EcologyLesson 1 of 3 in the course Conservation and Biodiversity

Biodiversity: Measurement, Ecosystem Services, and Conservation

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Biodiversity describes the variety of life. It can be considered at different levels, from genes within a species to whole ecosystems. Understanding these levels helps explain why biodiversity matters to people as well as to other organisms.

A familiar measure of biodiversity is the number of species in a place. Ecologists traditionally also consider how many individuals belong to each species. A forest with ten equally common tree species is generally more diverse than one with ten species where a single species makes up 95 percent of the trees.

All flashcards

What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is biological variety. It can be considered among genes, populations, species, and ecosystems.
What is relative abundance?
Relative abundance describes how the number of individuals is distributed among the species in a community.
Why is counting species alone incomplete?
A species count does not show how evenly individuals are distributed or capture genetic variety, ecological relationships, and ecosystem diversity.
Name three ways ecosystems support people.
Ecosystems support food production, help provide clean water, and supply organisms whose compounds can be used in medicines.
Why can biodiversity loss affect human welfare?
Species and ecosystem processes are interconnected. Their loss can disrupt services people rely on and increase the effort or cost of maintaining food, clean water, air, and health.

Quiz questions

  1. Which combination describes species diversity in a location?Answer: The number of species and how evenly individuals are distributed among them.
  2. What is an endemic species?Answer: A species naturally restricted to a particular geographic area.
  3. What does biogeography study?Answer: The distribution of species across places and through time.
  4. Why are estimates of the total number of species uncertain?Answer: Many species remain undiscovered, and estimates use differing evidence and methods.
  5. What can be lost when an ecosystem disappears, even if some species survive elsewhere?Answer: The original ecological interactions and productivity.

Based on Concepts of Biology by Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James Wise (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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