What are Amphibians?
frogs, toads, and salamanders were among the earliest vertevrates(animals with backbone) to emerge from the earths waters and onto land
Just about how many amphibians are having trouble adapting to change on earth?
6,700
According to the International Union Conservation of Nature(IUCN), what are the percetange of amphibians threatened?
33% of all amphibians are threatened with extinction and more than 40% of all known amphibians species are declining.
What are the 3 reason why we should care if they go extinct?
1) amphibians or sensitive biological indicators of changes in environmental conditions such as habitat loss, Air and water pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and climate change
2) adult amphibians play important ecological roles in biological communities
Biological diversity or biodiversity
Is the variety of the earths species or varying lifeforms, the genes they contain the ecosystem in which they live in, the ecosystem processes such as energy flow, and nutrient cycle that sustain all life
Species
A group of organisms with a set of characteristics that distinguish it from the other groups of organisms
Functional diversity
The variety of processes such as energy flow and matter cycling that occur within ecosystems as species interact with one another in food chains and food webs
Ecological diversity
The earths variety of deserts, grassland, Forests, mountains, Ocean, Lakes, rivers, and wetland-is another major component of biodiversity. The variety of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems found in an area or on the earth. These terrestrial ecosystems ar
Genetic diversity
The variety of genes found in a population or any species. The earths many species continue vast variety of genes, which enable life on the earth to survive to dramatic environmental change
Species diversity
The number and variety of the species present in any biological community. This is the most obvious component to biodiversity
How do insects play a vital role in our world
1) they play a vital role in Pollination
2) they eat other insects to control population
3) they loosen and renew the topsoil
4) recycle nutrients back into the system
How long have insects been around
They have been around for at least 400 million years which is about 2000 times longer than that humans
What is the scientific study of insects
Entomology
What was Edward O Wilson famous for?
1) he is working on Harvard university is Encyclopedia of life
2) studied how ants communicate using chemicals called pheromones
3) his study of ants has applied to other studies of other animals and humans
4) proposed the hypothesis that humans have a na
Fossils
Mineralize or petrified replicas of skeletons bones teeth shells leaves and seeds or impressions of such items found in rocks
Fossil record
The entire body of evidence gathered using these methods is uneven and incomplete. Some forms of life left no fossils and some fossils have decompose. The fossils found so far represent probably only 1% of all species that I've ever lived
Paleontology
A challenging scientific detective game that tries to reconstruct the development of life with so little evidence in the work
Biological evolution or just evolution
The process whereby the earths life changes over time through changes in the genes of populations of organisms in succeeding generations
Theory of evolution
All species evolved from earlier and ancestral species
Natural selection
Process by which a particular beneficial gene is reproduced in succeeding generations more than other genes the result of natural selection is a population that contains a greater proportion of organisms better adapted to certain environmental conditions
What did Darwin and Wallace observe
That individual organisms must struggle constantly to survive by getting enough food water and other resources to avoid being eaten in to be reproduce. They also observed that individuals in a population with a specific advantage over other individuals in
Describe evolution by natural selection
The process of biological evolution by natural selection involves changes in a population is genetic make up through successive generations. No that populations not individuals evolve by becoming genetically different
Genetic variability or the first step
The first step in this process of evolution is the development of genetic variability or variety in the genetic makeup of an individual in a popular
Mutagens
Mutations that occur from exposure to external agents such as radioactivity and natural and human made chemicals
After the first step of developing genetic Variability... what is the next step in the biological evolution?
natural selection
Who came up with the theory of evolution
Naturalist Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace independently proposed this
What did Darwin publish that included his research
in his book in 1859 "On the origin of species by means of natural selection
Trait
A characteristic possessed by an individual but not by others of their kind
What is the biological evolution through natural selection theory
And important scientific theory that generally explains her life has changed over the past three .5 billion years and why life is so diverse today
Describe evolution by natural selection
The process of biological evolution by natural selection involves changes in a population is genetic make up through successive generations. No that populations not individuals evolve by becoming genetically different
Genetic variability occurs through what
Mutations
What are mutation
Changes in the DNA molecules of a gene in any cell that can be inherited by offspring. Most mutations result from a random changes that occur in coated genetic instructions when DNA molecules are copied each time a cell divides and whenever an organism pr
Heritable trait
A mutation can result in a new genetic trait which can be passed from one generation to the next. In this way populations develop differences among individuals including genetic variability.
