Biodiversity Unit 2 Vocabulary AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Genetic diversity

The variety of genes within a population or species, contributing to resilience and adaptability.

Species richness

The count of different species represented in a specific ecological community or region.

Species evenness

The relative abundance of each individual species within a community.

Ecosystem services

Direct and indirect benefits that humans obtain from the natural environment, including provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural benefits.

Invasive species

A non-native organism that expands rapidly outside its natural range and causes harm to native ecosystems or human economies.

Specialist species

An organism with a narrow ecological niche, strictly limited resource requirements, and high vulnerability to environmental changes.

Generalist species

An organism with a broad ecological niche that can thrive across diverse habitats and consume a wide range of foods.

Endemic species

An organism that is naturally found in only one specific, restricted geographic location.

Habitat fragmentation

The division of continuous expanses of natural environment into smaller, isolated patches, often driven by human land development.

Island biogeography

A theoretical framework demonstrating that the number of species residing on an isolated habitat depends on land area and distance from the mainland.

Ecological succession

The natural, progressive replacement and turnover of biological communities over time in a particular landscape.