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50.1 Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
  • Conservation biology addresses a crisis - the loss of biodiversity.
  • Conservation biology is an applied, goal-orientated, multidisciplinary field.
  • Extinction rates have risen to many times their natural levels and many types of ecosystems are disappearing.
  • Biodiversity includes species diversity, genetic diversity, community diversity and landscape diversity in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats.
  1. What is a primary goal of conservation biology?
    Answer
  2. What are four types of diversity on earth and what is the description of each?
    Answer
  3. Areas with very large concentrations of species are called ___________________.
    Answer
Essential Study Partner Summaries of major points
  1. Conservation biology
  2. Biodiversity
  3. Distribution of diversity
Art Review
50.2 Value of biodiversity
  • Biodiversity has both direct and indirect value.
  1. In what ways can biodiversity be of direct value to humans?
    Answer
  2. What are the indirect functions of ecosystems that are beneficial to humans?
    Answer
Summaries of major points
  1. To reverse trend toward species extinction...
  2. Medicinal value
  3. Agricultural value
  4. Consumptive use value
  5. Indirect value
  6. Biodiversity and natural ecosystems
Art Review
50.3 Causes of extinction
  • Habitat loss, introduction of alien species, pollution, overexploitation and disease are now largely responsible for the loss of biodiversity.
  • Global warming will shift the optimal range of many species northward and disrupt many coastal ecosystems.
  1. What is the greatest cause of extinction in the United States?
    Answer
  2. What are alien (exotic) species?
    Answer
  3. What are the major pollutions that are contributing to extinction?
    Answer
Essential Study Partner Summaries of major points
  1. Identifying causes
  2. Habitat loss
  3. Alien species
  4. Pollution
  5. Global warming
  6. Overexploitation
Art Review Art Quizzes
50.4 Conservation techniques
  • Because of fragmented habitats, it is often necessary to conserve subdivided populations today.
  • Identifying and conserving biodiversity hotspots and/or keystone species can save many other species.
  • Computer analyses can be done to select areas for preservation and to determine the minimal population size needed for survival.
  • Landscape preservation often involves restoration of habitats today.
  1. A large population that has been subdivided into several small, isolated populations by habitat fragmentation is called a __________________.
    Answer
  2. What is gap analysis?
    Answer
Summaries of major points
  1. Habitat preservation
  2. Metapopulations
  3. Landscape dynamics
  4. The edge effect
  5. Computer analyses
  6. Habitat restoration
Art Review





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