4.2 and 4.3 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Biodiversity
The variety of organisms living in an area
Species
A group of similar organisms able to reproduce to give fertile offspring
Habitat
The area inhabited by a species
Habitat diversity
The number of different habitats in an area
Species diversity
The number of different species in an area
Genetic diversity
The variation of alleles within a species
What is species richness and how is it measured?
It is the number of different species in an area
It is measured by taking random samples of a habitat and counting the number of different species
What is species evenness and how is it measured?
A measure of the relative abundance of each species in an area
It’s measured by taking random samples of a habitat and counting the number of individuals of different species
How can genetic biodiversity be assessed?
Calculations can be used to monitor the genetic diversity of populations over time in order to increase the genetic diversity of needed
What factors affect biodiversity?
Human population growth: habitat loss as humans destroy it, resources getting used up
Increased use of monoculture: land cleared to make way for monoculture
Climate change: forces some species to migrate
Ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity
To protect species
Many species are dependent on other organisms
Loss of one species can disrupt a food chain or nutrient cycle
Economic reasons for maintaining biodiversity
Costs of soil depletion involve increased spending on fertilisers and decreased yields
Aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity
Areas rich in biodiversity provide nice looking landscapes which attract tourists which is also an economic advantage
What is In situ conservation?
Keeping species in their natural habitats
What is Ex situ conservation?
Removing species from their natural habitat
Advantages and disadvantages of In situ conservation
+ conserves the species and the habitat
+ Can protect large populations
+ Less disruptive
- Harder to control some factors that threaten species e.g. Poaching
Advantages and disadvantages of Ex situ conservation
+ Can better manage hunting and predators
- Difficult and expensive to create and sustain the right environment
- less successful than In situ
Rio convention
Guides governments on how to conserve biodiversity
CITES
An agreement designed to increase international cooperation in regulating trade in wild animals and plant specimens
Countryside stewardship scheme
Aims to conserve wildlife and biodiversity to improve and extend wildlife habitats
Name all the taxonomic groups is order
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
What are the five kingdom classifications?
Prokaryotae
Protoctista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia
Describe the binomial naming system
Organisms are given one internationally accepted scientific name in Latin
Avoids confusion of common names
Intraspecific variation
Variation within species
