6 Biodiversity and Conservation Free Online FlashCards

What does biodiversity mean?

Biodiversity is the variety of life and its ecological relationships, considered within and among species and ecosystems.

What is genetic diversity?

Genetic diversity is variation in inherited traits among individuals and populations of a species. It can help populations adapt to environmental change.

What does species diversity describe?

Species diversity is the variety of species in an area and how abundant each species is.

What is ecosystem diversity?

Ecosystem diversity is the variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes across a landscape or region.

What does species richness measure?

Species richness is the number of species recorded in a defined area.

What does evenness measure in a community?

Evenness describes how equally individuals are distributed among species. It can differ between areas with the same species richness.

What makes species-diversity comparisons meaningful?

Species comparisons are most meaningful when sampling methods, area, and effort are similar.

What five direct drivers of biodiversity decline does IPBES identify?

The IPBES identifies land- and sea-use change, direct exploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species as five major direct drivers of biodiversity decline.

How does biodiversity benefit people?

Biodiversity supports ecological processes and benefits people, including food, clean water, fertile soils, pollination, climate regulation, and cultural and recreational values.

Does greater biodiversity automatically make an ecosystem stable?

A range of species and genetic traits can help some ecosystems continue functioning as conditions change, but diversity alone does not guarantee stability.

What determines whether a protected area conserves biodiversity effectively?

Protected areas and other effective conservation measures can safeguard habitats, populations, and ecological connections. Their success depends on effective, fair management.

Why is planting trees alone not always forest restoration?

Restoration should recover native species, ecological functions, and habitat connections in context. Planting trees alone is not necessarily restoration of a natural forest.