BIOL 11000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Acid Rain, Atmospheric Chemistry, Thylacine
20 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Conservation biology: has the goal of keeping species from going extinct. Genetic diversity: genes in an individual, population, or between populations. Decrease in genetic diversity means adaptation is less likely. Species diversity is the number and proportion of a species. Extinct species: never to be found again, locally or globally. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, medicines, and energy sometimes. Shelter: built housing out of biological materials such as trees. Medicine comes directly from studying organisms in their environment. Argument that other species are entitled to life. Habitat loss: by human activity, greatest threat to biodiversity. Not affected by local biological controls--pests, parasites, diseases that native species are susceptible to. Example: zebra mussels in great lakes--disrupt freshwater ecosystems, damage man-made structures. Global change: accelerated change in global climate, atmospheric chemistry, or ecosystems, resulting from human activity. Small populations are especially vulnerable to going extinct/to factors that threaten biodiversity. Small-population approach: study processes that cause extinction once population size is reduced.
