Biodiversity
Dr Mukhtar Khamis
Dr Luma Hasan
Lec 1:
- Meaning of biodiversity
- Biodiversity In The Developing Countries:
The study of biodiversity in developing countries is a topic of global concern because of its global and domestic economic returns.
- The importance of Biodiversity to the developing countries:
Wild resources in these countries represent a genetic source for the development of new economic species.
- Biodiversity diversity in developing an industrial countries:
There are many differences between biodiversity in developing countries and major industrialized countries. This gives industrialized countries the rationale for studying biodiversity in developing countries and spends a lot on such projects.
- Biodiversity and Economics:
Customs, traditions, characteristics of each society and how it develops, and the technology and level of income per person.
- Assessment of the biodiversity economics:
Lec 2:
- Creation of Biodiversity
Ecological processes.
Evolutionary processes.
- Degradation of biodiversity:
Causes of biodiversity degradation. Efforts needed in the Arab World to stop biodiversity degradation.
Lec 3:
-Environmental factors affecting biodiversity
1 - Primary factors (geographical and physical).
History of the ecosystem - Pangea.
Gradient: temperature, Depth, Nutrition resources.
biodiversity gradient The gradual reduction in biomass and species numbers that occurs with
increasing latitude.
Area:
Isolation:
2 – Regional Factors.
Productivity: Increased biodiversity with increased productivity.
Scale less patterns:
Habitat heterogeneity: Increased biodiversity with increased habitats.
Habitat complexity: The relationship between Biodiversity and the Structural body of the habitat.
Lec 4:
3 – Factors related with space and time.
- Succession: the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time.
Primary succession.
Secondary succession.
- Relationships between species.
Competition: Competition both within and between species is an important topic in ecology,
especially community ecology. Competition is one of many interacting biotic and
abiotic factors that affect community structure.
Exploitation: removal of individuals or biomass from a natural population at a rate greater than the population is able to match with its own recruitment, thus tending to drive
the population towards extinction.
Mutualism: describes the ecological interaction between two or more species where each
species benefits.
Engineering: Benefit one species from the activities of another species.
- Disturbance: Disturbances often act quickly and with great effect, to alter the physical structure or
arrangement of biotic and abiotic elements.
- Dispersal: The movement of the organisms according to the environmental conditions.
Jump Dispersal.
Metapopulation.
Diffusion.
Lec 5:
Evolutionary Processes.
- The differences between Convergent evolution and Divergent Evolution.
- Creation of the species due to Anagenesis and Cladogenesis.
- Evolutionary changes directed by the environment.
Adaptational variations.
Preadaptation.
Exaptation.
Adaptive radiation.
- Basic principles of evolution.
- Coevolution.
Lec 6: - Mechanisms of organic evolution: Microevolution (evolution on a small-scale) refers to the changes in allele frequencies within a single population. ... Mutations are the ultimate source of new alleles in a gene pool. Two of the most relevant mechanisms of evolutionary change are: Natural Selection and Genetic Drift.
- Mutations: Biodiversity increases when new genetic variation is produced, a new species arises, or a novel ecosystem (or habitat) is formed. Biodiversity decreases when the genetic variation within a species decreases, a species becomes extinct, or an ecosystem (or habitat) is lost.
- Chromosomal mutations.
- Gene mutations.
Lec 7:
Natural selection:
- The importance of the natural selection in biodiversity.
- How does natural selection contribute biodiversity and extinction.
- Types of natural selection.
Lec 8:
Species concepts:
1 – Biological species concept:
- Sibling species: sibling species are pairs or groups of genetically closely related species which are often morphologically indistinguishable, but are reproductively isolated, meaning that while they may interbreed, the offspring cannot reproduce.
– Ring species: ring species is a connected series of neighboring populations. While each can breed with those nearby, in the end at least two populations are no longer able to interbreed as both time and their environment has left them too distantly related, even though they are technically the same species.
- Chronospecies: group of organisms that is derived from its ancestor by a process of slow, steady, evolutionary change and is not regarded as a member of the same species as its ancestor.
2 – Recognition species concept: Individuals of one species can distinguish each other for reproductive purposes. 3 – Phenetic species concept: The similarity of the individuals of the same species in appearance.
4 – Phylogenetc species concept: The species is a small group of organisms that belong to one grandfather.
Lec 9:
Speciation:
Isolation:
- Ecological isolation.
- Genetic isolation.
Types of speciation:
- Sympatric species.
Cospeciation:
Lec10:
Natural conservation:
- The importance of conservation:
To provide food.
To preserve genes.
- Hybridization:Hybridization of wild species with field crops for disease resistant
Strains.
- Transgenic crops: Introduction of desired genes for species.
- Types of transgenic crops.
Lec 11:
- Exploitation and conservation.
- Species indexing.
- The Convention of Biological Diversity CBD.
The purpose of the convention.
The aims of the convention.
Lec 12:
- Exotic species: species of plants or animals that are growing in a nonnative environment.
- Invasive Species: is a species that is not native to a particular area, but arrives (usually with human help), establishes a population, and spreads on its own.
- International United FOR Conservation of Nature IUCN: international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
- IUCN Red List: