UNIT 2- APES

species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Species are the basic unit of biological classification.

biodiversity

The variety of life in the ecosystem.

genetic diversity

The variety of genetic characteristics within a species, which shows their adaptability changing environments.

species richness

The number of different species in a given area or ecosystem, indicating the biodiversity level.

species abundance

The total number of individuals of each species in a given area

ecosystem diversity

The variety of ecosystems within a specific area, encompassing different habitats/ communities

invasive species/biotic pollution

Non-native species that disrupt local ecosystems and biodiversity by outcompeting native species or introducing diseases.

anthropogenic

an effect that's caused by humans

island biogeography

the study of the factors that affect the species richness/ contents in island communities- looks at things like size of island/ distance from the mainland

evolution 

chnage in a species over time due to adapting

tolerance

range of conditions in an environment that a species can survive in

succession 

how an area recovers after a disturbance 

ecosystem services

goods that come from natural resources that have economic value to humans

bottleneck effect

when genetic diversity decreases when a population gets drastically smaller after a natural disaster

keystone species 

species who activities have a particulary significant role in determining community structure

indicator species

the abundance/presence/absense shows the enviorment’s condition

pioneer species

member of early succession species move into unoccupied areas and overtime adapts to its conditions

habitat fragmetation

when a large habitat is broken up into smaller patches (caused by urbanization, agriculture, roads, etc)

speacialist

can only survive on a narrow range of environmental conditions

generalist

can survive on a wide range of envioronmental conditions

natural selection

survival of the fittest