Biodiversity and Conservation Bio-3/13/25

Primary producers

Organisms that can synthesize their own food from inorganic sources, usually using solar energy.

Autotrophs

Also known as self-feeders, they can produce their own food from inorganic materials.

NPP (Net Primary Production)

The total amount of chemical energy that is stored in organic material, calculated as GPP (Gross Primary Production) minus R (energy used in cellular respiration or lost).

Consumers

Organisms that eat living organisms for energy.

Decomposers

Organisms that obtain energy by feeding on the remains of other organisms or their waste products.

Biodiversity

Biological diversity; the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Education

One of the solutions to preserve genetic diversity.

Genetic diversity

Total genetic information contained within all individuals of a population, species, or group of species.

Genome sequencing

Research protocol that sequences the entire genome of multiple members of the same species.

Environmental sequencing

Research protocol that sequences all or most of the eDNA to document diversity.

Species richness

The count of how many species are present in a defined area.

Shannon index

A measure that incorporates both species richness and evenness in species diversity.

DNA barcoding

Using characterized gene sequences to distinguish between species.

Endemic species

Species that are found in a particular area and nowhere else.

Biodiversity hotspot

Areas with urgent need for conservation action due to high levels of endemic species and threats.

Habitat loss

One of the primary causes of extinction, resulting from activities like logging, damming rivers, and dredging estuaries.

Overexploitation

Unsustainable removal of organisms from their natural environment by humans.

Invasive species

Non-native species that disrupt local ecosystems and threaten biodiversity.

Ecosystem function

The sum of biological and chemical processes occurring in an ecosystem.

Functional diversity

The variety of roles that species play in an ecosystem which contribute to its overall function.

Trophic level

The position an organism occupies in a food web, defined by its feeding relationship.