STAT 2000 Lecture 11: Lecture 11-BIODIVERSITY
23 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety of life forms, the ecological roles they perform and the genetic diversity they contain. It can be limited to a habitat, an ecosystem, or the entire earth. Genetic diversity: refers to the variety in the genetic makeup among individuals within a species. Species diversity: is the variety of species in an area. The distinct types of organisms/species found in different habitats/ecosystems of the planet. Ecological diversity refers to the variety of ecosystems (forests, deserts, grasslands, streams, lakes, oceans, coral reefs, wetlands, etc. ) across a given area (usually a continent or country). Functional diversity refers to the biological & chemical processes or functions such as energy flow & matter cycling needed for the survival of species & biological communities. Physical factors of the environment will influence biodiversity & ecosystem structure, and also the geographic range of many plant and animal species. Some of these are temperature, water, light availability, soils, and landforms (elevation).
