biodiversity

Question 1

what are the three factors to assess biodiversity?

Answer 1

species evenness, species richness, genetic diversity

Question 2

what is species richness?

Answer 2

the number of species within an ecosystem

Question 3

what is species diversity?

Answer 3

the number of different species in an ecosystem

Question 4

how do you measure genetic diversity?

Answer 4

by working out the proportion of genes that have more than one form (allele) and how many possible alleles each gene has

Question 5

give some methods of random sampling

Answer 5

quadrats, sweeping nets, pitfall traps, pooters, tullgren funnel, kick sampling

Question 6

what is opportunistic sampling?

Answer 6

picking and choosing sampling locations based on various non random factors (e.g. being able to only sample from places that are safe)

Question 7

what is stratified sampling?

Answer 7

population divided into smaller groups based on a characteristic, then sampled

Question 8

what is systematic sampling?

Answer 8

when there’s a clear change in the physical conditions across the area being studied. e.g. abiotic factors like altitude, soil pH or light intensity

Question 9

what are line transects & what kind of data does a it produce?

Answer 9

lay out a tape and at equal distances record the identities of the organism that touch the line. qualitative date

Question 10

what are belt transects & the type of data it produces?

Answer 10

place quadrats at regular intervals along tape and record abundance/ perentage cover of each species within each quadrat. produces quantitative data

Question 11

what are some limitations of using quadrats?

Answer 11

can only be used for sessile/immobile species
some species are very small or high in nmbers so hard to count
does not give info on estimated number of individuals or size of population

Question 12

list some biotic factors

Answer 12

predators, pathogens and competition with other species

Question 13

list some abiotic factors

Answer 13

temperature, humidity and rainfall

Question 14

what is genetic polymorphism?

Answer 14

when there are 2 or more alleles present at a single loci

Question 15

what are the main factors affecting biodiversity?

Answer 15

habitat destruction, overexploitation, hunting, agriculture, climate change

Question 16

what are monocultures?

Answer 16

only having fields full of single crops

Question 17

what are some reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 17

moral and ethical, ecological, environmental, economic, aesthetic, agricultural, maintaing genetic resources

Question 18

what are keystone species?

Answer 18

a species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance

Question 19

what are some ways to store genetic material for conservation

Answer 19

frozen zoos (egg, sperm, tissue samples from animals)
seed banks for plants

Question 20

what are ex situ methods and list examples

Answer 20

relocation to a safe place, e.g. botanic gardens, breeding in captivity, seed banks

Question 21

what are some pros of ex situ conservation?

Answer 21

will protect species as there are no poachers or competition. can check individual health of each animal and check reproduction rates. can reintroduce to wild

Question 22

what are some cons of ex situ conservation?

Answer 22

too much reliance on humans. less number of organisms int the wild. costs money. less successful rates

Question 23

what are in situ methods and list some examples

Answer 23

establishing protected areas such as wildlife zoos, national parks, preventing new species in an area, protecting habitats, restoring damage, promoting species, legal protection for species

Question 24

what are the pros of in situ conservation?

Answer 24

more species can be protected. easier and quicker to replenish

Question 25

what are the cons of in situ conservation?

Answer 25

cannot control many factors

Question 26

what does the IUCN stand for?

Answer 26

international union for the conservation of nature

Question 27

what does CBD stand for?

Answer 27

convention on biological diversity

Question 28

what does CITES stand for?

Answer 28

the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna

Question 29

what are the main aims for IUCN?

Answer 29

assessing the conservation status of animal and plant species around the world. IUCN uses classification system to differentiate between the endangerment of each species

Question 30

what are the 3 main goals for the CBD?

Answer 30

using different conservation methods to conserve biological diversity. sustainable use of biological resources. the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources

Question 31

what are the aims for CITES?

Answer 31

to control the trade of endangered species and their associated products. e.g. elephants and their ivory tusks

Question 32

what does the CSS stand for?

Answer 32

the countryside stewardship scheme