REN R205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Habitat Fragmentation, Alpha Diversity, Invertebrate

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Renewable Resources
• Course: REN R205
• Professor: John Acorn

Document Summary

Using lake islands as natural models to measure the utilization of habitat fragments by butterflies. Fragmentation removes habitat from the landscape but butterfly experiment says otherwise. Richness within smaller size classes may be inflated due to the distribution of habitat patches across the landscape. Patch distribution introduces a new confounding factor when establishing links between habitat fragmentation and diversity. Species richness may be considered a black box measure. Diversity is good and should be preserved. Ecological complexity is good and should be maintained. Biological diversity has intrinsic value: intrinsic vs. instrumental value. Species richness (measure of diversity), dynamic, variability. The variety of living organisms considered at all levels of organization including genetic, species, and higher taxonomic levels; and the variety of habitats and ecosystems, as well as the processes occurring therein. Diversity of assemblages of types , diversity of habitats. Variation in types of life, i. e. species. In conservation biology, species diversity and biodiversity are often used interchangeably.