Biodiversity

Biodiversity, aka biological diversity, usually refers to

• the number of people on Earth

• the variety of species on Earth

• the number of animal species in a specific area

• the number of plant species in a specific area

Why is biodiversity important to ecosystems?

• It helps populations adapt to ecological changes.

• It increases at each level of the food chain.

How can humans best help an endangered species avoid extinction?

• they can feed the animals
• they can put the animals in a zoo
• they can protect the animal’s habitat
• they can take the animal to new habitats

Define genetic diversity

• variation of genes within a species or population in a given area

• variety of ecosystems in a given area

• system made up of all the living and nonliving things in a given area

• disturbance in the environment conditions that cause genetic changes to occur in organisms

Define ecosystem diversity

• variety of ecosystems in a given area

• variation of genes within a species or population in a given area

• variety of life in Earth's land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems

• changes to an ecosystem that affect how the parts of it interact

What is an example of a human disturbance?

• Deforestation

• Drought

• Tsunami

• Changing Seasons

The greater the ____________________, the more likely a species is to survive changes to their environment

• Genetic Diversity

• Species Diversity

• Ecosystem Diversity

When there is higher biodiversity

• more organisms are likely to die because they can't adapt to environmental changes.
• there is less diversity.
• there is more diversity and higher sustainability of life.
• there is more diversity and lower sustainability of life

A small marine area has phytoplankton as its only producer.  Should the marine biologist be concerned about this ecosystem?

• No the fish do not need the phytoplanton. Since there are so many fish, there is high biodiversity.
• Yes, this ecosystem has low biodiversity.  Without a producer the herbivores will die out leaving no food.
• Yes, this system has high biodiversity; however the fish can adapt and get food from another source.
• Yes, the fish will overate to get all of the phytoplankton that is left, then they will die.

This picture is a great example of ____________ biodiversity.

• high
• moderate
• low
• hhhmmmm there is no way to know without counting.