ch 21 landscape ecology and global biodiversity

landscape ecology

landscape ecology

the field of study that is focused on the spatial arrangement of habitats at different scales and how this influences individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems

legacy effects

a long-lasting influence of historical processes on the current ecology of an area

local diversity/ alpha diversity

the number of species in a relatively small area of homogenous habitat, such as a stream

regional diversity/ gamma diversity

the number of species in all the habitats that comprise a large geographic area

beta diversity

the number of species that differ in occurrence between two habitats

regional species pool

the collection of species that occurs within a region

species sorting

the process of sorting species in the regional pool among localities according to their adaptations and interactions

species-area curve

graphical relationship in which increases in area are associated with increases in the number of species

stepping stones

small intervening habitat patches that dispersing organisms can use to move between large favorable habitats

equilibrium theory of island biogeography

a theory stating that the number of species on an island reflects a balance between the colonization of new species and the extinction of existing species

potential evapotranspiration (PET)

the amount of water that could be evaporated from the soil and transpired by plants, given the average temperature and humidity

energy-diversity hypothesis

a hypothesis that states that sites with higher amounts of energy are able to support more species

continental drift

the movement of landmasses across the surface of earth

Pangaea

the single landmass that existed in Earth about 250 mya and subsequently split into Laurasia and Gondwana

Laurasia

the northern landmass that separated from Pangea about 150 mya and subsequently split into North America, Europe, and Asia

Gondwana

the southern landmass that separated from Pangaea about 150 mya and subsequently split into South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India

Nearctic region

the biogeographical region of the Northern Hemisphere that roughly corresponds to North America

Palearctic Region

the bio geographic region of the Northern Hemisphere that corresponds to Eurasia

Neotropical region

the bio geographic region of the Southen hemisphere that corresponds to South America

Afrotropical region

the biogeographical region of the Southen hemisphere that corresponds to most of Africa

Informalayan region

the biogeographical region of the Southen hemisphere that corresponds to India and Southeast Asia

Australasian region

the biogeographic region of the Southern hemisphere that corresponds to Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea