02.0D BIO Communities & Ecosystem Dynamics - Biodiversity (PART D)

Biodiversity

The total of all the genetically based variation in all organisms in the biosphere. Three types include: ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity

Ecosystem Diversity

Refers to the variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere.

Species DIversity

The number of different species in the biosphere, or in a particular area.

Genetic Diversity

Can refer to the sum total of all different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or by all organisms on Earth.

Threats to Biodiversity

Includes altering habitats, hunting, introducing invasive species, releasing pollution into food webs, and contributing to climate change.

Altered Habitats

When natural habitats are eliminated for agriculture or for urban development, the number of species in those habitats drops, and some species may become extinct.

Habitat Fragmentation

A process that splits ecosystems into fragments. For example - deforestation in Florida leading to islands; putting a road through a forest.

Pollution

DDT, for example, prevents birds from laying healthy eggs.
Acid rain places stress on land and water organisms.
Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is dissolving in oceans, making them more acidic, which threatens biodiversity in marine ecosystems.

Biological Accumilation

A process in which concentrations of harmful substances like DDT or other pollutants INCREASE in organisms over time.

Biological Magnification

A process in which concentrations of harmful substances increase in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web. Affects the entire food web, although the top-level carnivores are at the highest risk.

Introduced Species / Invasive Species

Species reproduce rapidly because their new habitat lacks the parasites and predators that control their population "back home". (Australian Rabbit, Hyrdrilla, Kudzu vine, etc)

Conservation

Efforts to protect individual species, preserve habitats and ecosystems, and make certain that human neighbors of protected areas benefit from participating in conservation efforts.