4.1.2 Biodiversity – Biodiversity Flashcards
(10 cards)
What does the term ‘biodiversity’ mean?
The variety of life or range of living organisms.
What are the different levels at which biodiversity is studied?
Habitat biodiversity
Species biodiversity
Genetic biodiversity
What is a habitat?
Where an organism lives.
What does the term ‘habitat biodiversity’ mean?
The number of different habitats in an area.
What does the term ‘genetic biodiversity’ mean?
The genetic diversity within a species. This is measured by the number of different alleles in a species.
What does the term ‘species biodiversity’ mean?
The number and variety of different species within a habitat.
State the 2 components of species biodiversity.
Species richness
Species evenness
What does the term ‘species richness’ mean?
A measure of the number of different species present in a habitat.
What does the term ‘species evenness’ mean?
The relative abundance of each species within the habitat.
What are the benefits of high genetic biodiversity?
Greater genetic biodiversity means organisms are better adapted to changing environments. The organisms are more resilient to change and less likely to die out.