Adaption or adaptive trait
The favored individual possesses hereditable traits they give them some advantage over other individuals in a given population and is any heritable trait that improve the ability of an individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a higher rate than
Genetic resistance
Another important example of natural selection at work is the ability of one or more organisms in a population to tolerate a chemical designed to kill it. Such resistance develops fairly quickly in populations of organisms that produce large numbers of ou
In example of genetic resistance with bacteria and antibiotics
Certain bacteria have developed genetic resistance to widely use antibacterial drugs which had become a force of natural selection
Summarize the process of biological evolution by natural selection
Genes mutate, individuals are selected, and populations evolve such that they are better adapted to survive and reproduce under existing environmental conditions
What three traits allowed humans to survive
1) strong opposable thumb
2) ability to walk upright
3) complex brain
Will adaptions to new environmental conditions through natural selection allow humans to adapt to things such as resistance to UV rays or lungs to cope with air pollution?
nope because of two limitations on adoption through natural selection
1)A change in environmental conditions can lead to such an adaption only for genetic traits already present in a population is gene pool or four traits resulting from mutations which oc
What is fitness
A measure of reproductive success not strength
What are three common myths about evolution through natural selection
1) "survival of the fittest" means "survival of the strong"
2) organisms develop certain traits because they need them(for example certain plants called carnivores plants feet on insects not because the ones needed to in order to survive)
3) Evolution by
techtonic plates
Huge flows of molten rock within the earths interior have broken it surface into a series of gigantic salad plates which have drifted slowly on the planets mantle
What evidence shows that all the continents were one
Rock and fossil evidence indicates that 200 to 250,000,000 years ago all of the earths present-day continents were connected into a supercontinent called Pangaea
What is Pangaea
200 to 250,000,000 years ago all of the earths present-day continents were connected in a supercontinent called Pangaea. About 135 million years ago Pangaea begin splitting apart as the earths tectonic plates move eventually resulting in the present day l
What are the two important effects on evolution and distribution of life caused by tectonic plates drifting
1) The locations of consonants and oceanic basins have greatly influenced the earths climate and does have help to determine what plants and animals can live
2) The movement of continents has allowed species to move, adapt to new environments, and for a n
What causes earthquakes
Adjoining tectonic plates that are grinding along slowly next to one another sometime shift quickly causing earthquakes. Over a long period of time this can lead to the formation of new species as each isolated population changes genetically in response t
Volcanic eruptions
Occur along the boundaries of tectonic plate can also affect biological evolution by destroying habitats and reducing and isolating or wiping out population of species
How has climate change and catastrophes affect natural selection
-clomate change shows where different kinds of plants and animals can thrive and live...and if dramatic change it made some species go exstinct which allows other species evolve and take their roles. For catastrophics events it wipes out major organisms w
How many years ago has the period of cooling and heating have led to the advance and retreat of a sheet at high altitude's over much of the northern hemisphere
18,000 years ago
Speciation
In this process one species splits into two or more different species. For sexually reproducing organisms a new species forms when one population of a species has evolved to the point where it's members can no longer breed and produce fertile offspring wi
geographic isolation
When different groups of the same population of a species become physically isolated from one another for a long period of time. Which can lead to different adaptations that a species takes on such as the Arctic and gray fox
Reproductive isolation
Mutations and change by natural selection operate independently in the gene pools of geographically isolated population. If this process continues for long enough members of the geographically and reproductively isolated populations of sexually reproducin
Artificial selection
Process by which human select one or more desirable genetic traits in a population of a plant or animal species and then use selective breeding to produce populations contain many individuals with the desired trait
Genetic engineering
Insertion of an alien scene into an organism to give it a beneficial genetic trait
Extinction or biological extinction
The process in which an entire species ceases to exist
Local extinction
When a species become extinct over a large region but not globally
Endemic species
Species that are found in only one area or especially vulnerable to extinction. Exist on Highlands and another unique areas especially in tropical rain forest were most species of highly specialized roles. For these reasons they are unlikely to be able to
Background extinction rate
Throughout most of earths long history species have disappeared at a lower rate. Based on the fossil record and analysis of ice cores, biologists estimate that the average annual background extinction rate has been about .0001% of all species per year whi
