Chapter 38: The Loss of Biodiversity

Habitation alternation is caused by...

1) Agriculture 2) Urban development 3) Forestry 4) Mining 5) Environmental pollution

Biodiversity has three levels

Ecosystem, species, genetic diversity

Biological magnification

Increasing concentration of a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web

Oversexploitation

Is the third major threat to biodiversity. Over harvesting has threatened rare trees 1) reduced populations of tigers, Galapagos tortoises, whales, and rhinos and 2) depleted wild populations of game fish

Invasive species

Ranked second behind habitat destruction as a threat to biodiversity. Invasive species- Compete with native species, prey on native species and parasitize native species.

Phenotypic plasticity

The ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions.

Conservation biology

The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics to sustain biological diversity at all levels.

Extinction

The irreversible loss of all populations of a species

Ozone layer

The release of chemicals into the atmosphere promoted the thinning of the ozone layer