chapter 8 environmental

subspecies

populations of a species that occur in different geographic areas and differ from one another in slight ways

How can we improve food security

finding sustainable ways to harvest or farm wild species and rare cop varieties

In the past 440 million years how many mass extinction events has our planet experienced

five

"winning" species

generalists able to fill many niches, tolerate disturbance, and use open habitats or edges

minimum viable population size

how small a population can become and how much variation is can lose before running into problems such as inbreeding depression

poaching

an unlawful killing of wildlife for meat or body parts

five primary causes of population decline and species extinction

- habitat loss - pollution - overharvesting - invasive species - climate change

Aldo Leopard

"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering"

The global economic value of just 17 ecosystem services has been estimated at more than ____________ per year

$148 trillion

How much money a year does pharmaceutical products originating from plants generate

$150 billion

ten things biodiversity helps

- provide food, fuel, fiber, and shelter - purify air and water - detoxify and decompose wastes - stabilize Earth's climate - Moderate floods, droughts, and temperatures - cycle nutrients and renew soil fertility - pollinate plants including many crops - control pests and diseases - maintain genetic resources for crop varieties, livestocks breeds, and medicines - provide cultural and aesthetic benefits

Why is todays ongoing mass extinction different than past extinctions

- we are causing it - we will suffer as a result

Paleontologists estimate that roughly __________ of all species that ever lived are now extinct

99%

As the population size of a species shrinks what are two problems

1. it loses genetic diversity 2. its geographic range tends to become smaller as it disappears from parts of its range

three reasons our knowledge of species is incomplete

1. many species are tiny and easily overlooked 2. many organisms are difficult to identify 3. some areas of Earth remain little studied

how many species are identified and described

1.8 million species

How many species are estimated to exist

14 million

what percent of todays pharmaceuticals are derived from chemical compounds deem wild plants

50%

Plains of Serengeti in East Africa is being threatened today by

A proposal to build a commercial highway across the Serengeti, slicing straight across the animals' migratory route

cloning species

DNA from an endangered species is instead into a cultured egg without nucleus and the egg is implanted into the female of a closely related species that acts as a surrogate mother

what is the modern era known as

Quaternary period

Red List

a regularly updated list of species facing light risk of extinction

Convention on Biological Diversity

aiming to help conserve biodiversity

what degrades forest ecosystems and affects the atmosphere a d climate

air pollution

Biophilia

asserting that human beings share an instinctive love for nature and feel an emotional bond with other living things

The loss of biodiversity can

diminish a natural systems ability to function and to provide services to our society

species

distinct type of organism that uniquely share certain characteristics and can breed with one another and produce fertile offspring

mass extinction events

elimination more than one-fifth of life's families and at least half its species

genetic diversity

encompasses the differences in DNA composition among individuals and these differences provide the war material for adaptation to local conditions

Living Planet Index

expresses how large the average population size of a species is now, relative to its size in the year 1970

habitat fragmentation

gradual, piecemeal degradation and loss of habitat

what is the greatest threat to biodiversity

habitat loss

endangered

in danger of becoming extinct

captive breeding

individuals are bread and raised in controlled conditions with the intent of reintroducing their progeny into the wild

what form of life has the largest number of species

insects

conservation biologists

integrate and understanding of evolution and ecology as they use field data, lab data, theory, and experiments to study our impact on other organisms

Comminity-based conservation

many conservation biologists actively a=engage local people in efforts to protect land and wildlife

where is species diversity generally higher

near the equator

novel communities

newly formed mixtures of native and non-native species

nature-deficit disorder

not having enough contact with nature

inbreeding depression

occurs when genetically similar parents mate and produce weak or defective offspring

extinction

occurs when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist

Endangered Species Act

offers protection to species that are judged to be endangered

Why is species loss accelerating

population growth and resource consumption are putting increasing strain on habitats and wildlife

Convention on Intonation Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

protects endangered species by banning the international transport of their body parts

ecosystem diversity

refers to the variety of ecosystems

A prime way to conserve habitats, communities, ecosystems, and landscapes is to

set aside areas of undeveloped land in parks and preserve

what tends to create more ecological niches and supports greater species diversity

structurally diverse habitats

"losing" species

tend to be those that specialize on certain resources, have trouble coping with change, and rely on mature and well-vegetated habitats

evenness or relative abundance

the degree to which species in a given area differ in numbers of individuals

extirpation

the disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally

species richness

the number of species inhabiting an area

species diversity

the number or variety of a species found in a particular area

background extinction rate

the pace by which most extinctions preceding the appearance of human occurred singularly for independent reason

Ecotourism

the practice and business of recreational travel based on concern for the environment

biodiversity hotspot

the region that supports an especially great number of species that are endemic

forensic science

the scientific analysis of evidence to make an identification or answer a question relating to a Crome or an accident

conservation biology

the scientific discipline is devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity

why most people don't notice loss of biodiversity

the species that are most in trouble are those that rely on less-disturbed habitats far from urban areas and human lifetime is very short

when a human disturbs a species that relays on large expanses of habitat what happens

these habitats disappear

Biological diversity (biodiversity)

variety of life across all levels of biological organizations