APES 2.1-2.3

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem, measured at three levels: ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity.

Ecosystem diversity

The number of different habitats available in a given area.

Species diversity

The number of different species in an ecosystem and the balance or evenness of the population sizes of all species in the ecosystem.

Genetic diversity

The variation in genetic characteristics within a population, including differences in genes among individuals.

Bottleneck Event

An environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills organisms regardless of their genome, leading to a loss of genetic diversity.

Inbreeding

The mating of organisms with closely related family members, which can increase the chances of harmful genetic mutations in offspring.

Provisioning services

Goods taken directly from ecosystems or made from natural resources, such as food, fresh water, and raw materials.

Regulating services

Functions provided by ecosystems that regulate aspects of the environment, such as climate and air quality.

Supporting services

Ecosystem processes that support the production of other ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and pollination.

Cultural services

Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems, including recreation, aesthetics, and spiritual enrichment.

Theory of Island Biogeography

The study of ecological relationships and community structure on islands, which postulates that larger and closer islands support more species.

Adaptive radiation

The rapid evolution of a single species into several new species to exploit different resources and reduce competition.