Ecosystem Structure and Biodiversity

Ecosystem Structure and Biodiversity Objectives - You should be able to: 1. Explain the hierarchy of organisms 2. Define biodiversity 3. Explain how diversity affects the ecosystem

Ecosystem Structure and Biodiversity Important Vocabulary Biodiversity Organism Species Population Community Ecosystem Biome Biosphere Hot Spots Endemic Species

Ecosystem Structure and Biodiversity In most cases, diversity is a good thing. Biodiversity is the amount of different species of organisms that occupy an area.

Ecosystem Structure and Biodiversity The measure of the amount of different types of organisms that can live in an area is a sign of the biological complexity in that area. It is generally thought that an area that contains a lot of different types of organisms is better off than an area that does not show the same amount of diversity.

Coral Reefs Have High Biodiversity!

Ecological Organization It is helpful in understanding Biodiversity to also understand ecological organization. Here is a helpful reminder of how organisms are grouped. Organism - Population – Community – Ecosystem – Biome - Biosphere

Organism The organism stage refers to the smallest units. Organism refers to the individual.

Species Species are similar organisms that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Populations are groupings of all the same type of species.

Community Similar organisms make up a population. Several populations of different species make up a community.

Ecosystem Several communities along with their abiotic components make up an ecosystem.

Biomes Ecosystems with similar climate (temperature and precipitation) make up the world’s biomes.

Biosphere The biosphere is all the biomes linked together and form the part of the Earth, including air, land, and water, within which life occurs.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health An ecosystem is healthy and doing well if it has a lot of biodiversity. It means that there are a lot of different types of organisms living there and that there is plenty of food. That is good! Unhealthy ecosystems do not have a good biodiversity.

MORE BIODIVERSITY MEANS A MORE STABLE ECOSYSTEM! Examples An example of an ecosystem with good biodiversity would be a forest that has been untouched for hundreds of years. There are a lot of different organisms there and there are lots of them. MORE BIODIVERSITY MEANS A MORE STABLE ECOSYSTEM!

Biodiversity Hotspots Biodiversity hotspots are geographic regions with a significant amount of biodiversity that is threatened with destruction. Biodiversity hotspots contain many endemic species. Endemic Species are those species native to a particular area. They are not naturally found elsewhere.

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