IB Biology A 4.2 Conservation of Biodiversity

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

biodiversity hotspots

Relatively small areas of land that contain an exceptional number of endemic species and are at high risk from human activities

ecosystem diversity

variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere

species diversity

The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.

genetic diversity

a measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population

Estimated number of species on earth

2 million - 10 million, uncertainty with prokaryotes

classification system

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

extinction of species

A type of species that no longer lives anywhere on the Earth.

Overharvesting

catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace

habitat destruction

The loss of a natural habitat

invasive species

plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native

pollution

Release of harmful materials into the environment

climate change

a change in global or regional climate patterns

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

Overexploitation

excessive use of species that have economic value

water diversion

the process of moving water from its source to places where humans can use it

Simpson's Diversity Index

a measure of diversity between similar ecosystems

( N-(N-1) ) / ( total n (n-1) )

N = total number of organisms

n = number of individuals of each species

Overhunting/overfishing

Hunting, trapping,and fishing of a species at a rate that is faster than reproduction can replace them. This can result the species becoming endangered or extinct.

deforestation

the action of clearing a wide area of trees.

In situ Methods of conservation

Saving a species while it remains in the natural habitat

ex situ methods of conservation

Saving a species by removing it from it's natural habita

In Captivity Breeding

Breeding Species in captivity to increase their population size

EDGE Species

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered

IUCN Red List

International union for conservation of nature list of worldwide threatened species

Richness

number of species

Evenness

Relative abundance of species, evenly spread