GEOG M109 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Ecosystem Diversity, Genetic Diversity, Habitat Destruction
Document Summary
Gene: the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits. Species: a basic unit of classification, consisting of a population or series of populations of closely related and similar organisms. In sexually reproducing organisms, they interbreed with one another in natural conditions but not with members of other species. Ecosystem: the organisms living in a particular environment, such as a lake, a forest, an ocean or the whole planet, and the physical part of the environment that impinges on them. Genetic diversity: variation between individuals and between populations within a species. Species diversity: different types of animals, plants and other life forms within a region. Ecosystem diversity: the variety of habitats found in an area. Background: naturally, species are prone to extinction and ecosystems are always subject to change. It is part of the process of evolution.
