AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 9.10 Flashcards

Variation among individuals and populations of the same species

The number of species in a community and their relative abundance

The variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in a region

The major causes of biodiversity loss: habitat destruction, invasive species, population growth, pollution, climate change, and overexploitation

Removal or extensive conversion of a natural habitat so its native organisms can no longer use it

Loss of habitat quality that reduces support for the original community even though the habitat remains physically present

Replacement of a natural ecosystem with a human land use, often creating a simpler and less diverse system

Increasing similarity among communities as widespread disturbance-tolerant species replace locally specialized species

Division of a large, continuous habitat into smaller, more isolated patches

The developed or altered land surrounding and separating habitat patches

Changes in environmental conditions and species interactions near a habitat boundary compared with the interior

Loss of coastal habitat when sea-level rise pushes it inland but development or barriers prevent its migration

The seasonal timing of biological events such as migration, flowering, breeding, and insect emergence

Harvesting or using organisms faster than their populations can replace themselves

Human management and breeding of organisms for desired traits, often narrowing genetic diversity when reproduction relies on a few lines

A terrestrial or aquatic region where development, harvesting, or other damaging activities are restricted

A strip or network of suitable habitat connecting isolated patches and permitting movement, recolonization, and gene flow

Structures that allow animals to cross roads safely, reconnecting habitat and reducing vehicle collisions

Use of land and biological resources in ways that reduce habitat damage while allowing populations and ecological processes to persist

Returning a degraded ecosystem toward its former structure, functions, and species composition