Biodiversity

Question 1

Hvorfor er phytoplankton vigtig for biodiversiteten i havet? Hvorfor er det godt at have høj biodiversitet i fytoplankton?

Answer 1

Phytoplankton er the base of the food web og basen for al biodiversiteten kan findes.

Experimental evidence link increasing diversity to an
increase in primary and secondary production, stability and recovery

Question 2

Biodiversity definition

Answer 2

The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.

Question 3

How is biodiversity measured?

Answer 3

Biodiversity can be measured at many different levels including genetic, species, community, and ecosystem. One way to measure biodiversity is to assess species richness of an ecosystem, which is the total number of distinct species within a local community.

• Richness = Measure of the number of unique life forms
• Evenness = Equitability among life forms
• Heterogeneity = Dissimilarity among life forms
• Taxonomic distinctness = Taxonomic distance between species

Also alfa, beta, gamma

MEN fordi der er mange steder hvor arter er ukendte, vil man nok måle biodiversiteten på trait-diversity. Opdele arterne i traits og se hvor mange forskellige der er -

Question 4

Hvad er genetic diversity?

Answer 4

Genetic diversity: Genetic variation within species

Question 5

Hvad er species diversity?

Answer 5

Species diversity: Variety of species (or other taxonomic groups) in an ecosystem

Question 6

Hvad er ecosystem diversity?

Answer 6

Variety of biological communities on earth

Question 7

Hvad er traits diversity?

Answer 7

Variety in traits (properties of organisms) in a community

Question 8

Hvad er functional diversity?

Answer 8

Functional diversity: Variety of biological processes or functions in an ecosystem.

The functional aspect is represented by the
relationships among and between these marine organisms and
the environments they inhabit, and is defined in terms of
rates of ecological processes.

most notably they include physiological processes, predator-prey relationships, trophic webs, competition, and resource partitioning.

These functions vary on both temporal and spatial scales, and include some of the most important ecosystem services, including oxygen provisioning, CO2 sequestration, and re-mineralization of nutrients

Question 9

Hvad er structural diversity?

Answer 9

Genetic, species and ecosystem diversity

Question 10

Traits and functional diversity? wHy traits rather than species?

Answer 10

30-60% of the marine species are unknown and estimating biodiversity based on taxonomy is thus not feasible (although mapping of genetic diversity by e.g., eDNA, is promising)

There are ca. 243 000 known marine species

Traits are more directly connected to ecosystem functions and services than taxonomic groups
Trait diversity can tell something about the vulnerability of the ecosystem – redundancy in ecosystem functions
* Undisturbed baseline state based on traits is not bound to a geographic area

Flere arter, vi ikke kender:
Der er mange marine arter, som vi endnu ikke kender til. Ved at fokusere på træk, kan vi få et bedre overblik over, hvad der findes i et økosystem, selvom vi ikke kender alle arterne.

Træk er forbundet med, hvad arterne gør:
Træk er mere direkte relateret til, hvad arterne gør i økosystemet, end selve arterne er. Det betyder, at vi bedre kan forstå, hvordan økosystemet fungerer ved at se på trækmangfoldighed.

Vulnerabilitet af økosystemet:
Hvis der er mange forskellige træk i et økosystem, betyder det, at det er mere modstandsdygtigt over for forstyrrelser, fordi der er flere forskellige ressourcer og funktioner til rådighed.

Baseline for uforstyrret tilstand:
Ved at have en forståelse af, hvilke træk der er til stede i et uforstyrret økosystem, kan vi sammenligne det med ændringer over tid og på forskellige steder for at forstå, hvordan økosystemet ændrer sig.

Question 11

Forklar alpha, beta and gamma diversity

Answer 11

• Alpha diversity = average species diversity in a specific
  area (local) antallet af arter i et økosystem
• Beta diversity = ratio between alpha diversity and
  regional diversity (difference between areas). forskellen i arter mellem a og b
• Gamma diversity = total diversity of an area. a +b

Question 12

Global biodiversity is in crises! Forklar hvorfor (biosphere integrity og biodiveristy loss)

Answer 12

• Biosphere integrity is one of the two core planetary
  boundaries as it is central to the state of the earth
  system (climate change is the other)
• Biodiversity loss is the single boundary where the
  current rate of extinction puts the earth system furthest away from the safe operating space
• Background extinction rate of species 1-5 species year^-1
• Current rate > 1000 times larger
• By 2050 30-50% of all species might be lost

Question 13

Hvor meget påvirker biodiversity loss ecosystem change?

Answer 13

Biodiversity loss ranks among the major drivers of ecosystem change

Question 14

Forklar Modern extinction threat compared to past events

Answer 14

• Modern extinction threat targets larger and motile individuals, when past extinctions targeted small non-motile individuals
• Pelagic animals were more threatened in the past extinction events than in the modern ocean

Question 15

Hvor i verden er der mest coastal biodiversity? Og hvor er der mest ocean biodiversity?

