Conservation of Biodiversity + ecological terminology

Question 1

What is biomimetics?

Answer 1

The use of knowledge of the adaptations of other species, to improve the designs of manufactured items

Question 2

Why do we need to conserve biodiversity? (6 things)

Answer 2

Resources
Biomimetics
Medicines
Physiological research
Pest control species
Genetic resources

Question 3

How does biodiversity give us resources?

Answer 3

Wood: manufacture of buildings, tools, furniture
Fibres: cotton, wool, paper
Oils: vegetable and animal oils are used in foods, lubricants, soaps
Fuels: wood, charcoal, alcohol,
Food: plants, animals, algae, fungi

Question 4

How does biodiversity help us with genetic resources?

Answer 4

Crop breeding programmes

Characteristics introduced from CWR (crop wild relative) species
-disease resistance
-salt tolerance
-resistance to drought
-high yield
-improved taste or appearance
-nutrient uptake

Question 5

Ecosystem services

Answer 5

Atmospheric composition
Hydrological cycle
Biogeochemical cycle
Soil maintenance
Inter species relationships
Food
Pollination
Seed dispersal
Habitat provision

Question 6

What is a valvilov centre (of diversity)

Answer 6

A geographical area that contains a large amount of close relatives of important crop species (before domestication and selective breeding)

Question 7

What is the significance of poppies in the development of new medicines?

Answer 7

Poppies produce opioids such as morphine which are used to treat chronic pain

Question 8

What is the significance of willow bark in the development of new medicines?

Answer 8

Willow bark was historically used to produce aspirin which acts as a painkiller

Question 9

How have squids contributed to physiological research?

Answer 9

Squids have been used to increase scientists’ understanding of the human nervous system and allowed the development of treatments for Alzheimer’s due to their long nerve cells

Question 10

How have armadillos contributed to physiological research?

Answer 10

Armadillos have been used to increase scientists’ understanding of leprosy and allowed the development of vaccinations for the disease as they are one of the few animal species that can catch it

Question 11

What is biological control?

Answer 11

The use of living organisms to control the population of agricultural pests

Question 12

How have parasitic wasps been used for biological control?

Answer 12

Parasitic wasps hatch from inside a dead aphid and then lays its eggs inside other aphids (often used in greenhouses)

Question 13

What is a CWR?

Answer 13

Crop Wild Relative - a wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant used for food production

Question 14

How does domestication and selective breeding affect genetic diversity?

Answer 14

Genetic diversity is decreased

Question 15

What is a niche?

Answer 15

How an organism fits into it’s environment, including it’s interactions with the physical environment and with other species it interacts with

Question 16

What is in-situ conservation?

Answer 16

Conservation within a species natural habitat

Question 17

How can plants be conserved?

Answer 17

Seed banks such as The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) can store 10000 seeds/species to ensure a diverse gene pool.

Question 18

What is soft release?

Answer 18

When an animal is released into a protected environment within its natural habitat as part of a release program with additional support

Question 19

What is hard release?

Answer 19

When an animal is directly released into it’s habitat

Question 20

What is a keystone species?

Answer 20

a species that has a disproportionally large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance eg beavers

Question 21

What is a flagship species?

Answer 21

a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation

Question 22

What is an endemic species?

Answer 22

Species found in one place and nowhere else eg Giant Panda in China

Question 23

Give 3 things the Wildlife and Countryside Acts make an offence?

Answer 23

• Intentionally killing, injuring or taking an wild bird egg/nest.
• Pick, uproot, trade or possess (for the purpose of trade) wild plants.
• Releasing non-native species which may be detrimental to native wildlife.

Question 24

What is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species?

Answer 24

The world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.

Question 25

When deciding if an animal species goes on the IUCN Red List, what three things are considered?

Answer 25

• Population size
• Geographic range
• Analysis which can show a high probability of extinction in the wild.

Question 26

Give two methods of increasing breeding success and briefly outline them.

Answer 26

Cryopreservation: The freezing of eggs, semen and embryos for future use. They can be transported much easier than parent animals.
Embryo Transfer: Some species don’t have many females which slows reproduction. This slows reproduction rate as pregnancy can be long. Eggs are obtained and fertilised, then implanted into a female of a more common species.
Artificial insemination

Question 27

Define species

Answer 27

A group of organisms that can freely interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 28

Define Population

Answer 28

A subset of individuals of one species that occupy a particular geographic area and interbreed

Question 29

Define community

Answer 29

A group of populations of two or more species occupying the same geographical area at the same time interacting with one another

Question 30

Define Habitat

Answer 30

the location where an organism/biological population lives, resides or exists

Question 31

Define ecosystem

Answer 31

biotic components and abiotic components all interacting together in a system and as a unit

Question 32

Define Biome

Answer 32

Area with a distinct climate and characteristic community

Question 33

examples of biomimicry vehicle design

Answer 33

splayed wingtip feathers of soaring birds reduce wind turbulence and drag- used for aircraft wing designs to increase fuel efficiency

Question 34

examples of biomimicry in medicine

Answer 34

coating material that imitates shark skin used in hospitals to control bacterial infections

Question 35

define gene pool

Answer 35

the total number of different genes present in all individuals in a population of a particular species

Question 36

Threats to biodiversity

Answer 36

1) Direct exploitation eg for food, fashion, medicine and furniture
2) Eradication of predators and competitors eg of humans, livestock, pathogen vectors
3) Changes in biotic factors eg water avaliability and drying out of wetland habitat, temperature, PH, pollution, water turbidity
4) Changes in abiotic factors eg loss of pollinators or seed dispersal species
5) Introduced species

Question 37

What is ex-situ conservation?

Answer 37

Conservation efforts away from where a species would normally live

Question 38

What has to be considered with captive breeding programs?

Answer 38

1) Habitat size
2) Food requirements
3) Species interrelationships
4) Financial constraints

Question 39

Factors that inhibit success of captive breeding programs

Answer 39

1) Conditions for breeding eg precise timing of breeding
2) Population interactions and breeding success eg some species breed more successfully if breeding adults are seperate from the other adults
3) Breeding habitat eg one that includes a suitable site for courtship display
4) Hybridisation-(interbreeding of species that wouldn’t normally meet in wild) offspring will be different from wild population and my not be as well adapted for survival

Question 40

key features of successful release programs

Answer 40

1) large enough suitable habitat
2) reliable food supplies
3) low predation risk
4) water

Question 41

problems faced by released individuals?

Answer 41

1) Hunting skills
2) recognising poisonous foods
3) being accepted into social groups
4) recognising and avoiding predators