Background extinction rate percentages
The average annual background extinction rate has been about .0001% of all species per year which amounts to one species lost for every million species on the earth per year. At this rate if there were 10 million species on the earth about 10 of them on a
Mass extinction
In contrast to the background extinction rate, mass extinction is a significant rise in extinction rate about the background level. In such a catastrophic widespread and often global event, large groups of species(25% to 95% of all species) are wiped out
About how many mass extinctions has there been
There have been at least three and probably five mastics stink Chin's at intervals of 22 60 million years during the past 500 million years
What opportunities come from mass extinction
Provides an opportunity for the evolution of new species that can fill on occupied ecological roles or newly created one. Evidence indicates that each occurrence of mass extinction has been followed by an increase in species diversity over several million
What is indicating that we are at the beginning of a new mass extinction
Scientist have seen higher extinction rates in animals and other factors which primarily is mostly caused by human
Species diversity
The number and variety of species it contain
Species richness
The number of different species in a given area
Species evenness
A measure of the relative abundance for the comparative numbers of individuals of each species present
What are the two questions that scientists have been conducting research on
1) is planned productivity higher in species rich ecosystems
2) The species richness enhance the stability or sustainability of an ecosystem
What is the answer to the two questions that scientists have been conducting research on
They suggest that the answer is yes. 1)According to the first the more diverse the ecosystems is the more productive that will be. That is with a greater variety of producer species in ecosystem will produce more plant by a mask which in turn will support
How much species richness is needed to help sustain various ecosystems
Some research suggests that the average annual net primary productivity and of an ecosystem reaches a Peak with 10 to 40 producer species.
What is an important principle of ecology
Each species has a specific role to play in the ecosystem where it is found
Ecological niche or niche
The rule that a species please in an ecosystem
What should a species niche not be confused with
Habitat which is the place where it lives while the niche is it's pattern of living
Generalist species
Have broad niches and can live in many different places and eat a variety of foods and often tolerate a wide or range of environmental conditions. Species include flies cock roaches mice rats Whitetail deer and humans
Specialist species
Occupy narrow niches and maybe able to live in only one type of habitat use just one or only a few types of food and told her a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions
For example some shore birds insects in panda bears
What are specialist species more prone to
Extinction
The giant panda bear🐼
The giant panda bear is among the most threatened of all species read it as endangered by that IUCN. According to the world wildlife fund or the WWF, there are 1600 to 3000 giant pandas left in the world most of them in China. Pandas you go to live in the
Native species
Species are normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystems
Non-native species
Other species that migrate into or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into a system. They are also referred to as invasive alien or exotic species. Although many people think that they are very bad for the environment some non-native species has
Indicator species
Species that provide early warnings of damage to a community or ecosystem. Examples include amphibians butterflies and birds
Keystone species
Species whose rules have a large effect on the toast an abundance of other species in an ecosystem him and species that are Keystone often exist in relatively limited numbers in the ecosystem but have a larger affect then their numbers would suggest
Scientist who study frogs another amphibians are called what
Herpetoligists
What are some causes of amphibian decline
1) is a parasite such as flatworms which feed on the amphibians eggs lead in water and apparently have caused an increase in the number of births of amphibians with missing or with extra limbs
2) viral or fungal diseases especially the chytrid fungus that
What did the 2005 study found about amphibian declines
Found an apparent correlation between climate change caused by atmospheric warning and the extinction of about 2/3 of the 110 known species of harlequin frogs in tropical forests of Central and South America
How many years will it take for the ozone levels to recover to those of 1960
50 years
The American alligator as a keystone species
-in the 1930s hundred B in killing large numbers of these animals for their exotic me and soft belly skin but by the 1960s purchase had wiped out about 90% of the alligators in the state of Louisiana and in the Florida Everglades
-The American alligator i
Describe the conclusion of the alligators
In 1967 the US government plays the American alligator on the endangered list and by 1977 it made a strong enough come back to remove it from the endangered list. Today there are well over 1 million alligators in Florida to the point where the state of ou
4.1 numbers
We have identified 2 million species with up to half live in tropical rain forests