Ecosystem and Biodiversity Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering methods of measuring biodiversity, ecosystem services, stability concepts, and environmental threats based on the lecture transcript.

Ecosystem Diversity

The variety of ecosystems present in the biosphere.

Canopy fogging

A method used specifically for insects where a lethal spray of insecticide is used to collect dead specimens using a sheet or collecting tunnel.

Transect Sampling

A quick but less accurate method of counting plants or animals along a straight line to study how nature changes from one point to another on land or in water.

Mist netting

The use of nearly invisible, fine mesh nets to safely capture fairly small, flying animals in terrestrial or aquatic environments.

Biodiversity Index (Range)

A measurement ranging from $0$ to $1$; the closer to $0$ the index is, the lower the biodiversity, and the closer to $1$, the higher the biodiversity.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits that organisms, including humans, experience from a healthy ecosystem.

Dynamic equilibrium

A stable ecosystem that may still experience changes or disturbances, but natural processes will bring the system back into balance.

Aerial photos

Taking pictures of the landscape from the sky to map large habitats and count wildlife, best used for larger animals that travel in herds.

Surveys

A method usually done on foot or by boat used to count and map wildlife in an area; it is best used with birds.

Quadrant Sampling

A method similar to transect sampling but more accurate, involving counting wildlife inside a square frame to estimate total populations.

Biodiversity Index (Formula)

$$\frac{\text{Number of species in an area}}{\text{Total number of individuals in the same area}}$$

Resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain dynamic equilibrium even when facing significant outside disturbances.

Biome

A geographical area on Earth containing ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic features.

Intertidal zone

The ocean shore area located between the lowest and highest tide.

Provisioning Services

Ecosystem services that provide food, medicine, natural resources, and water.

Regulating Services

Benefits received through the regulation of ecosystem processes, such as pollution, water purification, protection from natural disasters, erosion control, and climate regulation.

Cultural services

Benefits that people obtain through their personal experiences with the ecosystem.

Supporting Services

One of the four categories of Ecosystem Services identified alongside Provisioning, Regulating, and Cultural services.

Invasive Species

An organism introduced into an ecosystem (accidentally or on purpose) that spreads on its own and outcompetes native species.

Pollution

The contamination of the environment with substances that are harmful to life.

Habitat destruction

Changes to an ecosystem that result in it no longer being able to support the organisms that live there.

Overexploitation

The overuse of animal and plant species by humans.

Climate Change

Changes in climate patterns over time, including rising land and sea temperatures.

Global warming

The specific phenomenon of rising land and sea temperatures.

Biodiversity

The total number and variety of organisms found in a specific region or across all of Earth.

Species

A group of organisms that have similar traits and are capable of producing fertile offspring.

Genetic Diversity

The variety of genes or inherited traits present in a population, such as eye color, hair texture, skin color, and height.

Species diversity

The number of different species and the specific quantity of each within an ecological community.