Biodiversity
The sum total of all organisms in an area, taking into account the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communties.
Species diversity
Number of variety of species in the world or in a particular region.
Species richness
The number of species.
Evenness or Relative Abundance
Extent to which numbers of individuals of different species are equal or skewed.
Taxonomists
Classify species by their similarity into a hierarchy of categories meant to reflect evolutionary relationships.
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
7 categories to determine an animals scientific name
Genetic Diversity
Encompasses the differences in DNA composition among individuals within species and populations.
Ecosystem Diversity
The number and variety of ecosystems or the diversity of biotic community types or habitats within a specific region.
Adaptive Radian
Some groups have more species to fill different niches, adapting to them by natural selection.
Latitudinal Gradient
Species richness increases towards the equator.
Extinction
Last member of a species dies and the species vanishes forever from the earth.
Extirpation
The disappearanceof a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally.
Mass Extinction
Massive numbers of species have died out at once.
Red List
Updated list of species facing high risks of extinction.
Habitat Alteration
Human activity can alter the habitat of the organism around us. This is the greatest cause of biodiversity loss today.
Invasive Species
Introduction of non-native species to new environments, where some have become invasive, has pushed native species toward extinction.
Biophilia
Human attachment to living things and nature.
Ecotourism
People like to travel to experience protected natural areas where they spend money at local businesses. This thus can bring jobs to local residents and generate income to areas that would otherwise be poverty stricken.
Conservation Biology
Scientific discipline devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity.
Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography
Explains how species come to be distributed among oceanic islands. It also explains how the number of species on an island results from equilibrium balance between the number added by immigration and the number lost through extirpation. It predicts an island's species richnessbased on the island's size and its distance from the mainland.
Fragmentation
Occurs as continuous forest habitat gets broken up gradually.
Umbrella Speices
When habitat is preserved to meet the needs of an _______ ________ it helps preserve habitat for many other species (i.e. tigers)
Endangered Species Act
Primary legislation for protecting biodiversity in the United States.
Captive Breeding
Individuals are bred and raised in controlled conditions with the intent of reintroducing them into the wild.
Cloning
Use molecular techniques to clone endangered or even extinct species , raise them in zoos, and reintroduce them into the wild.
Biodiversity Hotspots
Area that supports a high number of species and is not found anywhere else.