Lecture 5 - Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology

Biodiversity

The evolutionary relationships among all forms of life

Genetic diversity

The total genetic information contained within all individuals of a population, species, or group of species

Species richness

A count of the species present in a defined region

Species diversity

A weighted measure that incorporates both species richness and evenness, the relative abundance of each species present

DNA barcoding

A well-characterized gene sequence to identify distinct species

Endemic species

Species that is native to only one geographic area

Biodiversity hotspots

• Contain at least 1500 endemic plant species

• At least 70% of the traditional or primary vegetation has been lost

Endangered species

A species whose numbers have decreased so drastically it is almost certain to go extinct without effective conservation efforts

Threats to Biodiversity

1. Habitat destruction

2. Overexploitation

3. Invasive species

4. Pollution

5. Climate change

Habitat fragmentation

The breakup of large, contiguous areas of natural habitat into small, isolated pieces

Overexploitation

Any unsustainable removal of organisms from the natural environment of use by humans

Exotic species

A nonnative species that is introduced into a new area

Invasive species

An exotic species grows to a large population size and dirupts native species

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The source of chemical energy used by species throughout a food web

Resistance

A measure of how much a community is affected by a disturbance

Resilience

A measure of how quickly a community recovers following disturbance

Ecosystem services

All the direct and indirect benefits that humans derive from organism and ecosystems they compose

Bioprospecting

Focuses on assessing different organisms as novel sources of drugs or ingredients in consumer products

Sustainability

The challenge to create ways for humans to live off the resources that are being replaced on Earth