Ecosystems Under Stress

• Biodiversity can be defined as a large variety of both plant and animal life, creating a diverse environment. A biodiverse environment is considered favourable as it provides resources for both humans and the ecosystem.
• Genetic Diversity: Variety within species populations, chromosomes and nucleotides.
• Species Diversity: Considers kingdoms, phyla, families, individuals and genera. Linked to species richness and number.
• Endemic species are those which are specifically adapted to a particular environment . For example, the Canna Mouse is an endemic species adapted to the British Isles environment.
• Biodiversity hotspots are areas which have a rich biodiversity but are threatened with destruction, usually from human activities such as farming and deforestation.
• An ecosystem is a system which includes living (e.g. plants) and non-living (e.g. soil) components. It has inputs (such as solar energy), outputs (such as nutrients) trophic levels, food chains and food webs.
• Biomass is the term given to the total quantity or weight of an organism in a given area or volume.
• Primary production is the rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce chemical energy. Net primary production is the useful chemical energy produced.
• A biome is a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, such as a forest or tundra.
• Savannah: These tropical grasslands are hot and dry , dominated by grass, scrub and trees. They feature two seasons, dry and rainy, and are found in central Africa, northern Australia and central South America.
• Desert: This is the driest and hottest biome. The world’s largest desert is the Sahara.
• Mediterranean: Climates here are neither too hot nor cold . They are found around the Mediterranean Sea, near Cape Town in South Africa and in Australia.