WIS 3404 Exam 2 Study Guide (New Update) Questions and Verified Answers (GRADED A).

WIS 3404 Exam 2 Study Guide (New Update) Questions and Verified Answers (GRADED A). Define the term biodiversity - diversity of important ecological entities that span multiple spatial scales, from genes, to species to communities - biological diversity encompasses all species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the ecosystems and processes of which they are part Explain how the terms species, richness, evenness, and diversity are related Species richness: a count of all the different species in a prescribed area Species evenness: a measure of the rareness or commonness of species in a community - relative abundance of species (how many of each species) Species diversity: a measure that takes evenness and richness into account (ex. Shannon Index) explain the difference between a community and ecosystem Community: a group of interacting species that co-occur in time and space (biotic entities) - community character and function result from interactions of species - communities can be delineated at many scales (ex. amphibian community on isolated wetland vs. all species in desert biome) Ecosystem: all species in a given area at a given time plus their physical environment (abiotic and biotic) - can encompass numerous communities) List and describe numerous values of biodiversity Pharmaceutical: plant-derived drugs for human use (digitalis for heart disease, salicilin (aspirin) for pain and inflammation, quinine for malaria, morphine for pain killer, ephedrine for asthma and colds, vinblastine for cancer, penicillin) - Merck medicine names derived from microorgs Food: staple food for nutrition (rice, wheat, corn) - ~7000 species of food plants - subsistence hunting and commercial fishing - bushmeat Misc: wood uses (building, paper, utensils, light poles, fuel), taq polymerase (natural rubber, barnacle glue), cannabis and tobacco, ornamental plants (orchids, house plants, flowers), pets Tourism: nature based - whale watching, safaris, sea turtle tour, scuba diving (500B/yr global) - bird watching, photo - wildlife recreation (hunting and fishing - declining while wildlife watching - rising) Ecosystem services: pollination, soil development, pollutant breakdown, flood/storm protect, carbon sequestering Aesthetic: simply existence - destress Biofuel: renewable energy for transportation and electricity Recognize the potential ecological benefits of biofuels as compared to burning of fossil fuels - alternative to fossil fuel - generated from biomass: "recycling" carbon active in global carbon cycle (atmos C - terrestrial C - atmos pool = no net increase in atmosphere C) while fossil fuels release more - can use leftover waste (wood waste) Types of Biofuel biodiesel: vegetable oils modified for fuel (soybean, flax, sunflower, hemp, palm oil) Sugar-based ethanol: sugars (wheat, corn, sugar cane) fermented to produce ethanol Cellulosic ethanol: cellulose (wood, switchgrass, corn stalk) chemically broken down to less complex sugar and then fermented Synfuel: biomass converted to synthetic fuel {LIHD (low input high diversity) prairie biomass} .