18: Classification, Biodiversity + Conservation

Question 1

What are the causes of extinction?

Answer 1

1. lack of food sources
2. alien species outcompete
3. climate change causes temperature increases above species tolerance (like coral reefs in the oceans) -> particularly bad for specialist species (those with a narrow niche)
4. human activity - loss of habitat (draining wetlands, deforestation, pollution of the air, water + soil), hunting and close proximity to species introduced new diseases and species
5. natural disasters

Question 2

What is a biological species?

Answer 2

A group of organisms with similar morphology and physiology which can breed together to produce fertile offspring and are reproductively isolated from other species.

Question 3

What is a morphological species?

Answer 3

a group of organisms that share many physical features that distingush them from other species

Question 4

What is an ecological species?

Answer 4

a population of individuals of the same species living in the same areas at the same time

Question 5

Define population.

Answer 5

all the organims of the same species in the same place at the same time that can interbreed with one another

Question 6

Define community.

Answer 6

all of the living organisms, of all species, that are found in a particular ecosystem at a particular time

Question 7

Define niche.

Answer 7

the role of an organism in an ecosystem; how the organism ‘fits’ into the environment

Question 8

Define ecosystem.

Answer 8

a relatively self-contained, interacting community of organisms and the environment in which they live and with which they interact

Question 9

Define habitat.

Answer 9

the place where an organism lives, a population or a community lives within an ecosystem.

Question 10

What is the classification system?

Answer 10

species -> genus -> family -> order -> class -> phylum -> kingdom -> domain

Question 11

What are the 3 domains?

Answer 11

1. bacteria
2. archaea
3. eukarya

Question 12

What are the 4 kingdoms of eukarya?

Answer 12

1. protoctista
2. fungi
3. plantae
4. animalia

Question 13

Define biodiversity.

Answer 13

the variety (number and range) of ecosystems and habitats and species in an area and the variation, genetic diversity and abundance within each species.

Question 14

What is species richness?

Answer 14

no. of different species present

Question 15

What is species eveness?

Answer 15

similarity of abundance of the species present

Question 16

What is species diversity?

Answer 16

all the species in an ecosystem
* species richness
* eveness of abundance

Question 17

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 17

all the alleles of all the genes in the genome of a species

Question 18

Ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 18

• higher diversity = less likely to be unbalanced by changes in conditions (e.g. pollution, loss of a species)

Question 19

Economic reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 19

• medicines orginiate from living organisms (antibiotics from fungi and bacteria, anti-cancer drugs from Madagascan Periwrinkle + Pacific Yew Tree)
• medicines can be mass produced
• need to protect in order to keep potential drugs alive = maintain gene pools, keep wide range of alleles
• ecotourism - national parks
• Thermus Aquaticus in PCR
• mangroves protection from tsunamis and help with flooding, coral reefs act as sea defense

Question 20

Agricultural reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 20

• crop plants are not genetically diverse due to being so selectively bred, so biodiversity needs to be maintained in order to widen crop plants genetic diversity if need be (say current crop is affected by disease)
• so in the case of extinction, there are other relatives of the crop to use
• pollinators needed in worlds crop production

Question 21

Environmental reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 21

• forests and peat bogs absorb carbon dioxide
• recycling elements like C, N, S and P
• microorganisms break down organic waste material
• transpiration from plants in water cycle

Question 22

Moral, ethical + aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 22

• share planet with a huge range of other organisms and we have no right to drive them to extinction
• humans = custody of the Earth so we should value and protect the organisms that share it with us
• people gain pleasure from biodiversity, in being in the natural world
• inspiration for artists, photographers, poets, writers

Question 23

Pros and cons of national parks?

Answer 23

PROS: human access is controlled, industrial activities regulated, hunting is limited/prohibited, control invasive species, research and restoration, bigger environment, more space, resources, allows for migration, reduces the edge effects, can have habitat/wildlife corridor

CONS: requires active management

Question 24

Pros and cons of zoos?

Answer 24

PROS: scientific research of genetics, behaviours and habitat needs, education for public, protection, assissted reproduction/embryo transfer w/ surrogates, captive breeding programs (allows for increase in population, and then can be reintroduced into the wild)

CONS: reduces genetic diversity through inbreeding, some species do not breed in captivity, not always adequate habitats, can be hard to reintegrate into the natural world due to lacking those skills like hunting, mating, to be most effective need a large number of a species for the highest allele frequency possible

Question 25

Pros and cons of seed banks?

Answer 25

PROS: if a plant becomes extinct in the wild, can be regrown = maintains biodiversity, keeps a high allele frequency/gene pool because there are samples from different places of the same species, can be stored anywhere in the world irrespective of climate, less vulnerable to disease, protected from changing climate CONS: not all seeds can be stored because they cannot all be dehydrated to 5% water (coffee + cocoa), and can only be stored for a short time, viability needs to be tested every 5 years by growing them (bad for small samples), need to be stored at -18 and underground, collection can be expensive if in remote areas

Question 26

How can biodiversity be measured?

Answer 26

1. species diversity (richness and eveness) 2. genetic diversity 3. ecosystem diversity

Question 27

What is the role of a foundation species?

Answer 27

creating and enhancing the environement to benefit other species e.g. elephants breaking up trees to make space for grasses

Question 28

What is a native species?

Answer 28

live and thrive in that particular ecosystem

Question 29

What does a keystone species do?

Answer 29

role has an effect on types or abundance of other species e.g. predators and pollinators

Question 30

What is the role of an indicator species?

