BIOL 1082 Lecture Notes - Lecture 36: Minimum Viable Population, Genetic Drift, Global Change
Document Summary
Endangered species are ones that are in danger of extinction through all or a significant portion of its range. threatened species are this considered likely to become endangered in the near future. Extinction of species can be local or global. Global extinction of a species means that it is lost from all the ecosystems in which it lived, leaving them permanently impoverished: ecosystem diversity is the variety of a biosphere"s ecosystem. B/c of the many interactions b/w populations of different species in an ecosystem, the local extinction of one species can have a negative impact on other species in the ecosystem. Human alteration of habitat is the single greatest threat to biodiversity. Habitat loss has been brought about by factors such as agriculture, urban development, forestry, mining, and pollution. When no alternative habitat is available or a species is unable to move, habitat loss may mean extinction.
