Ecosystem diversity

Ecosystem diversity refers to many ranges of habitats, various organisms living in habitats, and the relationships connecting them.

Interactions in forests examples:

Oak trees drop across onto the floor, to be collected by chipmunks.
Mice eat fruits and grains from plants and owls prey on mouses.
Wildflowers compete for resources, like sunlight, water, and nutrients in soil.
Slugs eat leaves, animal droppings, and dead plants, recycling the nutrients in this organic matter into the soil, and so on.

Examples of interactions in cubic area of soil ecosystem:

1 cubic meter of soil has trillions of bacteria and other organisms (e.g. nematodes, earthworms, mites, protists, algae, and fungi).

Note: Any changes to an ecosystem 1 part has an effect on the whole ecosystem and impact the region's biodiversity.

Keystone species

Keystone species are organisms holding the ecosystem together by playing a crucial role. Without them, their environment would be very different.

E.g. Wolves are an example of keystone species.

In 1995-1996, the government restored the ecosystem by bringing back wolves to Yellowstone National Park, this time with tracking collars to monitor their behaviors. They were from Canada. The vegetation has recovered since them.

pi = proportion of the ith species.
In = natural logarithm of pi
s = number of species in a

How species richness and evenness are measured

The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') tells the number of species living in a habitat (richness) and their relative abundance (evenness):

Species diversity

Species diversity is the species and relative abundance of species in an area.

It has 2 main elements:

Species richness: total number of different species present in a given area.

E.g. A rainforest can have countless different species, like various tree types like mahogany, teak, and bamboo, many bird species like toucans, and hummingbirds, and a diverse of insects, and mammals.

Species evenness: species' abundance compared to others in the same area.

E.g. A diverse community has some species more sufficient amount than others, such as more insect species compared to larger mammals. Despite differences in abundance, each species has unique roles in the ecosystem.

Genetic diversity

Genetic diversity is the sum of the various forms of genes in a particular species. A species is a population whose members can breed freely in nature and produce fertile offspring. It allows populations to adapt to environmental changes and evolve. Monocultures are when farmers grow genetically similar wheat crops, corn, or potatoes, growing a 1 crop type for farmers to use the same equipment on their land.

Note: A rule such as horse mating with a donkey creates a mule, which is a hybrid animal, which cannot reproduce.

An example of genetic diversity: Fox species can evolve and change overtime.

Genetic diversity advantages

Environmental Adaptation: Some genetic variations help an organism adapt and tolerate changing environments, like the artic fox has thicker fur with better insulation to help it survive in coldness.
Disease Resistance: Some have natural resistance against diseases or parasites, which helps them survive, reproduce, and pass on the variation to their offspring, improving the population's resilience.
- resilience: withstand or recover quickly from difficulties
Reproduction Success: Inbreeding leads to decreased genetic diversity, which has consequences on fertility rates and resilience to disease and genetic disorders.
Innovation: Unique combinations of genetic traits can lead to the emergence of new characteristics, behaviors, or adaptations, which can drive evolutionary changes in species.
Ecosystem Health: Populations with higher genetic diversity are better equipped to fulfil ecological roles, like nutrient recycling, pollination, or predator-prey interactions, contributing to all the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.

History

Wolves in Yellowstone, U.S.

Once abundant in America, wolves, especially in Yellowstone, they were eradicated by humans due to seen as harmful in the ecosystem. For 70 years of their absence in the US, mainly in Yellowstone, this caused overpopulation for deer and other big changes in the ecosystem' svegetation.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity Notes

Quiz

Biodiversity is the variety of species and ecosystems on Earth, encompassing their diversity of of living systems, structure, growth, and evolution.

Biodiversity levels are: Genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

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Ecosystem diversity

Keystone species

How species richness and evenness are measured

Species diversity

Genetic diversity

Genetic diversity advantages

History

Wolves in Yellowstone, U.S.

Biodiversity

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