Unit 2 Flashcards
(23 cards)
3 types of Biodiversity
ecosystem Diversity, species Diversity, genetic diversity
ecosystem diversity
the number of different habitats available in a given area
species diversity
the number of different species in an ecosystem
genetic diversity
how different the genes are of individuals within a population.
Species richness
the ammount of different species found in an ecosystem
species evenness
the distribution of different species
More genetic diversity=
more capable of surviving ecological disturbances
bottleneck effect
an environmental disturbance that reduces population and kills organisms regardless of their genes
Bottleneck events _________ genetic diversity
reduce
4 types of ecosystem services:
provisioning, regulating, supporting, cultural
Provisioning services
goods taken from ecosystems or made using natural resources (fishing, hunting, lumbar)
Regulating services
when natural ecosystems regulate climate/air quality (trees reducing CO2)
Supporting services
when natural ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, make them cheaper or easier (bees pollinating crops, wetlands filtering ground water)
Cultural Services
revenue from recreational activities & profits from scientific discoveries
3 types of natural disturbances:
periodic: occurs with regular frequency (wet and dry seasons)
Episodic: occasional events with irregular frequency (hurricanes, droughts, fires)
Random: no regular frequency (volcanos, earthquakes)
Speed of evolution is based on____________
lifespan of the organism
Ecological Succession
A series of predictable stages of growth that a forest goes through
Two types of sucession
Primary succession: starts from bare rock in an area with no previous soil
Secondary succession: starts from already established soil in an area where a disturbance has taken place.
Pioneering species (or early sucessional species)
species that appear first when the ground is bare rock or soil.
-tolerant of shallow soil and full sun
Mid-Successional Species
species that appear after pioneer species have helped developed soil depth.
-relatively fast growing, large plants, sun tolerant
Late successional or climax community
Species that appear last after soil has deepened and enriched with nutrients.
-large slow growing trees, shade tolerant, large root networks
Specialist
animals that require very unique resources
Generalists
organisms that are adaptable to many environment conditions (wide niche)
