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Conservation Biology and Global Change

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  • What is the greatest current threat to biodiversity?
    Habitat destruction is the biggest threat, causing 73% of known extinctions and fragmenting populations.
  • What is biodiversity?
    Biodiversity means biological diversity, encompassing the variety of life forms in an ecosystem.
  • What causes the current increase in species extinction rates?
    Anthropogenic (human-caused) ecosystem modification is causing dramatically increased extinction rates beyond natural levels.
  • How do introduced or exotic species threaten biodiversity?
    Non-native species alter communities and ecosystems, often expanding their range and impacting native organisms.
  • What is overexploitation and its impact?
    Harvesting species like fisheries and large mammals faster than they can reproduce, leading to population declines and extinctions.
  • What drives current climate change?
    Human activities, especially burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, have been the main driver of climate change since the 1800s.
  • What is biological magnification?
    The process where toxins accumulate and become more concentrated at higher trophic levels in a food chain.
  • How does DDT affect wildlife?
    DDT accumulates in birds of prey, causing weak eggshells and population declines.
  • What is the greenhouse effect?
    Greenhouse gases trap long-wave heat radiation, warming the Earth similarly to how glass traps heat in a greenhouse.
  • What is polar amplification in climate change?
    The phenomenon where global warming effects are more pronounced at high latitudes, causing more ice melt and heat absorption.
  • What are some positive feedback loops in climate change?
    Melting ice reduces reflectivity, increasing heat absorption; methane release from thawing permafrost adds greenhouse gases.
  • Why is climate change a concern beyond temperature rise?
    It affects health, food production, housing, safety, mental health, and exacerbates social and environmental risks.
  • What is restoration ecology?
    A subfield aiming to speed up ecosystem recovery to natural states using biological augmentation and natural disturbances.
  • What is biological augmentation in restoration ecology?
    The use of organisms to add missing nutrients, materials, or species to an ecosystem.
  • Why protect habitats instead of individual species?
    Protecting habitats conserves multiple species simultaneously and prevents fragmentation, which reduces habitat quality.
  • What is habitat fragmentation and why is it harmful?
    Breaking habitats into smaller patches isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and survival.
  • What human activities cause habitat degradation?
    Agriculture, mining, hunting, fishing, deforestation, and pollution all degrade or destroy habitats.
  • What is bycatch in fisheries?
    The unintentional capture of non-target species like dolphins, turtles, and seabirds during commercial fishing.
  • How do synthetic chemicals affect ecosystems?
    Chemicals like PCBs and pharmaceuticals accumulate and can harm organisms, especially top predators.
  • What role does CO2 play in global warming?
    CO2 is a greenhouse gas whose increased atmospheric concentration correlates with rising global temperatures.