APES Topics 2.1/2.2

Flashcards about Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity

The diversity of life in an area.

Genetic Diversity

The difference in genes of a population (same species).

Species Diversity

The number of different species in an ecosystem and the balance/evenness of the population sizes of all species in the ecosystem.

Habitat Diversity

The number of different habitats available in an area.

Species Richness

The total number of different species found in an ecosystem; High species richness indicates good ecosystem health.

Species Evenness

How all of the individual organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between species; More species evenness = More biodiversity = Good health.

Population Bottleneck

An environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills organisms regardless of their genome; Reduces genetic diversity.

Inbreeding

When organisms mate with closely related family members; More likely to have genetic mutations.

Generalist Species

A species that can live in different types of environments and have varied diets (e.g., raccoons, humans, dogs, cats).

Specialist Species

Species that require unique resources and have limited diets; They need a specific habitat (e.g., Giant Panda Bear).

Ecosystem Services

Benefits that come from natural resources or service functions that ecosystems carry out that have measurable economic/financial value to humans.

Provisioning Services

Goods taken directly from ecosystems or made from natural resources (e.g., wood, food, water). Disrupted by over harvesting, water pollution, land clearance.

Regulating Services

Benefits provided by ecosystems that moderate environmental conditions (e.g., climate, air quality). Disrupted by deforestation.

Cultural Services

Revenue/profits from recreational activities (e.g., fisherman pay for licenses, camping fees). Disrupted by deforestation, pollution, or urbanization.

Supporting Services

Natural ecosystems support our processes (e.g., bees pollinate crops, wetlands filter water). Disrupted by pollinator habitat loss and wetland filling.

Disruptions to Provisioning Services

Overharvesting, Water Pollution, and Land Clearance

Disruptions to Regulating Services

Deforestation

Disruptions to Cultural Services

Deforestation, Pollution, and Urbanization

Disruptions to Supporting Services

Pollinator Habitat Loss and Filling of Wetlands