Biodiversity Flashcards
(99 cards)
1
Q
The variety of organisms in an area.
A
Biodiversity
2
Q
The variety of DNA in a group of organisms.
A
Genetic Diversity
3
Q
The variety of ecological processes & natural services that occur in an area.
A
Functional Diversity
4
Q
The number of different kinds of organisms in an area.
A
Species Diversity
5
Q
The number of different habitats in an area.
A
Ecosystem Diversity
6
Q
Organisms that could easily go extinct if a critical part of their environment changes.
A
Endangered Species
7
Q
Organisms that could become endangered if there is a change in their habitat.
A
Threatened Species
8
Q
Organisms that evolved in an area and have lived there for millenia.
A
Native Species
9
Q
Organisms that have been brought to a new habitat recently, either accidentally or intentionally.
A
Introduced Species
10
Q
Organisms that have been introduced to a new habitat, but have upset the balance of the ecosystem there.
A
Invasive Species
11
Q
Organisms that can survive in a wide range of conditions.
A
Generalist
12
Q
Organisms that need very specific features in their habitat in order to survive.
A
Specialist
13
Q
Organisms that are vital for keeping the ecosystem in balance, with a role that keeps the other organisms in equilibrium. If they die off, the entire ecosystem can crash.
A
Keystone Species
14
Q
Organisms that physically modify the habitat in a way that helps other organisms live there.
A
Foundation Species
15
Q
Organisms found in only one location on the planet, which makes them vulnerable to extinction.
A
Endemic Species
16
Q
Organisms that show the quality of an ecosystem. They are often used by people to see if the ecosystem is healthy or not.
A
Indicator Species
17
Q
Organisms that are the first to migrate into a modified habitat, starting the process of succession.
A
Pioneer Species
18
Q
The study of the distribution of organisms across the globe.
A
Biogeography
19
Q
A group of islands in an area.
A
Archipelago
20
Q
The animals found in an area.
A
Fauna
21
Q
The plants found in an area.
A
Flora
22
Q
Organisms that have a backbone.
A
Vertebrates
23
Q
List examples of invertebrates.
A
Worms, insects, clams, crabs, jellyfish, oysters, octopus, lobster, shrimp, snails, spiders, slugs, starfish, scallops, coral, sponges, which make up the majority of animals on the planet!
24
Q
The proper name for egg-laying mammals.
A
Monotremes
25
Examples of monotremes.
Duck-billed platypus and echidna.
26
Mammals whose offspring finish developing in their mothers' pouches.
Marsupials
27
Give examples of marsupials.
Koala, kangaroo, opposum, Tasmanian devil, cuscus, wombat.
28
Mammals that support their fetuses with a placenta.
Placental mammals
29
List examples of placental mammals.
The vast majority of mammals - all the cats, dogs, bears, whales, apes, antelope, seals, rodents, elephants, bats, horses, and more.
30
The division that separates organisms into two groups between the islands of the eastern and western Indo-Pacific.
The Wallace Line
31
Explain how animals developed their distribution across the Wallace Line.
When sea levels dropped during the ice ages, some islands joined together with Asia, while others joined with Australia. This allowed animals to spread across the connected islands, but the deep water kept them separated into two groups.
32
Explain why islands often have unique species.
The organisms are often isolated from their relatives, allowing evolution to operate more quickly and in different ways on different islands.
33
The process where one ancestral species evolved into several different modern species.
Adaptive Radiation
34
Give examples of adaptive radiation.
The tortoises of the Galapagos islands and the honeycreeper birds of Hawaii.
35
Name the two variables that are described by island biogeography theory.
Island size and distance from the mainland.
36
How does island size influence species diversity?
Larger islands generally have higher diversity than smaller islands.
37
How does island distance from the mainland influence species diversity?
Islands closer to the mainland generally have higher diversity than more distant islands.
38
Explain why bigger islands have higher diversity.
Bigger islands have more variety of habitats, allowing more species to survive. In addition, more organisms are able to find and colonize bigger islands.
39
Explain why islands closer to the mainland have higher diversity.
Closer islands are easier for new organisms to reach from the mainland, so there are more species that colonize the island.
40
Environmental conditions that control the size of a population.
Limiting Factors
41
List examples of limiting factors, including those that influence plants and animals in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
Temperature, pH, availability of prey, sunlight, dissolved oxygen, salinity, presence of parasites, and many more.
42
The ideal level of a limiting factor for best the survival and reproduction of a species.
Optimal Condition
43
The maximum and minimum levels of a limiting factor that barely allow an organism to survive.
Limits of Tolerance
44
How crowded an area is.
Density
45
Limiting factors that act on a population regardless of how crowded it is.
Density-Independent Factors
46
Limiting factors that act more on a crowded population than on a widely dispersed population.
Density-Dependent Factors
47
Give examples of density-dependent limiting factors.
Predators, diseases, food supplies.
48
Give examples of density-independent limiting factors.
Temperature, pH, moisture, dissolved oxygen.
49
The process of replacing one ecosystem with another ecosystem.
Ecological Succession
50
Explain why succession occurs in ecosystems.
Abiotic and biotic factors slowly change over time, due to erosion, weather events, and more. This benefits some organisms, but harms others - so the organisms and the ecosystem they live in slowly change.
51
An ecosystem moves into a barren area that did not have any living things.
Primary Succession
52
One ecosystem takes over another ecosystem, with soil already present.
Secondary Succession
53
List events that may cause primary succession.
Lava flows covering the ground, glaciers melting back to reveal bedrock, a landslide covering the landscape with rock, etc.
54
List events that may cause secondary succession.
Tornados, floods, hurricanes, forest fires, etc.
