science study guide

Lecture 1- Intro to biodiversity 

Describe the dimensions of biodiversity

Genetic component

• within individuals

• within populations 

• between populations 

• between species 

Spatial component

• Communities

• Ecosystems

• Landscapes

• Ecoregions

• Biogeographic regions

Functional component 

• e.g reproductive behavior, predation, parasition

Temporal Component

• Daily

• Seasonal 

• Annual

• Geological or evolutionary 

Explain the qualities required to be considered a living organism 

• Acquire and use materials and energy 

• Actively maintain organized complexity (homeostasis)

• Sense and respond to stimuli

• Grow 

• Reproduce 

• Evolve collectively

Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from Genoese to ecosystems,and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustainit

Lecture 2- History of life

Explain the conditions on early Earth that permitted spontaneous formation of the complex organisms molecules necessary to sustain life

• Lots of bacteria 

• Develop predator- prey relationships 

• Envelop them

• Use for energy 

• Give rise to the first eukaryotes

• Endosymbiotic Theory

Know what the first multicellular organisms were

Algae

Know what the first living organisms on Earth were

Prokaryotes 

Describe the adaptations that allowed early land plants and arthropods to move to dry land

Some plants adapted to life on land

• Water resistant coatings

• Rootlike structures- absorb nutrients 

• Vascular tissue- connect water from roots to leaves 

Earliest plants restricted to swamps

• Seed plants pollen

Arthropods

• Hard exoskeleton to prevent water loss

• The development of a tracheal breathing system for air intake

• Their limbs

Lecture 3 and 4- Heredity, Natural Selection, and Evolution 

Describe Mendel’s conclusions about how single traits are inherited 

1. Genes determine traits and genes come in pairs 

• Each organism has two allele for a gene, one on each homologous chromosome 

2. Law of segregation 

3. Law Ind assortment

4. In heterozygous individuals the dominant allele makes the expression of the other (recessive) allele

Describe gene and chromosome

Gene: is a segment of DNA that contains instructions for making proteins or controlling other genes 

Chromosomes: A structure found in the nucleus of a cell

Explain what it means to be homozygous and heterozygous for an allele 

Homozygous= same allele. An individual has two identical copies of the same alleys for a particular gene

Heterozygous= different allele. This means that they have two different alleles for the same gene, essentially inheriting one version from each parent.

Define evolution and explain the evidence that supports the Theory of Evolution 

Evolution: A change over time in the characteristics of a population 

Supports the Theory of Evolution: Fossils records’

Explain Darwin and Wallace’s 4 postulates about how populations change over time and provide evidence for evolution by natural selection 

1. Individual in a population vary in their traits 

2. Traits are heritable- passed from parents to offspring

3. Some individuals survive and reproduce more than others

4. Role of survival and reproduction are determined by an individual's traits, not by chance. Those with traits advantageous in a given environment survive and leave the most offspring (natural selection)

Explain sexual selection 

• acts on traits that help or organisms find a mate

Example: contests among males: competition for mates

Example: Females are choosy for ornaments and display in male: a sign of good health and ability to avoid predation

Be able to interpret graphs representing directional, stabilizing, disruptive selection 

Directional Selection: Show a shift in the curve towards one extreme 

Stabilizing Selection: Show a narrowing of the curve around the mean

Disruptive Selection: Shows two peaks on the curve representing both extremes being favored 

Define adaptation and fitness 

Adaptation: Refers to a trait or characteristic that enhances an organism’s survival and reproduction in its specific environment. Examples are camouflage in a lizard.

Fitness: is a measure of an organism‘s reproductive success. 

Explain the Hardy-Weinberg principle and its parameters  

The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that under certain conditions, allele frequencies do NOT change, so evolution is not occurring.  

5 conditions for a population that is NOT evolving

1. No mutation 

2. No gene flow (alleles are not moving into or out of a population)

3. Population is large (no genetic drift)

4. Mating is random (no pairing of certain genotypes)

Describe gene flow and possible outcomes of gene flow

Gene flow between populations changes allele frequencies

Describe genetic drift and its impact on biodiversity

Gene flow between populations change allele frequencies

Lecture 5- Genetic diversity and population diversity 

Describes the role of DNA in genetic diversity 

PROVIDING GENETIC CODE

Explain the importance of genetic diversity and population diversity 

Importance of genetic diversity 

• Higher genetic diversity = greater capacity to adapt to changes in environment 

• Conservation efforts

Importance of population diversity

• Crucial for healthy and resilient society because it allows for wider range of perspectives, ideas, and solutions, leading to greater creativity, innovation, and adaptability to change circumstances 

