Biodiversity
Define Biodiversity
The variety of life on Earth or in an ecosystem.
What impact does biodiversity have on ecosystem stability?
The more biodiverse an ecosystem is, the more stable it is.
What does Endangered mean?
A species is at high risk for extinction
What is an invasive species?
Non-native organisms that are introduced to a new ecosystem and rapidly grow creating problems.
What are two impacts climate change has on habitats and ecosystems?
Melts polar ice caps
Increases drought occurrence
Increases wildfire occurrence
Forces animals to migrate to higher latitudes where it is a suitable temperature
Does speciation increase or decrease biodiversity?
Increase
What is the difference between ecosystem resistance and resilience?
Resistance is an ecosystem’s ability to withstand disturbances as they happen.
Resilience is an ecosystem’s ability to recover, or bounce back, after a disturbance has ended.
What does threatened mean?
A species is likely to become endangered soon
What is an example of an invasive species that we discussed in class?
Kudzu, zebra mussels, cane toads, sea lampreys.
What is the ultimate goal of captive breeding programs?
Reintroduction of a species into the wild
What is genetic diversity?
the variety of genes and variations within one species.
How many mass extinction events have occurred on Earth?
At least 5
What does Extirpated mean?
A species has disappeared from a specific area, but exists elsewhere
What are three ways invasive species are harmful in their new habitat?
Compete with native species
Hunt or prey on native species
3. Transmit diseases or parasites
Define the term endemic.
A species that is found only in one location
What is species diversity?
the variety of species within an ecosystem or area.
A habitat has recently been cut in half by a road and a new shopping plaza has been built on one side. Which type of species will be better able to adapt: generalist or specialist?
Generalist
What are 2 of the 5 main causes of species extinction?
Habitat destruction
Invasive species
Pollution
Overexploitation (overharvesting)
Climate change
What is a way that an invasive species can be introduced to a new habitat?
through human activity, either intentionally (e.g., for agriculture, landscaping, or the pet trade) or unintentionally (e.g., via shipping cargo, ballast water in ships, contaminated firewood, or hitchhiking on vehicles and clothing)
What are the three main parts of the Endangered Species Act?
Bans harm to listed species & their habitats
Bans trade of products made from listed species
Requires recovery plans for protected species
What is Ecosystem diversity
the variety of ecosystems in an area
Define habitat fragmentation
development (ex. A road) splits a habitat into smaller, isolated patches
What are the first and second greatest threats to biodiversity loss?
Habitat destruction and invasive species
True or False: All species that are introduced to a new ecosystem are invasive.
What are two criticisms of the Endangered Species Act?
Protecting endangered species limits landowners on how they can use their land, causing financial losses.
Removing species from the list is a slow and complicated process, so some species are on the list when they shouldn’t be.
3. The ESA focuses too much on saving individual species instead of protecting entire ecosystems.