Introduction to Biodiversity (College Board AP® Environmental Science): Flashcards
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Define biodiversity.
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Define biodiversity.
Biodiversity is all the variation that exists within and between all forms of life in a particular region.
At which three levels can biodiversity be assessed?
Biodiversity can be assessed at three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity, and habitat diversity.
Biodiversity helps ecosystems resist changes in the environment and avoid ecological points.
Biodiversity helps ecosystems resist changes in the environment and avoid ecological tipping points.
Define genetic diversity.
Genetic diversity is the diversity of genes found within different individuals of a species.
True or False?
Individuals of the same species have different sets of genes.
False.
Individuals of the same species have the same set of genes, but those genes can take different forms, which creates genetic diversity.
Why are populations with higher genetic diversity more resilient to environmental stressors?
Populations with higher genetic diversity are more resilient because the species can adapt to changes in the environment and so survive them.
Define population bottleneck.
A population bottleneck is a significant reduction in the size of a population, usually caused by an event such as a natural disaster, disease outbreak, or human activity.
After a population bottleneck, a population faces a higher risk of , which increases the chance that harmful recessive traits are expressed.
After a population bottleneck, a population faces a higher risk of inbreeding, which increases the chance that harmful recessive traits are expressed.
True or False?
Ecosystems with low species diversity are usually more stable than those with high species diversity.
False.
Ecosystems with high species diversity are usually more stable, more resilient to environmental changes, and more likely to recover from disruptions.
Why are the pine forests of Florida vulnerable to collapse?
The pine forests of Florida are dominated by one or two tree species, so a new pathogen targeting one of them could wipe out the population and collapse the ecosystem.
Define habitat diversity.
Habitat diversity is the range of different habitats within a particular area, ecosystem, or biome.
Why do large sandy deserts typically have very low biodiversity?
Large sandy deserts have very low biodiversity because conditions are basically the same throughout the whole area, so there are very few different habitats.
Which types of species decline when habitat is lost?
Habitat loss causes a decline in specialist species, generalist species, and species with large territorial needs, such as apex predators.
Define species richness.
Species richness is the number of species in a community or defined area.
True or False?
Two areas with the same species richness must have the same species diversity.
False.
Species diversity takes into account both richness and evenness, so an area dominated by one species has lower diversity than an area with the same number of species in equal abundance.
Define species evenness.
Species evenness is the evenness of abundance across the different species in an area, meaning their relative abundances.
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