Glossary: genetic and ecosystem biodiversity

All of the following terms appear in the videos or article for this tutorial on genetic and ecosystem biodiversity. The terms are arranged here in alphabetical order, and nouns are given in just their singular form unless the plural of the term is unusual.

adaptation: a physical or behavioral trait of an organism that makes it well-suited to its environment and more likely to survive and reproduce

biodiversity: the variety of life on Earth or some specified geographic area of the planet; the diversity of life occurs at the genetic level, at the species level, at the ecosystem level, and in evolutionary lineages

conservation: in a biological context, the management of natural resources to help ensure their long-term sustainability

degradation: the process of breaking down something

ecosystem:  the community of different species in a particular geographic area and all of their interactions with each other and the physical environment; ecosystems are also called ecological networks

ecosystem diversity: distinct types of global ecosystems such as tropical coral reefs, Arctic tundra, or tropical rainforest, combined with the unique regional diversity of species within a single, specific type of ecosystem (e.g., tropical rainforests in Central America versus those in Africa versus those in southeast Asia)

ecosystem services:  the ways in which intact ecosystems benefit humans; these services can be direct, indirect or related to aesthetic and ethical values

endemic:  a term used to describe a species that occurs in only one specific, restricted geographic area; all endemic species are native to their area, but not all native species qualify as endemic

evolution: change in heritable traits of a population over time

evolutionary: related to evolution, the changes in heritable traits of a population over time

extinction:  the loss of a species completely and forever; happens when the last living member of a species dies

gene: a segment of DNA at a specific location on a chromosome that is the basic unit of heredity

gene flow: movement or sharing of genes within and between populations due to reproduction among members of the populations

gene pool: the complete set of genetic information within a population of a given species or within the whole species

genetic bottleneck: an event in the history of a population or species that restricts genetic variation in that population or species

genetic diversity: genetic variation; can refer to genetic variability among individuals within a single population, among populations comprising a single species, or among different species

genetic variation: differences in the DNA of the members of a population or species; genetic diversity

genus (plural = genera): the taxonomic rank between species and family; the genus name constitutes the first element of the scientific name in binomial nomenclature

habitat: a general term for the type of environment in which an organism lives

inbreeding: sexual reproduction between individuals that are closely related

invertebrate: an animal without a backbone

natural selection: a process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than others of the same species; leads to evolution

phenotype: all the observable traits of an organism; determined by its genetic makeup and the influence of the environment

population: all the individuals of a particular species that live in a specific geographic area; a species may be made up of one or more populations

population size: the number of individuals in a particular population of organisms

range:  the geographic places or areas around the world in which a species lives; similar to the distribution of the species

speciation: the formation of new species; occurs when one species gives rise to two new species due to the restriction of gene flow

species: a distinct type of organism

species richness: the number of different species in a given geographic area