Biodiversity and Conservation Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
all of the organisms in an area and the physical surroundings in which they interact
What is resilience?
the ability of ecosystems to cope with and recover from damage
What is biodiversity?
refers to all species/life on Earth
What are the three types of diversity?
genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity
What is genetic diversity?
differences among the same species
What is species diversity?
variety of species in a given area
What is ecosystem diversity?
variety of habitats, ecosystems and communities
What are ecosystem services?
the beneficial results that come from ecosystem interactions, ex. food, medicine, raw materials, recreational harvesting, and ecotourism
Carbon sink vs Cardon source
a carbon sink absorbs more CO2 than it gives off and a carbon source gives off more CO2 than it absorbs
What is the tragedy of the commons?
shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action
What are the five different types of organisms?
producers, herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, and decomposers
What is trophic cascade?
when you disturb the balance of the ecosytem to the point that it exceeds resilience of the system and it collapses