Answer 15

• Costal biodiversity peaks in the Western Pacific, oceanic biodiversity along mid-latitudes at all oceans.
• Hotspots of both oceanic and coastal species occur at areas with high anthropogenic impact

Question 16

Hvad er Six hypothesis of the drivers of marine biodiversity:

Answer 16

1) Kinetic energy or temperature hypothesis: Higher biodiversity at higher temperatures
2) The potential energy or productivity-richness hypothesis: Higher diversity when primary production is high
3) The stress hypothesis: Lower diversity at higher environmental (anthropogenic) stress
4) The climate stability hypothesis: Higher diversity at more environmentally stable regions
5) The availability of important habitat features: Diversity increases with increasing amount of favorable habitats
6) Evolutionary history hypothesis: Different diversity at different ocean basins

Question 17

Hvorfor er der mere biodiversitet varmere steder? (1. hypotese)

Answer 17

1) Kinetic energy or temperature hypothesis: Higher biodiversity at higher temperatures
* Increased metabolic rates may promote higher speciation rates
* Temperature sets species geographic ranges with more species tolerant to warm than cold temperatures

Question 18

Hvorfor er der Higher diversity when primary production is high. (2. hypotese)

Answer 18

2) The potential energy or productivity-richness hypothesis: Higher diversity when primary production is high
* Higher resources support high population sizes that are more robust to extinctions
* Higher resources allow for niche-specialization

Question 19

Forklar the stress hypothesis for biodiversitet (3. hypotese)

Answer 19

Lower diversity at higher environmental (anthropogenic) stress

Question 20

Forklar the climate stability hypothesis for biodiversitet (4. hypotese)

Answer 20

Higher diversity at more environmentally stable regions

Question 21

Forklar the availability of important habitat features hypothesis for biodiversitet (5. hypotese)

Answer 21

Diversity increases with increasing amount of favorable habitats

Question 22

Forklar the evolutionary history hypothesis for biodiversitet (6. hypotese)

Answer 22

Different diversity at different ocean basins

Question 23

Climate change will change the biodiversity patterns. Forklar hvorfor.

Answer 23

• Temporal changes in species composition driven by redistribution rather than loss of diversity
• Range extentions will dominate over contractions: Global net increase in diversity (in temperate areas)
• Loss of diversity in the tropics, in polar areas for species associated with sea ice

Question 24

Forklar hvad species invasions gør for biodiversitet verden rundt

Answer 24

Species invasions will homogenize communities, induce
regionally high extirpation rates and result in novel species
associations and interactions

Question 25

Hvordan påvirker loss of species / mindre biodiveristet ecosystem services. Hvordan er biodiversitet godt for ecosystem services?

Answer 25

Correlational evidence links the regional loss of species diversity to decreased ecosystem services and increased risks associated with the loss of services

Biodiversity loss reduces the efficiency by which ecological communities capture resources, produce
biomass, decompose and recycle nutrients.

Diverse communities are more productive because differences in functional traits among organisms
increase total resource capture.

Biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystem functions through time

Question 26

Mention some threats to biodiversity in the ocean

Answer 26

Habitat loss and degration
* Climate change
* Excessive nutrient load and other forms of pollution
* Over-exploitation
* Armed conflict
* Invasive species

Question 27

Mention some areas with high proportion of stressor affected species

Answer 27

North Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea, international waters in the eastern Atlantic;
and the western Pacific and tropical IndoPacific

Question 28

Hvad er IPBES

Answer 28

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Question 29

Hvad laver IPBES?

Answer 29

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established by States to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development. It was established in Panama City, on 21 April 2012 by 94 Governments. It is not a United Nations body. However, at the request of the IPBES Plenary and with the authorization of the UNEP Governing Council in 2013, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides secretariat services to IPBES. See here for more information on the history of IPBES.

Question 30

Forskellen på structural biodiversity og functional biodiversity?

Answer 30

Structural Biodiversity:

Definition: Structural biodiversity refers to the variety of different species, genes, and ecosystems present in a particular area. It encompasses the richness and diversity of life forms, including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, as well as the diversity of habitats and ecosystems they inhabit.

Focus: Structural biodiversity focuses on the composition, abundance, distribution, and genetic diversity of organisms within an ecosystem or across landscapes. It considers the number of species present and the genetic variation within populations.

Importance: Structural biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem stability, resilience, and functioning. Higher structural biodiversity often leads to greater ecosystem productivity, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, and carbon sequestration.

Functional Biodiversity:

Definition: Functional biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of ecological functions performed by different organisms and ecosystems within an area. It includes the diverse roles and interactions of organisms in ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling, energy flow, decomposition, and trophic interactions.

Focus: Functional biodiversity focuses on the ecological roles and processes performed by organisms, rather than just their presence or abundance. It considers how different species contribute to ecosystem functions and services, such as primary production, decomposition, and regulation of biogeochemical cycles.

Importance: Functional biodiversity is essential for maintaining ecosystem processes and services that support life on Earth. Different species play unique roles in ecosystems, and the loss of functional diversity can lead to disruptions in ecosystem functioning, reduced resilience to environmental changes, and loss of ecosystem services.