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2.1 Intro to Biodiversity
Slides created by Jordan Dischinger-Smedes (templates from slidesgo.com)
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Objective/EKs/Skill
 Biodiversity Basics
Diversity of life forms in an ecosystem; measured
on 3 different levels:
Ecosystem diversity: the number of diff. habitats available in
a given area

Species diversity: the number of diff. species in an

ecosystem and the balance or evenness of the pop. sizes of
all species in the ecosystem

Genetic diversity: how different the genes are of individuals

within a population (group of the same species)

⛰ Higher biodiversity = higher ecosystem/

population health
Species Richness & Evenness
Richness (r) is just the total number of different High (r) is generally a
species found in an ecosystem good sign of ecosystem
health (more species
Evenness is a measure of how all of the individual means more quality
organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between resources like H2O & soil)
the different species
Evenness indicates if
there are one or two
dominant species, or if
pop. sizes are well
balanced
 Genetic Diversity is Beneficial
Genetic diversity = measure of how
different the genomes (set of genes) are of
the individuals within a population of a
given species
There is genetic diversity in all pops.
because random mutations in copying of
DNA & recombination of chromosomes in
sex cells of parents leads to new gene
combinations & new traits in offspring

⛰The more genetic diversity in a pop. the better the

population can respond to env. Stressors like drought,
disease, or famine
More gen. div. = higher chance that some of the
individuals in a pop. have traits that allow them to
survive the env. stressor
 Bottleneck Event
An env. disturbance (natural disaster/human hab.
destruction) that drastically reduces pop. size & kills
organisms regardless of their genome

Surviving pop. is smaller and because individuals died

randomly, it doesn’t represent the genetic diversity of
the original pop.

⛰Bottleneck events reduce genetic diversity

Because the pop. is smaller & less genetically
diverse, it’s even more vulnerable to future
env. disturbances
 Inbreeding Depression
Inbreeding is when organisms mate with closely
related “family” members
Leads to higher chance of offspring
having harmful genetic mutations
because they’re getting similar
genotypes from both parents

Smaller populations are more

likely to experience inbreeding
(difficult to find non-related mate)
Ex: Florida panther pop. decreased down to
30 in 1900s due to hunting & hab. loss.
Inbreeding depression = kinked tails, heart
defects, low sperm count, undescended
testicles (saved in 95’ by pumas from Texas)
 Ecosystem Resilience
Resilience = the ability of an ecosystem to return to its
original conditions after a major disturbance (wind storm,
fire, flood, clear-cutting, etc.)

⛰Higher species diversity = higher ecosystem resilience

High sp. div means more plant species to repopulate disturbed ground,
anchor soil, and provide food & habitat for animal species
Practice FRQ 2.1
Describe one of the three levels of
biodiversity.
Explain how high biodiversity at the
level you described is beneficial to
ecosystems.
2.2
Eco$y$tem
$ervices
Objective/EKs/Skill
 Ecosystem Services = $$$
⛰ Goods and services provided by natural ecosystems that are
beneficial to humans (often monetarily of life-sustaining)

Cultural
Provisioning Regulating Supporting Money generate by
recreation (parks,
Goods taken directly Nat. ecosystems Nat. ecosystems
camping, tours) or
from ecosystems or regulate climate/air support processes
scientific knowledge
made from nat. quality, reducing we do ourselves,
resources (wood, storm damage & making them
paper, food) healthcare costs cheaper &
easier(bees pollinate
crops)
Humans Disrupt Ecosystem Services
⛰ Human activities disrupt the ability of ecosystems to function,
which decreases the value of ecosystem services they provide
This has ecological (natural) and economic (money-based)
consequences
Examples

