Extinction Risk and Biodiversity Issues

Extinction Risk and Species

• When a species faces a high risk of extinction, it significantly threatens ecological balance, human well-being, and economic stability.
• Endangered species are highly likely to become extinct globally or in specific regions.
• Protecting animal habitats, preventing poaching, and ensuring comfortable living conditions for endangered animals are crucial.
• Habitat protection is key for wildlife survival as animals need specific niches. These niches are determined by factors such as temperature, soil type, light availability and water levels in specific locations .

Biodiversity

• Species richness, the variety of plant and animal species in an area, is crucial for ecosystem stability.
• Biodiversity provides essential ecosystem services like pollination, nutrient cycling and habitat provision for various organisms.
• Biodiversity is a crucial component of environmental health and stability.

Speciation

• Allopatric speciation occurs when populations of a species become reproductively isolated and diverge.
• This usually happens due to geographical separation.
• The process leads to the evolution of new species from existing ones.
• Adaptation is the evolutionary process, enabling organisms to live better in their habitat.
• Stabilizing selection favours average phenotypes, eliminating extreme ones.

Hormonal Regulation and Reproduction

• Luteinizing hormones (LH) control the release of eggs from the ovaries during the menstrual cycle.
• Once released, eggs travel through the fallopian tubes, awaiting sperm fertilization.
• Natural selection favours organisms with traits that provide an advantage for survival and reproduction.

Protein Synthesis and Genes

• RNA's role is critical in protein synthesis.
• RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA from the DNA template.
• Codons in mRNA specify amino acids, and protein-making machinery translates the mRNA sequence to build proteins.
• Genetic information is carried from DNA to ribosomes through the process of mRNA translation.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

• The parasympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system and promotes relaxation and stress reduction. This is often called the rest-and-digest system.

Reproductive System

• The egg pathway is identified as ovaries -> fallopian tubes -> uterus -> cervix -> vagina.
• The hormonal roles of estrogen and progesterone are central to the entire female reproductive system and development.

Molecular Biology and Fossils

• The study of fossilized ammonites is used to uncover how life began and evolved in different eras.
• Recombinant DNA technology combines DNA fragments from different organisms.
• Scientists use this technique to study life processes in early periods.

Evolutionary Biology

• Homologous structures are similar structures in different organisms, highlighting shared evolutionary ancestry (e.g., whale flippers and cat forelimbs).
• Evolutionary theory emphasizes that species have common ancestors and similarities in structure and proteins can reveal ancestry relations.