Figure 17.1 The colors reflected by this compact disc vary with angle and are not caused by pigments. Colors such as these are direct evidence of the wave character of light. (credit: Reggie Mathalone) Chapter Outline 17.1 Understanding Diffraction and Interference 17.2 Applications of…
Importance of Biodiversity Biodiversity exists at multiple levels of organization, and is measured in different ways depending on the goals of those taking the measurements. These include numbers of species, genetic diversity, chemical diversity, and ecosystem diversity. The number of…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Preserving biodiversity is an extraordinary challenge that must be met by greater understanding of biodiversity itself, changes in human behavior and beliefs, and various preservation strategies. Change…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: The core threat to biodiversity on the planet, and therefore a threat to human welfare, is the combination of human population growth and the resources used by…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Figure 21.2 This tropical lowland rainforest in Madagascar is an example of a high biodiversity habitat. This particular location is protected within a national forest, yet only 10 percent…
Figure 21.1 Habitat destruction through deforestation, especially of tropical rainforests as seen in this satellite view of Amazon rainforests in Brazil, is a major cause of the current decline in biodiversity. (credit: modification of work by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, NASA…
Energy Flow through Ecosystems Ecosystems exist underground, on land, at sea, and in the air. Organisms in an ecosystem acquire energy in a variety of ways, which is transferred between trophic levels as the energy flows from the base to…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Like terrestrial biomes, aquatic biomes are influenced by abiotic factors. In the case of aquatic biomes the abiotic factors include light, temperature, flow regime, and dissolved solids.…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Earth’s biomes can be either terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial biomes are based on land, while aquatic biomes include both ocean and freshwater biomes. The eight major terrestrial…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Energy flows directionally through ecosystems, entering as sunlight (or inorganic molecules for chemoautotrophs) and leaving as heat during the transfers between trophic levels. Rather than flowing through…