Name Class Date
7.1 Our Planet of Life
Key Concepts
Species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity are all parts of an area’s
overall biodiversity. Biodiversity varies among taxonomic groups and geographic regions. Biodiverse ecosystems provide economically valuable services and products.
Vocabulary
Define each vocabulary term in your own words.
Term / DefinitionBiodiversity
Species
diversity / The number or variety of species in a
particular region
Genetic
diversity
Ecosystem
diversity
Biodiversity
1. Place the following taxonomic groups in order, from largest to smallest: class, domain,
family, genus, kingdom, order, phylum, species, subspecies.
2. How does genetic diversity affect a population’s chances of survival?
3. Provide one example of an area with high ecosystem diversity and one example of an area
with low ecosystem diversity.
Benefits of Biodiversity
For Questions 4-8, complete each statement by writing in the correct word or words.
4. A stable ecosystem is both and .
5. Genetic is important for agriculture because wild plant strains
may have useful traits that can be passed on to their crop plant relatives.
6. Biodiversity is important to the field of because many treatments,
including some for cancer and heart disease, come from plant compounds.
7. Environmentally responsible travel to protected areas for the purpose of appreciating
nature, promoting conservation, and providing benefits to local peoples is known as
.
8. What are ecosystem services? List two examples.