Science

• Biodiversity


  The variety of life on earth including all animals, plants and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the complex ecosystems they help form
• Biodiversity


  • Can be measured in terms of different components (landscapes, ecosystems, communities, species/populations and genes), each of which has structural, compositional and functional attributes
• Types of biodiversity


  • Species diversity
  • Genetic diversity
  • Ecological diversity
• Species diversity


  The number and abundance of different species that occupy a location
• Genetic diversity


  The amount of variation in genetic material within a species or within a population
• Ecological diversity


  The variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet
• Ecosystem stability


  The ability of an ecosystem to maintain a steady state, even after a stress or disturbance has occurred
• In order for an ecosystem to be considered stable, it needs to have mechanisms in place that help it return to its original state after a disturbance occurs
• Factors affecting stability of ecosystem

  • Population growth and patterns of consumption
  • Globalization of agriculture and inappropriate agricultural policies
  • Development of and increasing demand for energy by society
  • Climate change
  • Fragmentation
• Indicators of stability


  • Functions of the individual organism
  • Functions involving interactions of rare kinds of organisms
  • Functions involving interactions of more abundant organisms
  • Ecosystem Functions and Process
• Functions of the individual organism

  • Primary production
  • Oxygen production
  • Sequestering of Carbon Dioxide
  • Herbivory
  • Carnivory
  • Control of Erosion
• Functions involving interactions of rare kinds of organisms

  • Population Moderation
  • Dispersal and Migration
  • Symbiosis
• Functions involving interactions of more abundant organisms

  • Bioturbation
  • Climate Moderation
  • Decomposition
  • Creation and Maintenance of Ecosystem Structures
  • Communication
• Ecosystem Functions and Process

  • Food Webs and Chains – Trophic Structure
  • Nutrient Cycling
  • Stability
  • Harmony
• Evolution


  The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
• Fossil


  A film of carbon remains after the other elements of an organism have decayed
• Mold fossil


  An impression of the shape or track of an organism has survived
• Cast fossil


  Formed when a mold fossil is filled in
• True form fossil


  The actual organisms or its parts
• Comparative anatomy


  The science that deals with the structure of animals
• Homologous traits


  Derived from a trait found in a common ancestor
• Analogous traits


  Developed independently in two groups of organisms from unrelated ancestral traits
• Convergent evolution


  A process in which unrelated species might independently evolve superficially similar structures
• Divergent evolution


  Gradual spreading of organisms with adaptive radiation
• Vestigial structures


  A strong and direct evidence for common ancestor
• Biochemistry


  The study of the basic chemistry and processes that occur in cells
• Biogeography


  The study of living things around the globe which helps solidify Darwin's theory of evolution
• Comparative embryology


  The embryos of many animals, from fish to humans, show similarities that suggest a common ancestor
• The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection


  A book published by Charles Darwin which summarizes that many different kinds of animals on earth were not specially and individually created, but have been modified by gradual changes from pre existing forms over a huge length of time
• Natural selection


  The main agent of evolution
• Macroevolution


  Broad-scale biological evolution
• Microevolution


  Small-scale biological evolution
• Descent with modification


  Means that all living organisms are derived from common ancestors
• Ecosystem


  The complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space. An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, and sunlight, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all living members.
• Ecological niche


  The role that a species plays and its position within the environment in which it develops; it is the way in which it manages to satisfy its food and shelter needs, how it survives and how it reproduces.
• Photosynthetic


  The proteins that gather light for photosynthesis are embedded in cell membranes. In its simplest form, this involves the membrane surrounding the cell itself.
• Chemosynthetic


  Organisms use energy released by chemical reactions to make a sugar, but different species use different pathways.
• Food chains


  The sequence of transfers of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism.
• Food web


  A series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.
• Biomass


  The weight of living matter.