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
