#Biodiversity: Your Night-Before-the-Exam Guide 🌍

Hey there, future AP Environmental Science ace! Let's dive into biodiversity, a crucial topic that pops up everywhere on the exam. Think of this as your ultimate cheat sheet, designed to make everything click right before the big day.

#What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is all about the variety of life on Earth – plants, animals, and everything in between. It's not just about how many different species there are, but also how different they are from each other.

#Forms of Biodiversity

There are three main types of biodiversity, and each plays a vital role in keeping our planet healthy.

#Genetic Diversity 🧬

Genetic diversity is super important! It's the variety of genes within a single species.

• Why it matters: Think of it like a team with lots of different skills. The more genetic diversity, the better a species can adapt to changes, like new diseases or climate shifts.
• Example: Imagine a population of frogs. If some frogs have genes that make them resistant to a certain fungus, they'll survive an outbreak, while others might not.
• Population Bottleneck: This is when a population shrinks dramatically, losing a lot of its genetic diversity. It's like going from a full deck of cards to just a few.
  • Causes: Natural disasters, human activities, diseases.
  • Impact: Makes the population more vulnerable to extinction.

#Species Diversity 🐅

Species diversity is about the variety of different species in an ecosystem.

• Why it matters: Different species have different jobs in an ecosystem. The more species, the more stable and resilient the ecosystem is.
• Example: A forest with lots of different trees, insects, and birds is mo...