Topic 3, Biodiversity - ESS

biodiversity

the total diversity of living organisms, including species, habitat and genetic diversity.

species diversity

a variety of species per unit per area. This includes both the number of species (richness) and their relative abundance (evenness)

habitat diversity

the range of different habitats in an ecosystem or biome.

genetic diversity

the range of genetic material present in a population of a species

hotspots

areas that are high in biodiversity; they contain large number of endemic species, f.e Galapagos

endemic species

native species or those found only within one area, f.e koala

evolution

natural selection

Process by which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to their offspring. Over time, this leads to changes in the characteristics of a population, increasing its fitness for the environment.

speciation

formation of new species when populations of species become isolated and evolve differntly from other populations

plate tectonics

the movement of eight major and several minor rigid plates of the Earth’s litosphere in relation to each other and to the asthenophsere below.

mass extinction

events in which 75% of the species on earth disapper within a geogically short period of time

Cretacerous-Tertiary

65 mln years ago, asteroid impact/volcanic activity leading to climate change, 76%

End Triassic

199-214 mln years ago, volcanic activity leading to climate change, 80%