.Unit 2: BiodiversityIntroduction to BiodiversityBiodiversity Film- Genetic biodiversity: variety in gene pool of a species- Species diversity- Ecosystem diversity: measures of number and species of diversity in a region- Humans work against biodiversity- We choose very few of life on the planet to help us instead of exploring all of our optionsWhat is biodiversity?- Many different kinds- Exists at different levels- Genetic diversity: diversity of genetics within a species; the more genes that were in a population, the more beneficial it is throughout different environments; they’re more adaptable- high genetic diversity means that they can live in a variety of different places- increase in allele frequencies- domestication and breeding- plants have more copies than humans do; some plants have up to six- plants have plasticity allows for domestication- Species diversity: number and density of species in a given area- high species diversity if there are many different kinds of species with a large population or small populations- allows for a healthy ecosystem- removal of one species isn’t as likely to have a large effect- allows for a variety of roles in the environment- Ecosystem diversity: interactions of different populations of different species- diversity of habitats and communities- include abiotic and biotic interactions- helps to maintain global health maintain water, air, and carbon- Can be measured for units of different sizes: species, ecosystem, state, continent, worldWhat about the LOSS of Biodiversity?- How do we measure biodiversity?- Think about your backyard? How many species live there? Can you estimate it? Can you count every species?- Can you create a plan to do so?- How can we estimate an insect species? Can we use the same plan for insects?- Different species require different sampling methods of measure!- You have to consider the differences to determine this. - Divide backyard into an equal size grid to help sample (Steps on slides)- Think about what species might exist in the yard. - Think about how species populations may vary by time of day or time of year. - Think about how they might vary by habitat.- How would your plan change if you needed to estimate a species of bacteria?- Species are still being discovered.- New species of finch discovered in Mexico this year; it is endemic: ONLY found in this place- dependent on cloud forest for survival- Nobody knows how many species of anything that there actually areSecondary Source Chart- Predicted is always larger than the described- Magnitude of the distance varies with the species- The smaller the organism, the more difficult it might be to describe the species- How we get to a good estimate is dependent upon the variety of measurements and techniques that we use- Methods used for estimation may vary, but it is the larger pattern that is important:- There are relationships between the habitat and species number- There are patterns among species- There are patterns related to the ‘stage’ of the habitat establishment of a new community- What ideas did you get from this section?- Given the size of the globe and richness of life on Earth, estimating the number of species is very difficult- But numerous estimates have been calculated, and scientists have gotten more sophisticated not many assumptions have to be made- Getting smaller estimates from different strategies increases our confidence in the reliability of those estimates- Around 10 million species in the most well-supported estimate- What is the value of biodiversity?- Values are subjective, or dependent on the holder of the value- Different holders: companies, government agencies, communities, etc February 18, 2014Biotic and Abiotic Factors: Picture- Biotic Factors: plants, fish, duck, insects, soil organisms, rabbits- Abiotic Factors: sunlight, precipitation, rocks and mineralsWhat interactions might occur between the different factors?- Pine + fire + hardwood- poo + soil (microorganisms) detrivores- photosynthesis plants + solar radiation- cellular respiration  plants/animals + food they ingestIndividualistic vs. Interactive Hypothesis for Community Organization- Individualistic: a chance assemblage of different species occurs in a location because of similar ABIOTIC requirements or limitations- Interactive: closely linked species joined by mandatory biotic interaction and therefore must live togetherTrophic Levels Influence Community Organization- Trophic levels: in an ecosystem; comprised of organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same relationship to primary sources of energy- Two Hypothesis: bottom up and - Bottom Up: abiotic factors are the limiting factors- Top Down: starts with the predators that control populations of herbivores, which then affect the plat populationsAll of These Models Work Together to determine the Structure of an Ecosystem- Communities are made up of the biotic factors in an ecosystem and interactions between them- Ecosystems are made up of the different species and populations, interactions between biotic and abiotic factors; interaction goes both waysSpecies Interactions:- Intraspecific: interactions between the same species; can be beneficial or detrimental- Interspecific: interactions between different species- Commensalism: occurs when one organism benefits from the relationship and the other is not harmed or does not benefit- Mutualism: both parties benefit from the relationship- Parasitism: beneficial to one species and detrimental to the other; when one organism benefits at the expense of their host- Predation and herbivory: beneficial to one species and highly detrimental to the other- Competition: detrimental for both individuals involved; occurs when two species compete to obtain the same limited resource- What are the plants in the upper photo competing for?  sunlight- Competitive exclusion:- No two species within a habitat can coexist when they compete for the same resources in the same place at the same time-Niche: the role of an organism with respect to its ecosystem; how an organism makes a living- Fundamental niche: determined by abiotic factors- Realized niche: determined by biotic factorsKeystone Species: have larger effect on their environment compared to other species in their community- They can be:- highly effective predators- important sources of food- mutualists- ecosystem engineers: change the biotic and abiotic factors in the ecosystem-