what is biodiversity Flashcards
(32 cards)
habitat
the environment in which different populations live
species
a group of similar organisms able to reproduce to give fertile offspring
biodiversity
the variety of all living organisms in an area
community
many different populations living and interacting with one another in an ecosystem
ecosystem
an area in which all the living organisms and non living factors form a stable relationship
population
a group of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time
what is the importance of biodiversity
it includes all living organisms in an area. its essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem for all organisms.
what does it mean by species being interconnected
they depend on one another
how are species interconnected
animals eat plants
when animals and plants die, fungi and other microorganisms decompose dead organic matter from the dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil
the plants need this fertile soil to grow
what happens in regions of reduced biodiversity
these connections may not be present harming all species in the ecosystem
what does an ecosystem rely on
the interdependance of organisms to maintain stability
what can loss of species cause
it can cause serious, unpredictable and irreversible changes
which regions have the most biodiversity
tropical moist regions
what biodiversity does UKs temperate climate have
less biodiveristy due to the warm summers and cold winters
which regions have the least biodiversity
very cold areas (Arctic) or dry areas (deserts) have the least biodiversity
the closer a region is to the equator…
…the greater the biodiversity
what does measuring biodiversity do
it informs scientists of all the species present and provides a measure for the level of biodiversity. this helps measure the effects of changes to an environment (human activity, disease or climate change)
what happens before a major product such as building a new road or nature reserve
an Environmental Impact Assessment is undertaken
what is an Environmental Impact Assessment
attempts to predict the positive and negative effects of a projection in the biodiversity in that area
what are the different types of biodiversity
genetic
habitat
species
what is habitat biodiversity
refers to the number of different habitats found within an area
what can each habitat support
a number of different species
the greater the habitat biodiveristy…
…the greater the number of different species
examples of different habitat biodiversity
rivers, woodlands, hedgerows, grasslands
