Biodiversity and Threats

Flashcards for review of lecture notes about biodiversity.

Biodiversity

Broad term for all of the biological variety, measured at the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels.

Biodiversity and the Equator

Diversity tends to be highest nearest the Equator due to high primary productivity and older ecosystems with little disturbance.

Biological Hotspots

Areas with high biodiversity and a high number of endemic species, such as Madagascar and the Galapagos.

California as a Biodiversity Hotspot

California, recognized as a biodiversity hotspot with the California Floristic Province, having high species richness but also many degraded ecosystems.

Biodiversity and Human Health

Most of our medicines and drugs come from natural compounds initially identified in natural products; Gila monster venom and Madagascar Periwinkle as examples.

Biodiversity and Agriculture

Cross breeding crops with their ancestral species, like Teosinte with corn, helps to boost genetic variation that is decreased through artificial selection.

Seed Vault

Facility designed to preserve biodiversity by storing seeds of all the plants on Earth as a reservoir against potential species loss.

Value of Biodiversity

Reliance on aquatic ecosystems for protein and the psychological benefits of interacting with nature, such as forest bathing in Japan to reduce stress

Human Population Growth

The driving factor behind all threats to biodiversity.

Habitat Loss

The number one threat to biodiversity, involving the destruction of natural habitats to the point where they can no longer support viable populations.

Overharvesting

A concern mostly with aquatic species and the pet trade, where species are harvested at unsustainable rates, leading to population collapses.

Invasive Species

When the species has become established in the ecosystem and is disrupting the natural food chain.

Climate Change and Bark Beetles

Hotter, longer summers and worse droughts weaken trees, making them more vulnerable to native bark beetles, which thrive in warmer conditions, disrupting the ecosystem.