APES ch.2

habitat diversity

variety of habitats in a given region

species diversity

number of species in a region or habitat

genetic diversity

measure of the genetic variation in a population

bottleneck effect

reduction in the genetic diversity of a population due to an environmental stressor

species richness

the number of species in a given area

species evenness

relative abundance of each species

generalist species

can live under a wide range of biotic/abiotic conditions

specialist species

live under a very narrow range of conditions, feed on only one or two sources

indicator species

keystone species

species that is not very abundant but has large effects on an ecosystem

ecological succession

the predictable replacement of one group of species by another group of species over time

primary succession

succession occuring on surfaces that initially have no soil

secondary succession

the succession of plant life that occurs in areas that have been disturbed but not lost their soil (wildflowers)

pioneer species

species that can colonize new areas rapidly and grow well in full sunshine

climax community

final stage of succession

ecological tolerance

the range of conditions, temperature, salinity (measure of dissolved salt in water), flow rate, and sunlight that an organism can endure before death

island biogeography- biodiversity

bigger islands have higher biodiversity, smaller islands have lower biodiversity. Islands closer to mainland have higher bio diversity than further because species can more easily migrate.

island biogeography- generalist v specialist

native island species are usually specialists because they have specific ecological niches for the extreme island environment. If generalists are introduced to an island they will most likely deplete the resources of the specialist species and make them go extinct

ecosystem services (4)

provisioning-lumber and furs, regulation-nutrient cycles, evaporation, culture- national parks, tourism, aesthetic, support- pollination of crops, sunlight

long term ecological impacts

climate change, global warming, radioactive waste

short-term ecological impacts

earthquake, hurricane, wildfires