● Clearing land for ag./cities removes trees that store CO2 (more
CO2 in atm. = more CC = more storm damage & crop failure)
● Overfishing leads to fish pop. collapse
(lost fishing jobs and lower fish sales in
the future)
 Provisioning Services
Goods/products directly provided to humans
for sale/use by ecosystems
Ex: Fish, hunting animals, lumber (wood for furniture/buildings)
naturally grown foods like berries, seeds, wild grains, honey
Goods/products that are made from natural
resources that ecosystems provide
Ex: paper, medicine, rubber
⛰Disrupted by overharvesting, water pollution,
clearing land for ag/urbanization
Regulating Services
⛰ Benefit provided by ecosystem processes that moderate natural
conditions like climate and air quality
Examples
● Trees in a forest sequester (store) CO2 through photosynthesis
which reduces rate of climate change & lessens damage caused
by rising sea level & reduces crop failure from drought
● Trees filter air by absorbing air pollutants which reduces health
care costs for treating diseases like asthma and bronchitis

⛰Disrupted by deforestation
Supporting Services
⛰ Natural ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, making
them less costly and easier for us
Examples
● Wetland plant roots filter pollutants, leading to cleaner
groundwater that we don’t have to pay as much to purify with
expensive water treatment plants
● Bees & other insects pollinate our ag. Crops, leading to more crop
production & higher profits
⛰Disrupted by pollinator hab. loss &
filling in wetlands for development
Cultural Services
⛰ Revenue from recreational activities (hunting/fishing licenses, park
fees, tourism-related spending) & profits from scientific discoveries
made in ecosystems (health/ag./educational knowledge)
Examples

● Beautiful landscapes draw tourists who pay to enter parks, spend

money at local stores/restaurants, or camping fees
● Fishermen pay for fishing licenses to catch fish in clean rivers
● Scientists learn about plant compounds that can lead to creation
of new medicines which are sold for profit
⛰Disrupted by deforestation,
pollution, urbanization
 Practice FRQ 2.2
Describe an ecosystem service that intact
forest ecosystems provide for humans.

Identify one human activity that could degrade

this ecosystem service and explain how the
activity decreases the value of the ecosystem
service.
2.3
Theory of Island
Biogeography
Objective/EKs/Skill
 Island Biogeography
Study of ecological relationships & community structure on islands
- Islands can be actual islands in a body of water or figurative
habitat islands such as central park in New York City or National
Parks (nat. habitats surrounded by human developed land)
Two basic “rules” or observations of Island Biogeography
Larger Islands support more total species
● The larger the island, the greater the ecosystem diversity
● Greater ecosystem diversity = more food & hab. resources
● More niches, or “roles” organisms can play in the ecosystem

Islands closer to the “mainland” support more species

● Easier for colonizing organisms to get to island
from mainland
● More colonizing organisms = more genetic
diversity in new pop.
 Larger Islands
Support More Species
● Larger islands =
○ higher ecosystem diversity
○ More available “niches” or roles
■ Ex: all the different food
sources available to birds on
Galapagos
○ Larger pop. sizes (more genetically
diverse and more resistant to env.
disturbance)
○ Lower extinction rate (species less
likely to die off)
● Positive correlation between island size
& species richness
 Distance to Mainland
Closer to mainland = higher
species richness
● Easier for more species to migrate to
island from mainland (swim/fly)
● More continual migration of individuals
to the island habitat

○ Frequent migration brings more

genetic diversity & larger pop. size

● Inverse relationship between island

distance from mainland & species
richness

■ The further away from

mainland, the fewer species
 Evolution on Islands
● Islands have limited space & resources,
creating unique conditions for evolution

○ More pressure for species to adapt to

narrower niches (more specific food/hab.)