Explain why it’s difficult to estimate the total # of species on Earth

Some area are really hard to study. Hard to find

Define the biological species concept

Biological species concept: a species is a group of interbreeding natural populations that are unable to successfully mate or reproduce with other such groups 

Lecture 6: Communities, Ecosystems, etc

Define a community and community diversity and give an example of communities 

Community: Comprises the populations and species that occur and interact in a particular environment 

Community Diversity: Variation in the group of populations and species that share an environment 

Example of communities: All the plants and animals living in a forest ecosystem, where diversity would be represented by the different types of tree, insects, birds and mammal

Define ecosystem and ecosystem diversity 

Ecosystems: Is a community of living organisms and their physical environment that interact with each other

Ecosystems diversity: An ecosystem is a community plus the physical environment that it occupies 

Describes factors that contribute to ecosystem and community diversity 

• The physical characteristics of the environment (e.g, temperature, precipitation, energy flux, topography)

• The diversity of species present

• The interactions that the species have each and interaction they have with the environment 

Why are some ecosystems like hydrothermal vents considered functionally complex if they don’t have a large amount of physical complexity or species richness?

• Species clustered around hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor

Define landscape diversity and why it's important to study in terms of biodiversity 

Landscape diversity: Variation between landscape, based on the different types of ecosystem that they comprise 

It is important to study in terms of biodiversity: a diverse landscape provides more habitats for a wider range of species, leading to higher overall biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. 

Define biogeography, historical biogeography, and ecological biogeography

Biogeography: The study of the distribution of organisms in space and through 

Historical biogeography: Examines past events in the geophysical history of the Earth and use these to explain patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of organisms

Ecological biogeography: Examines the dispersal of organisms and the mechanisms that influence this dispersal, and uses this information to explain the spatial distribution patterns of these organisms 

Review the “ Wolves of Yellowstone” video and be prepared to answer question about it 

Lecture 7: 27:51

Lecture 7- Measuring Biodiversity 

Be able to describe how we classify organisms

Binomial nomenclature: Genus species 

Define phylogeny and describe what is depicts 

Phylogeny: the evolutionary history of a group organisms, essentially depicting how different species are related to each other through common ancestor 

What is depicts: Visualized as a branching diagram called a phylogenetic tree

Define alpha, beta, and gamma diversity and know how to apply the terms

Alpha Diversity: The diversity within a particular area ecosystem; usually expressed by the number of species in that ecosystem. Examples: Counting the number of different tree species in a small section of a forest.

Beta Diversity: The number of species unique to one region compared to another. Example: Comparing the tree species found in a forest patch to those found in a nearby grassland

Gamma Diversity: The total number of species in a landscape or region. Examples: Studying the total variety of trees species across an entire mountain range, encompassing different forest types and elevation levels.

Be able to describe endemism and give examples from classf

Endemism: Species are found only in that species region and nowhere else on Earth

52% Bird 

80% Flowing plant 

Endemism in the Galapagos 

Compare and contrast hotspots vs. coldspots

Hotspots: Areas with high levels of endemism,but also, high levels of human threat.

What leads to them:

1. Unique habits 

2. Topographic diversity 

3. Isolation 

 Coldspots: Refer to regions of the genome, proteins interactions, or areas with low biodiversity 

Lecture 8: Importance of Biodiversity 

Define the way forests and other vegetation modify climate

• By affecting sun reflectance 

• Water vapor releases 

• Wind patterns and moisture loss

Describes the characteristics of resilient ecosystem 

• Constancy (Lack of fluctuations)

• Inertia (Resistance to perturbations)

• Renewal (Ability to repair damage)

Be able to recognize indirect use of biodiversity 

• Pollination

Be able to recognize indirect use values of biodiversity 

• Pollination: Insects like bees pollinate crops, ensuring fruit and seed production. 

• Water purification: Wetlands filter pollutants from water, providing clean drinking water sources. 

• Flood control: Mangrove forests act as natural barriers against storm surges and flooding. 

Define Bequest values, Existence value, and Potential value

Bequest values: The value of knowing that something will be there for future generations.

