BIOL181-Ch.54 Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Biodiversity (definition)

the number and variety of biological species in a location

What are the three components of biodiversity?

-genetic variation (within species)
-species diversity (variety of species in a community)
-ecosystem diversity (each ecosystem has a unique biological community and a unique impact on the biosphere)

Biodiversity is highest at....

low latitudes, also a role of precipitation

_______ communities tend to be older and ______ communities tend to be younger

tropical communities tend to be older and temperate communities tend to be younger

Biodiversity is higher on _____ than in ________

land than in water

Areas with greater geographic variation have ______ diversity

higher

Biological benefits of biodiversity

-increased biodiversity means increased productivity, increased stability-resist disturbance and recover from disturbance

Economic benefits of biodiversity

"Ecosystem services"
-provisioning services: raw materials like food, water, fuel, lumber
-regulating services: climate moderation, flood control, erosion control
-cultural services: enriches quality of life
-supporting services: enable other ecosystem services: nutrient cycling, pollination, pest control

Threats to Biodiversity

1. habitat destruction
2. overexploitation of resources
3. introduced species
4. pollution
5. climate change

Examples of habitat destruction

logging of forests, damming of rivers, dredging or filling wetlands, plowing prairies

Definition and examples of overexploitation of resources

unsustainable removal of organisms from environment for use by humans: logging of forests, overfishing, overhunting

Definition of introduced species and invasive species

often plants or animals are moved from place to place
-introduced species: organism moved to a new geographic location
-invasive species: introduced species that cause ecological or economic harm

define and give examples of pollution

Pollution=anything present in wrong quantities or in the wrong place, or at the wrong time
examples: industrial pollution, pharmaceutical pollutants, pesticides and herbicides, nutrients, and garbage

Explain climate change

polar ice and alpine ice disappearing, coastal habitats becoming inundated, biome redistribution

Conservation Biology (definition)

science that seeks to counter the loss of biodiversity; effort to study, preserve, and restore threatened biodiversity in populations, species, and ecosystems

Where to focus efforts for conservation biology?

-endangered species=area that is in danger of extinction in all or a significant portion of its range
-threatened species=those likely to become endangered

Where (geographically) to focus efforts for conservation biology?

biodiversity "hotspots"

biodiversity hotspots (definition)

relatively small area with an unusually high number of endemic species

Endemic species (definiton)

species that occurs there and no where else

How much of the Earth's area and species are biodiversity hotspots?

about 2% of Earth's area and about 50% of our species

Biophilia (Definition)

"love of life" or love of living organisms