Key Terms
Genetic diversity
Variety of genes within a species; the raw material for adaptation and evolution.
Chemical diversity
Variety of metabolic compounds produced by organisms. Directly relevant to pharmaceutical discovery; different species p
Ecosystem diversity
The number of different ecosystems in a given area. Losing an ecosystem means losing species interactions, unique coadap
Endemic species
Found in only one location.
Described species (named by science)
Approximately 1.5 million
Estimated total eukaryote species
Approximately 8.7 million New species described per year: 17,000 to 20,000 Time to complete the catalog at current rate:
Adaptive radiation
Rapid speciation of a lineage into many ecologically distinct species.
Classic example
Lake Victoria cichlids — approximately 500 species evolved in under 3 million years from a common ancestor, each special
Holocene/sixth extinction
Ongoing. Began with European colonial expansion (~1500 CE).
Secondary plant compounds
Defensive chemicals produced by plants; source of many pharmaceuticals.
Animal venoms and toxins
By 2007, the FDA had approved 5 drugs based on animal toxins (treating hypertension, chronic pain, diabetes). Research i
Colony collapse disorder (CCD)
Syndrome causing large losses in honey bee populations. Suspected causes include the varroa mite, Nosema gut parasite, a
Core driver of biodiversity loss
Human population growth and unsustainable resource exploitation.
Tragedy of the commons
Shared resources tend toward overexploitation because no individual user has incentive to restrain use.
Bush meat
Wild animals hunted for food; a significant threat to mammals in equatorial Africa and parts of Asia.