Conservation & Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
The total variety of life in an ecosystem.
In ice caps & glaciers
What is humus?
A substance in soil that retains water & nutrients, improving soil fertility
Where is the ozone layer located?
The stratosphere
What is the biosphere?
The zone of all life on Earth, all living organisms & their interactions with the atmosphere.
What are the three levels of biodiversity?
Habitat, species, & genetic
What is infiltration?
Water seeps into soil, filling aquifers
What is commercial farming?
large-scale production for profit
What does the ozone layer do?
Protect us from harmful UV rays (UVC & UVB)
What is succession?
The gradual process of change in ecosystems, where one community replaces another due to shifts in biotic and abiotic conditions.
What is natural selection?
organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive & produce more offspring
What is water security?
Availability of an adequate quality & quantity of water to meet the needs of people & ecosystems
What is subsistence farming?
Small-scale farming for family consumption
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
What are pioneer species?
Species that form the first thin layer of soil by adding organic matter when they die (lichens, mosses, & algae).
What are direct threats to biodiversity?
Overharvesting, poaching, overfishing, & habitat destruction
What drives the movement of water in the hydrosphere?
Solar radiation & gravity
What are storages in soil?
Organic matter, mineral particles, water, air, & nutrients
What is the PRIMARY cause of climate change?
Human activity
A biological community & its physical environment interacting together
How does climate change affect biodiversity?
How do human activities disrupt the hydrological cycle?
What are outputs from soil?
Leaching, gaseous losses (CO2), erosion.
What does climate change disrupt?
species interactions, nutrient cycles, food webs & energy flows.
What is a species?