Biodiversity Week 1
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Species diversity
The number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem
Habitat diversity
The variety of habitats that exist in a given ecosystem
Specialists
Species that only live under a narrow range of biotic or abiotic conditions
Generalists
Species that can live under a wide range of biotic or abiotic conditions
Ecosystem diversity
The variety of ecosystems that exist in a given region
Species richness
The number of different species in a given area
Species evenness
The relative proportion of individuals within the different species in a given area
Ecological tolerance
The suite of abiotic conditions under which a species can survive, grow, and reproduce. Also known as fundamental niche
Realized niche
The range of abiotic conditions under which a species actually lives
Geographic range
Areas of the world in which a species lives
Mass extinction
A large number of species that went extinct over a relatively short period of time
Periodic disruption
Occurring regularly, such as the cycles of day and night or the daily and monthly cycles of the moon’s effect on ocean tides
Episodic disruption
Occurring somewhat regularly, such as cycles of high rain and low rain that occur every 5 to 10 years
Random disruption
Occurring with no regular pattern, such as volcanic eruptions or hurricanes
Resistance
In an ecosystem, a measure of how much a disruption can affect the flows of energy and matter
Resilience
The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disruption
Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance will favor a higher level of diversity of species than those with high or low disturbance levels