describe why multiple conservation approaches are needed

• Different species and threats need different strategies (no single solution)

State what EDGE stands for

• Evolutionarily Distinct & Globally Endangered

Explain why EDGE species get priority

• Unique on the tree of life and high extinction risk

State a debate issue in choosing species to conserve (NOS)

• Ethical & political reasons may affect priority decisi