● Adaptive radiation = single species rapidly

evolving into several new species to use diff.
resources & reduce competition

○ Ex: Galapagos Finches

● Different beaks quickly evolve to fit variety of

different food sources on Island
● Single colonizing species from mainland
quickly evolves to many slightly different
species to adapt to new island cond.
Practice FRQ 2.3

Describe the processes of

colonizing an island habitat.
Describe how the island’s
distance from the mainland
influences the number of
species that will colonize the
island habitat.
 2.4
Ecological
Tolerance
29
Objective/EKs/Skill
 Ecological Range of Tolerance
⛰ Range of conditions such as temperature, salinity, pH, or sunlight
that an organism can endure before injury or death results
⛰ Species and individual organisms both have a range of tolerance
for all the different environmental conditions
of their habitat
Ex: Salmon have a basic range of tolerance for
temperature from 6o to 22o C. But some individual salmon
have adaptations that give them a range of tolerance
that is outside the basic range for the species.
Due to genetic biodiversity
Makes populations of salmon more resistant to
disturbances, like global warming
 Ecological Range of Tolerance - Zones
⛰ Optimal range: range where organisms survive, grow, and reproduce
⛰ Zone of physiological stress: range where organisms survive, but experience
some stress such as infertility, lack of growth, decreased activity, etc.

⛰ Zone of intolerance:
range where the
organism will die
Ex: thermal shock,
suffocation, lack of
food/water/oxygen
 FRQ Writing Tips
⛰ On FRQs about human activities or natural events that cause
environmental disturbance, connect answer to ecological range of tolerance
If possible, connect human activity to climate change
➢ (electricity generation, transportation, agriculture) all release
CO2 which causes climate change and global warming
➢ Global warming shifts temperature outside the range
of tolerance for many tree species, causing their
populations to decline
OR
➢ Global warming warms the ocean,
shifting temperature outside range of
tolerance for many fish species causing
die-offs
 FRQ Writing Tips
⛰ Try to connect a shift in range of tolerance to a specific kind of physiological
stress
Ex: suffocation, thermal shock, lack of water/food/nutrients/oxygen
➢ Global warming warms the ocean, shifting temperature outside
range of tolerance for many fish species. Since global warming
increases ocean temperature and warm water holds less oxygen,
fish may suffocate due to lack of oxygen.

➢ Global warming warm can increase droughts. With

increased droughts, rainfall patterns may shift
outside the range of tolerance for many plant
species. Without enough rainfall, these species may
suffer population decline as their roots are unable to
absorb enough water from the soil.
Practice FRQ 2.4
2.5
Natural Disruptions
to Ecosystems
 Natural Disturbances
⛰A natural event that disrupts the structure and or function of an
ecosystem

Ex: Tornados, hurricanes, asteroids, forest fires, drought

⛰Natural disturbances can be even greater than human disruptions

Can occur on periodic, episodic, or random time frames
Periodic: occurs with regular frequency (ex: dry-wet seasons)
Episodic: occasional events with irregular frequency (ex:
hurricanes, droughts, fires)
Random: no regular frequency (volcanoes, earthquakes,
and asteroids)
 Natural Climate Change
⛰ Earth’s climate has varied over geologic time for numerous reasons
Ex: Slight changes in earth’s orbit & tilt cause mini ice ages & warmer
periods as earth shifts slightly closer to & further from sun
 Natural Climate Change
⛰ Sea level has varied over geological time as glacial ice on earth melts &
forms
 Env. Change = Hab. Disruption
⛰ Major environmental disturbances result in widespread habitat
changes and or loss
Ex: Rising sea level floods coastal & estuary habitats
 Migration
⛰ Wildlife may migrate to a new habitat as the result of natural
disruptions
Ex: wildebeests migrating to follow rain patterns of African savanna
- Ocean species moving further north as water temperature
warms
- Bird migration & breeding shifting earlier as insect
hatching shifts earlier with warming climate
 Describe the relationship between
latitude and change in first leaf date
Practice depicted in the graph. Explain why
FRQ you think this relationship exists.

