Chapter 54: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Biodiversity

Biological diversity

Genetic diversity

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

Species richness

A count of how many species are present in a defined area

Species diversity

Weighted measure that incorporates both species richness and evenness, the relative abundance of each species present

DNA Barcoding

The use of well-characterized gene sequences to distinguish species

Phylogenetic diversity

In terms of evolution, some species give a community evolutionary distinctiveness because they are phylogenetically distant from other species

Functional diversity

In terms of ecology, some species have functional traits that play a key role in the function of an ecosystem

Ecosystem diversity

A measure of these complex factors plus interactions with the abiotic environment

Habitat fragmentation

Dividing contiguous areas of natural habitats into small, isolated fragments

Overexploitation

Any unsustainable removal of organisms from the natural environment for use by humans

Exotic species

A nonnative species that are introduced into a new area

Resistance

A measure of the extent to which a community remains unchanged during a disturbance

Resilience

A measure of the extent to which a community remains unchanged during a disturbance

Natural experiment

Occurs when comparison groups are created by an unplanned, unmanipulated change in conditions

Seed banks

Long term storage facilities to avoid the loss of genetic diversity in local and global populations

Bioprospecting

The exploration of bacteria, archaea, protists, plants, fungi, and animals as novel sources of drugs or ingredients in consumer products