55
The first organisms to move into an area after a disturbance.
Pioneer species, or colonizers.
56
List examples of pioneer species.
Lichen, moss, grass.
57
An ecosystem that can replace itself indefinitely.
Climax community
58
List stages of succession in order, starting with a pond.
Pond, marsh, meadow, brushland, forest.
59
The process where organisms struggle against other organisms to gain access to resources.
Competition
60
Why does competition occur in nature?
There are not enough resources for all organisms to survive and reproduce.
61
What is the result of competition in nature?
Since only the organisms with the best traits "win" the competition, they are more likely to survive and reproduce. Therefore, competition leads to evolution by natural selection.
62
Competition within a single species.
Intraspecific Competition
63
Competition between different species.
Interspecific Competition
64
Which type of competition is the most intense? Why?
Intraspecific Competition is the most intense, because all the members of the species have the same needs - they must compete for everything, including food, shelter, mates, and more.
65
Individuals battle to obtain as much of a resource as possible.
Contest Competition
66
Individuals hurry to obtain as much of a resource as possible
Scramble Competition
67
Give examples of ways that animals avoid fighting.
They use certain behaviors and body parts to signal their size and strength, including their colors, movements, posture, special features, vocalizations, and more.
68
Explain why animals avoid fighting.
Fighting is risky! If they can win a contest just by singing or by flashing bright colors, they are more likely to avoid injury.
69
The idea that no two species can have the same requirements in the same environment.
Competitive Exclusion Principle
70
Explain why the competitive exclusion principle is found in nature.
Organisms need to reduce their competition with other species, so they either end up dominating and kicking out other species, or they end up moving out of the environment.
71
Different species using different portions of the ecosystem to survive.
Resource Partitioning
72
Explain how resource partitioning allows species with similar needs to live in the same habitat.
When species specialize to gather different resources from other species, they reduce competition with other species.
73
Give an example of resource partitioning.
1. Songbirds that use different parts of a tree to gather insects.
2. Shorebirds that feed along different parts of a beach.
74
The death of every member of a species.
Extinction
75
Many species going extinct in a relatively short time period.
Mass Extinction
76
How many mass extinctions have occurred in Earth's history?
Six, counting today's mass extinction.
77
Which was the biggest mass extinction?
The Permian Extinction, when over 90% of all organisms died out before the time of the dinosaurs.
78
Which was the most famous mass extinction?
The K-T extinction (Cretaceous-Tertiary), which killed off the dinosaurs.
79
What is the most likely cause of the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs?
An asteroid or comet hitting the Earth.
80
What evidence is there showing that a giant meteorite hit the Earth at the time of the dinosaurs' extinction?
1. A thin layer of sediments around the glove containing large amounts of iridium, which is an element found more commonly in meteors than on Earth.
2. A crater found off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, which was formed at the time that the dinosaurs went extinct.
81
Describe the "sixth extinction."
Today, we are seeing a mass extinction mostly caused by people. Many species have disappeared in the last few hundred years (which is a very short time, geologically speaking!), and others are endangered are likely to go extinct soon.
82
The average amount of time that passes between extinctions.
Background Extinction Rate
83
Give the memory device to help remember the 6 major causes of extinction today.
HIPPCO
84
List the major causes of extinction today.
HIPPCO:
1. Habitat Destruction
2. Invasive Species
3. Pollution
4. overPopulation (of humans)
5. Climate Change (human caused)
6. Overexploitation (overuse of the species by hunting or harvesting)
85
What is the #1 cause of extinctions today?
Habitat Destruction
86
List natural causes of mass extinctions.
Meteorite impacts, volcanic activity, ice ages, natural climate change, and more.
87
Benefits people obtain from ecosystems.
Natural Capital
88
The two components of natural capital.
Natural resources and natural services.
89
Materials provided by Earth’s ecosystems.
Natural Resources
90
Processes that occur in Earth’s ecosystems which are often beneficial to people.
Natural Services
91
Give examples of natural resources.
Coal, water, sand, wood, gold, food, soil, wind, uranium, etc.
92
Give examples of natural services.
Water purification, the carbon cycle, maintaining biodiversity, renewing soil, recreation, providing food, etc.
93
Name the two main invasive aquatic plants at Tahoe.
Eurasian Watermilfoil and Curlyleaf Pondweed.
94
Explain why people are trying to reduce the growth of invasive aquatic plants in Tahoe.
They outcompete native plants, they provide habitat for invasive fish, they are UGLY, and more.
95
List ways that people are trying to reduce the growth of invasive aquatic plants in Tahoe
Scuba divers remove invasive plants by hand and with vacuums, herbicides poison the plants, ultraviolet light kills the plants, inspecting boats before they launch makes sure that more plants are not brought into the lake, and more.
96
The combination of species richness and species evenness in an area.
Species Diversity
97
The variety of species in an area.
Species Richness (which is one component of species diversity)
98
The balance of species in an area (whether there are similar numbers of individuals of each species in the area vs. one species dominating and just a few individuals of other species in the area).
Species Evenness (which is one component of species diversity)
99
Compare the species diversity, species richness, and species evenness of these two ecosystems:
Ecosystem A has 10 species of trees. There are 5 individuals of each tree growing in the ecosystem.
Ecosystem B has 10 species of tree. There are 20 individuals of 3 of these species, while the other 7 species only have one individual each.
Ecosystem A & B have equal Species Richness (they both have 10 species of trees).
Ecosystem A has higher Species Evenness (all the species are equally represented in A, but B is dominated by just 3 species).
Ecosystem A has higher Species Diversity, because it has higher Species Evenness while its Species Richness is the same as Ecosystem B.
