Unit 8 · 8.7 — Disruptions in Ecosystems [cite: 24, 50, 52]

Everything to learn here

• Concept: Baseline ecosystem stability is increasingly and severely threatened by modern human activities and the rapid introduction of novel, unprecedented ecological pressures [cite: 52, 57].
• Vocabulary: Invasive Species — non-native species that successfully establish themselves in new ecosystems, often proliferating extremely rapidly due to an absolute absence of natural predators and utterly outcompeting native flora/fauna [cite: 50, 52, 53].
• Vocabulary: Eutrophication — excessive chemical nutrient runoff (especially nitrogen and phosphorus) into closed aquatic systems, triggering explosive, toxic algal blooms that massively deplete oxygen and create totally anoxic dead zones [cite: 24, 53].
• Vocabulary: Biomagnification — the compounding, deadly accumulation of non-biodegradable chemical toxins at progressively higher trophic levels, severely and disproportionately impacting apex predators [cite: 24].
• Concept: Natural selection favors genetic variations that provide a survival advantage, leading to adaptations within a specific environment.
• Concept: Invasive species can disrupt ecosystem dynamics by exploiting new niches or outcompeting native species for limited resources.
• Concept: Human activities such as biomagnification and eutrophication accelerate environmental changes and contribute to the extinction of species.
• Concept: Geological and meteorological events cause habitat changes that influence the geographical distribution of species and ecosystems.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary: Adaptation — A genetic variation favored by selection that provides a functional advantage in a specific environment.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary: Heterozygote advantage — A survival benefit where the heterozygous genotype has higher fitness than either homozygous genotype.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary: Invasive species — Non-native organisms that exploit new niches and outcompete native species, often due to a lack of predators.
• Concept: Human-induced changes, including eutrophication and biomagnification, can lead to rapid ecosystem shifts and species loss.
• Concept: Biogeographical studies show how geological and meteorological events drive habitat changes and the distribution of ecosystems.

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