BIOL 242 Lecture – Global Change Ecology & Biodiversity

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on global change ecology, biodiversity, experimental design, and graph interpretation.

Biodiversity

The variety of life at all levels of biological organization, including genes, species, and ecosystems.

Genetic Diversity

Variation of genes within individuals or among individuals of a population.

Species Diversity

The number of different species (richness) and their relative abundances (evenness) in a community.

Ecosystem Diversity

The variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes within the biosphere.

Biosphere

All regions of Earth where life exists; the broadest level of biological organization.

Ecosystem

A community of organisms plus the abiotic factors with which they interact.

Community

All the populations of different species that live and interact in the same area.

Population

Individuals of the same species living in a given area at the same time.

Organism

An individual living entity that can carry out life processes independently.

Habitat Loss

Thinning, fragmentation, or destruction of an ecosystem’s resources leading to biodiversity decline.

Pollution

Addition of substances or energy to the environment faster than they can be rendered harmless.

Invasive Species

A non-native species that significantly modifies or disrupts the ecosystems it colonizes.

Overexploitation

Harvesting organisms at rates that exceed their ability to reproduce, risking population collapse.

Climate Change

Long-term modification of Earth’s climate linked to rising greenhouse-gas levels.

Biodiversity Loss

Reduction in the number of genes, individuals, species, and ecosystems in an area.

Global Change Agent

Any major human-driven factor (e.g., habitat loss, pollution) causing ecological change.

Endemic Species

A species found naturally in only one geographic area.

Introduced Species

A species moved by humans, intentionally or accidentally, outside its native range.

Bioaccumulation

Build-up of a substance (often toxins) in the tissues of an organism over time.

Biomagnification

Increase in toxin concentrations at successive trophic levels of a food chain.

Greenhouse Gas Effect

Process by which greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere, warming the planet.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)

Most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced mainly by fossil fuel combustion.

Methane (CH₄)

Potent greenhouse gas from livestock, wetlands, and fossil fuel extraction.

Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)

Greenhouse gas emitted from agriculture, manure management, and industrial processes.

Water Vapor (H₂O)

Naturally occurring greenhouse gas that amplifies warming through feedback loops.

Independent Variable

The factor that is manipulated or naturally varies, often plotted on the X-axis.

Dependent Variable

The measured response expected to change due to the independent variable; often on the Y-axis.

Controlled Experiment

Study where researchers manipulate variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Natural Experiment

Study that examines real-world events where variables change without researcher control.

Observational Study

Research that monitors systems without manipulation, relying on existing variation.

Phenology

Timing of biological events, such as flowering or migration, in relation to environmental cues.

Fitness

An organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Species Richness

Count of different species present in a community.

Species Evenness

How similar the abundances of different species are in a community.

Ecosystem Service

Benefit humans obtain from ecosystems, such as pollination or nutrient cycling.

Acclimation

Short-term physiological adjustment of an organism to a change in its environment.

Adaptation (Evolutionary)

Heritable trait that increases fitness and becomes common over generations.

Dispersal

Movement of organisms from one location to another, potentially altering their range.

Extinction

Irreversible loss of all individuals of a species.

Graph Trend

Overall direction or pattern (increase, decrease, no change) shown by data points.