2.5
2.6
Adaptations
Objective/EKs/Skill
 Fitness & Adaptation
⛰ All populations have some genetic diversity, or variability in genomes of
individuals; Genetic diversity exists because:

❖ Random mutations while DNA is being copied create new traits

❖ Crossing over in parent chromosomes creates new combinations of
genes (and therefore traits)
⛰ Adaptation: a new trait that increases an
organism’s fitness (ability to survive and
reproduce)
 Adaptation & Natural Selection
⛰ Natural selection: organisms that are better adapted to their env. survive
and reproduce more offspring
❖ Individuals with adaptations pass them on to offspring & individuals
without adaptations die off, which leads to the entire population
having the adaptation over time (evolution)
❖ Selective pressure/force: the
environmental condition that kills
individuals without the adaptation

Predation (hawk) = selective

pressure
 Environmental Change & Evolution
⛰ The environment an organism lives in determines which traits are
adaptations
❖ As environments change, different traits may become adaptations &
old traits may become disadvantages
❖ Ex: a drought can kill off finches with smaller beaks, making
larger beaks for cracking harder seeds an adaptation
 Pace of Evolution
⛰ The more rapidly an env. changes, the less likely a species in the env. will
be to adapt to those changes
❖ If the pace of env. change is too rapid, many species may migrate out
of the env. or die-off completely
❖ Ex: if the ocean warms too quickly, many species of fish may not
be able to migrate before they run out of oxygen and suffocate
⛰ The more genetic diversity in a population, the better they’re able to adapt
to env. change (higher chance that some individuals have good mutations)
The longer the lifespan of the organism, the slower the rate of evolution
❖ Ex: bacteria & viruses can adapt and evolve in
days
➢ Humans evolution = thousands-mil. years
Practice FRQ 2.6
This data table shows the
beak size of 20 finches from
two different islands in the
Galapagos.

Describe the difference in

beak size between the two
islands. Make a claim about
the reason for this difference
in beak size.
 2.7
Ecological Succession
Objectives/EKs/Skill
Ecological Succession
A series of predictable stages of growth that a forest goes through
Two types of succession:
⛰ Primary Succession: starts from bare rock in an area with no
previous soil formation
Moss & lichen spores carried by the wind grow directly on
rocks, breaking them down to form soil
⛰ Secondary Succession: starts from already established soil, in an
area where a disturbance (fire/tornado/human land clearing)
cleared out the majority of plant life
Grasses, sedges, wildflowers, and berry bushes have seeds
dispersed by wind or animal droppings
Stages of Succession
Stages are characterized by which types of plant species dominate the ecosystem;
different species are adapted to the conditions of the different stages
⛰ Pioneer or early succession species appear first, when the ground is simply
bare rock, or bare soil after a disturbance
Characteristics: seeds spread by wind or animals, fast growing,
tolerant of shallow soil and full sunlight
Ex: moss, lichen (bare rock) | wildflowers, raspberries, grasses/sedges
⛰ Mid-successional species appear after pioneer species have helped develop
deeper soil with more nutrients by their cycles of growth/death
Characteristics: relatively fast growing, larger plants that need
deeper soils with more nutrients than pioneers, sun tolerant
Ex: shrubs, bushes, fast-growing trees like aspen, cherry,
and pine
Stages of Succession
⛰ Late successional or climax community species appear last, after soil is
deepened and enriched with nutrients by cycles of growth and death by
early & mid successional species
Characteristics: large, slow-growing trees that are tolerant of
shade and require deep soils for large root networks
Ex: maples, oaks, other large trees
Primary Succession
Occurs in an area that hasn’t previously been colonized by plants (bare rock)
Ex: volcanic rock, rock exposed after glacial retreat
⛰ Moss and lichen (spores dispersed by wind) are able to grow directly on
rock by secreting acids that break down rock & release minerals containing
nutrients they need (N/P/K)
Chemical weathering of rocks by moss & lichen combined with
organic matter from moss & lichen dying form initial shallow soil
Secondary Succession
Occurs in an area that already has established soil, but has had most plant life
removed by a disturbance
⛰ Pioneer species are still wind-dispersed seeds of plants that are fast-growing and
sun tolerant, but grasses/wildflowers/weeds instead of moss/lichen
Soil is already established & sometimes even enriched by nutrient-rich ash from
fire; overall more rapid process than primary succession
Practice FRQ 2.7
Based on the graph below, explain
whether spruce trees are an early,
middle, or late successional species.