4.2.1 - Biodiversity Flashcards

1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of living organisms present in an area

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2
Q

What are the three levels of biodiversitry?

A

Habitat biodiversity, species biodiversity, genetic biodiversity

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3
Q

What is habitat biodiversity?

A

The number of different habitats found within an area

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4
Q

What are the two components of species biodiversity?

A

Species richness and species evenness

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5
Q

What is species richness?

A

The number of different species living in a particular area

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6
Q

What is species evenness?

A

A comparison of the numbers of individuals of each species living in a community

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7
Q

What is a community?

A

All the populations of living organisms in a particular habitat

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8
Q

What is genetic biodiversity?

A

The variety of genes that make up a species.

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9
Q

What is sampling?

A

Taking measurements of a limited number of individual organisms present in a particular area

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10
Q

What are the three main types of non-random sampling?

A

Opportunistic, stratified, and systematic

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11
Q

What may cause a sample to not be reliable?

A
  • Sampling bias (the selection process may be biased)
  • Chance (the organisms selected may be, by chance, not representative of the whole population)
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12
Q

How can the impact of chance on a sample be reduced?

A

Increasing the sample size

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13
Q

Give examples of equipment that can be used to sample animals

A

Pooter, sweep net, pitfall trap, tree beating, kick sampling

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14
Q

What are plants normally sampled with?

A

A quadrat

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15
Q

What are the two types of quadrat?

A

Point quadrat and frame quadrat

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16
Q

Describe a point quadrat

A

Consists of a frame containing a horizontal bar. At set intervals along the bar, long pins can be pushed through the bar to reach the ground. Each species of plant the pin touches is recorded

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17
Q

Describe a frame quadrat

A

Consists of a square frame divided into a grid of equal sections. The type and number of species within each section of the quadrat is recorded

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18
Q

What are the main three ways of using a frame quadrat to sample plant population?

A

Working out density, working out frequency, and working out percentage cover

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19
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

The non-living conditions in a habitat

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20
Q

How can wind speed be measured?

A

Using an anemometer

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21
Q

How can light intensity be measured?

A

Using a light meter

22
Q

How can relative humidity be measured?

A

Using a humidity sensor

23
Q

How can pH be measured?

A

Using a pH probe

24
Q

How can temperature be measured?

A

Using a temperature probe

25
Q

How can oxygen content be measured?

A

Using a dissolved oxygen probe

26
Q

How can species biodiversity be calculated?

A

Using simpson’s index of diversity

27
Q

Why is genetic biodiversity important?

A

Species that contain greater genetic biodiversity are likely to be able to adapt to changes in their environment, and hence are less likely to become extinct

28
Q

What factors affect genetic biodiversity?

A

Mutations and interbreeding

29
Q

What is gene flow?

A

When an individual migrates from one population and breed with a member of another population, causing alleles to be transferred between the two populations

30
Q

What can cause decreases in genetic biodiversity?

A

Selective breeding, captive breeding, rare breeds, natural selection, artificial cloning, genetic bottlenecks, the founder effect, and genetic drift

31
Q

What is selective breeding?

A

When only a few individuals within a population are selected for their advantageous characteristics and bred

32
Q

What is captive breeding?

A

When only a small number of captive individuals of a species are available for breeding

33
Q

What are rare breeds?

A

Situations where selective breeding has been used historically to produce a breed of animal or plant with attributes that then become less popular, so the numbers of the breed fall sharply

34
Q

What are genetic bottlenecks?

A

When few individuals within a population survive an event or change, reducing the gene pool

35
Q

What is the founder effect?

A

When a small number of individuals create a new colony, geographically isolated from the original

36
Q

What is genetic drift?

A

The variance in allele frequency between generation due to the random nature of alleles being passed down to their offspring

37
Q

What are polymorphic genes?

A

Genes that have more than one allele

38
Q

How does proportion of polymorphic gene loci relate to genetic biodiversity?

A

Higher proportion, higher genetic biodiversity

39
Q

What are the main ways that humans are decreasing biodiversity?

A
  • Deforestation
  • Agriculture
  • Climate change
40
Q

How does deforestation affect biodiversity?

A
  • Directly reduces the number of trees present in an area
  • Destroys habitats
  • Forces animals to migrate
41
Q

How does agriculture affect biodiversity?

A
  • Deforestation
  • Removal of hedgerows
  • Use of chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides
  • Monoculture
42
Q

How does climate change affect biodiversity?

A
  • Melting of the polar ice caps could lead to the extinction of the few plant and animal species living in these regions
  • Rising sea levels from melting ice caps and thermal expansion of oceans could flood low-lying land
  • Higher temperatures and less rainfall would result in some plant species failing to survive
  • Insect life cycles and populations will change as they adapt to climate change
43
Q

What are the aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

A
  • Presence of different plants and animals in our environment enriches our lives.
  • Natural world provides inspiration for people
  • Patients recover faster from stress and injury when supported by plants
44
Q

What are the economic reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

A

Crops and agriculture are vital sources of food and income for many countries. Also, resources can be obtained, such as raw materials and medicines, from plants

45
Q

What are the ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

A

All organisms are interdependent on others for their survival. The removal of one species have a significant effect on others. Also, some species play a key role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community. These are keystone species.

46
Q

What is conservation?

A

Active management of the environment and of natural resources.

47
Q

What are the two main types of conversation?

A

In situ conservation - within the natural habitat.
Ex situ conservation - out of the natural habitat

48
Q

What is sustainable development?

A

Economic development that needs of people today, without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

49
Q

Give examples of in situ conversation strategies

A
  • Controlled grazing
  • Restricting human access
  • Controlling poaching
  • Feeding animals
  • Reintroducing species
  • Culling or removing invasive species
  • Halting succession
50
Q

Give examples of ex situ conservation strategies

A

Botanic gardens, seed banks, captive breeding