Existence value: It’s the value of knowing something that exists, even through you may never see it out in nature or you may never use it

Potential value: Use direct or indirect to use that some component of biodiversity may have. We just don’t know that it has it yet

Explain why species with redundant roles in the ecosystem are important to ecosystem functions 

• They provide a buffer against environmental changes and species loss

• Essentially acting like an “insurance policy” for the ecosystem 

Explain the values we place on biodiversity are important to and their role in conservation 

• Provide crucial ecosystem services

• clean air, water, food,pollination, and climate regulation 

• Which are essential for human survival and well-being

Be able to give examples of a terrestrial habitat that play a role in water and soil conservation 

• Terrestrial habitats significantly contribute to water and soils conservation 

• Wetlands

• Forest

• Grasslands

Be able to give examples of direct use value of biodiversity 

• Food

• Building Materials 

• FFuel

• Paper Products 

• Fiber (clothing, textiles)

• Medicine

Be able to give examples of a sources of inspiration provided by biodiversity

• Biomimicry

• Applied Biology 

• Medical Models 

• Education and Scientific Research 

 Be able to give examples of industrial products that we get from biodiversity 

• Textile Industry: Cotton, wool, silk, linen 

• Pharmaceutical Industry: Anti-cancer drugs derived from plants, painkillers based on natural compounds

Lecture 9- Culture and Biodiversity 

Describes the role of language in biodiversity and cultural diversity 

Describe the connection between biological diversity and cultural diversity 

Areas of high biodiversity = area of high cultural diversity

Be able to describe ICCA’s and the role they play in maintaining biodiversity

• The lecture highlighted the United Nations’ efforts to recognize and support these “territories and areas conserved by indigenous people and local communities” (ICCAs) as a way to protect both biological and cultural diversity 

• These indigenous people to the land, the ecosystem surrounding them 

• They help make sure that the biodiversity in this area is conserved and, that contributes to the well-being of the people that live there

Be able to give examples of links between biodiversity and cultural diversity

• Language 

• Materials culture 

• Local knowledge and technology 

• Modes of subsistence

• Social and economic relations 

• Belief system 

• Values 

Explain traditional ecological knowledge and the role it plays in biodiversity 

Indepeople loses some cannot be tranised

Lecture 10- Threats to Biodiversity 

Describes the effects of habitat fragmentation

Direct 

• Fragmentation 

• Invasive species

• Unsustainable use

• Pollution

• Global Climate Change

Underlying 

• Overpopulation 

• Over-consumption 

• Reduced or negative incentives to conserve

• Lack of enforcement

Describes consequences of invasion

• Hybridization with native species 

• Disruption of an ecosystem structure and function 

• Displacement of native species a invasives outcompete them for resources 

• Local or even global extinctions

Be able to give examples of indirect, unsustainable use of biodiversity 

Indirect:fishes by catches. Wildlife trade

Unsustainable:

Describe the effects of noise pollution of wildlife 

• Impacts many species by disrupting normal behavior 

• Breeding, migration, feeding 

• Animals rely on hearing to communicate avoid predation and find food

Describe the impact of climate change

• Wide and rapid changes in distribution of vegetation types and animals species 

• Rise in sea level

• Species living close to their limits will be most immediately impacted

• Amplify threats to already endangered ecosystem 

Define exotic species 

• Live outside their native range, not always invasive

Describe characteristics of the illegal wildlife trade

• Estimated by Interpol to be $12 Billion annually 

• Second only to drugs in global value 

Define point source vs. non-point source pollution 

Point source: pollutant enters at a discrete location and is non-mobile, such as liquid waste from sewage treatment plant

Non-Point Source: Enters from many locations or is mobile, such as surface runoff into the coastal zone from cars (oil) or lawns (fertilizer and pesticides)

Give examples of solutions to address unsustainable use in marine fisheries

• Quota and governance zones

• Restriction on types of gear and # of boats

• Marine Protected areas 

• Technological controls

Be able to give an example of an accidental or deliberate introduction of an invasive species that was discussed in class along with why the introduction was problematic 

Accidental Introduction 

• Norway Rat. 

• Disease: smallpox, measles, rabies

Problematic 

• Effect on human population

• Cause lot of deaths 

• It because they harbor thing like lice 

Deliberate Introduction

•  Pets: Cats

Problematic

• Surplus hunters

• They kill to kill

• They do not eat everything they kill

Be able to give examples of a consequence/effect of light pollution that was discussed in lecture 

Be able to give examples of indirect threats to biodiversity 

• Reduced/negative incentives to conserve

• Overpopulation 

• Consumption 

• Lack of enforcement 

• Policy and legal failure 

• Market failure

• Industrial failure

• Livelihood failure