Answer 30

early warnings of damage to an ecosystem - measure habitat/ecosystem quality * Amphibians being so sensitive to environmental change, good indicator if the environment is of quality or not

Question 31

What is a non-native species, and what risk do they have?

Answer 31

migrated into an ecosystem; risk is that they could cause environmental, human or economic harm, could outcompete the native and endanger them, decrease diversity of native species, destroy aesthetics of habitat

Question 32

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

Answer 32

No two species can occupy the same niche for an extended period of time. One will outcompete the other.

Question 33

Example of keystone species effect?

Answer 33

Purple Sea Star * no sea star = mussels took over, no other species could live there * predator of the mussels was gone

Question 34

What does a higher species diversity mean?

Answer 34

species more stable = resist enviornmental changes = reduces risk of extinction

Question 35

How can you combat alien species?

Answer 35

1. physical removal -> cane toad cullings 2. biological predator

Question 36

What is an alien species?

Answer 36

a species which does not originate from that place, and is there by humans or migration

Question 37

How might an alien species disrupt ecosystem?

Answer 37

* competition * foodweb changes * alters predator/prey relationship could decrease one species * no natural predator of the alien species * lowered diversity

Question 37

How might an alien species disrupt ecosystem?

Answer 37

* competition * foodweb changes * alters predator/prey relationship could decrease one species * no natural predator of the alien species * lowered diversity

Question 38

Example of alien species going out of control

Answer 38

The cane toad was brought to Australia to control the cane beetle which was destroying the sugar cane crop. But, the cane toad ate anything, can move incredibly quickly and can reproduce at high rates.

Question 39

Why might a species become extinct?

Answer 39

1. very small population, means genetic drift has a greater impact, leading to a greater decrease in genetic variation 2. increased inbreeding 3. decrease genetic variation 4. decreased fitness

Question 40

What is conservation?

Answer 40

the action of preserving, protecting or guarding in order to maintain biodiversity.

Question 41

What is the difference between in-situ and ex-situ?

Answer 41

in-situ - conservation in the species own habitat, in site ex-situ - conservation in another place to the species own habitat, off site

Question 42

Give 3 examples of ex-situ and in-situ conservation.

Answer 42

Ex-situ: botanical gardens, seed banks, zoos In-situ: national parks, marine parks, nature reserves

Question 43

What does CITES do?

Answer 43

controls the trade of endangered animals and any products of them e.g. elephants and their ivory tusks

Question 44

Give an example of a nature reserve.

Answer 44

Kruger National Park, Yorkshire Dales, Yellowstone

Question 45

How do CITES classify endangered species ?

Answer 45

By 3 appendices. Appendix I = most endangered, trade is banned Appendix II = not endangered but will be if trade continues; can only trade with a permit Appendix III = species in this group are there because countries that struggle to stop the illegal trade of them need extra support from CITES; can only trade with a permit, and this is easier to obtain than Appendix II

Question 46

What is the drawback to CITES?

Answer 46

If trade is banned, the value of the product increases, so the breaking the law seems more worthwhile. Also, if a species is announced to be put on the CITES list in adavance, trade increases during that period, to when it is offically illegal.

Question 47

What does the IUCN do?

Answer 47

assesses the conservation status of an animal or plant

Question 48

What is the IUCN's classification system?

Answer 48

of the assessed specices, that have sufficient data: extinct, extinct in the wild, threatened (critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable), near threatened or least concern.

Question 49

What do conserved areas do?

Answer 49

1. human access is strictly controlled 2. industrial activities regulated 3. hunting limited/prohibited

Question 50

What are the roles of botanical gardens?

Answer 50

1. protect endangered plant species from competition, weather extremes, eutrophication 2. research methods of reproduction and growrth, as well as how to reintroduce plants into new habitats if their natural one has been lost 3. education 4. tourism/aesthetic pleasure 5. reintroduce species into habitats where they have becomes rare/extinct 6. create the perfect environment for all/any species to grow

Question 51

What is a seed bank? Give an example.

Answer 51

a facility where seeds are dried and kept in cold storage to conserve plant biodiversity. Example: Svalbard, International Rice Institute

Question 52

Features of domain bacteria?

Answer 52

* Prokaryotic * DNA is circular, no histone proteins * plasmids * 70S ribsomes * no membrane bound organelles * cell walls of peptidoglycan * binary fission * single cells, or small groups of cells

Question 53

Features of domain archaea?

Answer 53

* no nucleus = DNA is circular chromosome with histone proteins * plasmids * no membrance bound organelles * 70S ribsomes, but despite being smaller, have more in common with eukaryotic ribosomes * cell walls but NOT peptidoglycan * binary fission * single cells or small groups of cells * membrane lipids are unqiue

Question 54

Features off domain eukarya?

Answer 54

* has a nucleus * membrane bound organelles * linear DNA with histone proteins * 80S ribsomes (mitochondria and chloroplasts have 70S ribosomes) * unicellular, colonial or multicellular * mitosis * cell walls in some (plants) * asexual and sexual reproduction * chloroplasts and mitochondria DNA is circular

Question 55

What is the difference between archaea and bacteria?

Answer 55

1. archaea has histone proteins and bacteria do not 2. bacteria has circular DNA, archaea have 'circular' chromosome 3. the 70S ribosomes in archaea are more similar to a eukaryote 4. cell walls are not peptidoglycan in archaea 5. archaea have unique membrane lipids