BIOL-103 Lecture 2: Biodiversity
3 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Biodiversity: (biological diversity/biodiversity) the diversity of life on earth: we don"t have the same species we had 500 years ago due to extinction and new species coming along and replacing them. Species: group of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behaviour, chemical makeup, and processes, and genetic structure that are capable of producing fertile offspring under natural conditions. Classifying and naming species: taxonomic units/levels, every species gets a scientific name made of 2 distinctive parts such as homo sapiens . Homo refers to the genus (upright animals with large brain, language, and extended parietal care of young). Endemic (native) species: a species that is native to an ecosystem. It evolved there and is found there originally/natively. Non-native (exotic, introduced, invasive, or alien) species: a species that enters an ecosystem from a different part of the world either through deliberate or accidental introduction by humans: an ecological problem.
