4.2 - Biodiversity

Question 1

What are the three different types of biodiversity?

Answer 1

• Genetic
• Habitat
• Species

Question 2

What is genetic biodiversity?

Answer 2

• Genetic biodiversity is the variation between individuals belonging to the same species
• (How much variation there is in the alleles within a species)

Question 3

How is genetic biodiversity of a species measured?

Answer 3

-When measuring genetic biodiversity you use the percentage of polymorphic gene loci
-Proportion of polymorphic gene loci =Total number of Polymorphic Gene Loci ÷ Total number of all gene loci x100
(E.g: If an organism has 20000 genes, 1000 out of 20000 are polymorphic then the equation is 1000/20000 x 100 which is 5%, this means that only 1000 of the 20000 genes have 2 or more alleles so only 5% of genes are polymorphic)

Question 4

What is habitat biodiversity?

Answer 4

The range of different habitats within an ecosystem (A larger environment)

Question 5

What is species biodiversity?

Answer 5

• Species biodiversity is broken down into species richness and species evenness
• Species richness: The number of species in an ecosystem
• Species evenness: How evenly represented the species are in the ecosystem

Question 6

How is biodiversity measured?

Answer 6

-Simpson’s index of biodiversity is used to measure species level biodiversity
-Different species are listed and their percentage cover is compared in two different habitats
-The percentage cover should add up to 100%
-D = 1-(n/N) to the power of 2
n= Percentage cover of one species
N= Total percentage cover
-For example D= 0.0396 (This is a very low value for Simpson’s biodiversity index)

Question 7

What does a low value for Simpson’s index of biodiversity show about the species evenness in a habitat?

Answer 7

If the value is low then it means there is low species evenness in the habitat

Question 8

What is an example of a habitat with a high species evenness?

Answer 8

-The amazon rain forest or the coral reef
-These habitats would have a high value for Simpson’s biodiversity index
(Close to 1)

Question 9

What is an example of a habitat with a low species evenness?

Answer 9

-A monoculture crop field (A corn field)
-These habitats would have a low value for Simpson’s biodiversity index
(Close to 0)

Question 10

What are the different ways of sampling plants?

Answer 10

-Using quadrats
(Percentage cover or counting species’)
-Random
-Non-random

Question 11

What is random sampling?

Answer 11

• Using a random number generator to remove bias and to make it completely random
• The random number generator can also be used to generate coordinates to go to and sample in the habit
• The random sampling however, could underestimate the biodiversity if the habitat is not monocultured as the random sampling would not be representative of the habitat as a whole as it is not homogenous and consistent (Monocultured)
• This is because the sample may miss out parts of the habitat which are different and not monocultured and more diverse

Question 12

What are the different types of non-random sampling?

Answer 12

• Opportunistic
• Stratified
• Systematic

Question 13

What is opportunistic sampling?

Answer 13

• Sampling based on prior knowledge, dividing the ecosystem into sub-areas and sampling specific habitats
• This can be done when the researcher has studied or heard about the area, and/or about the potential species that will be encountered where they are sampling
• Although it is quick and easy, opportunistic sampling can sometimes be susceptible to bias

Question 14

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 14

• Dividing the area into distinct zones to sample from
• The sample should be according to the ratio of the areas, so if there is more woodlands in the area than there are fields then more woodlands samples (Quadrats) should be taken
• This allows the researcher to collect a sample which is representative of the ecosystem and the different species/habitats in it

Question 15

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 15

-Taking samples at fixed intervals along a transect

Question 16

What are the different types of transects?

Answer 16

• Line transects

- Belt transects

Question 17

What is the purpose of using transects?

Answer 17

-Transects measure changes in distribution along an axis

E.g: Do the species’ change as the transects gets further away from the path and into the woodlands

Question 18

What is the difference between a belt and a line transect?

Answer 18

• A belt transect uses a rectangular area centred on a line to collect information
• A line transect uses a straight line to gather data

Question 19

What are the different ways of sampling animals?

Answer 19

• Using a pitfall trap
• Using a sweep net
• Using a tullgren funnel

Question 20

What is a pitfall trap?

Answer 20

• A hole in the ground with a cup in it used to catch insects and animals
• The trap is sometimes covered with leaves to camouflage it
• The trap is left for a few days and then come back to identify which insects have been collected from the habitat

Question 21

What is a sweep net?

Answer 21

• A long handled, large net used to catch insects and bugs in long grassy habitats or sometimes in ponds or in the branches of trees
• The animals that are caught would then be emptied onto a tray to identify which animals are present in which environment

Question 22

What is a tullgren funnel?

Answer 22

• A trap consisting of a funnel and a light with a collecting jar to catch the insects and bugs
• The flying insects are attracted to the light so they walk into the collecting jar which contains alcohol to trap them

Question 23

What is the purpose of catch and release?

Answer 23

Catch and release is used to estimate the size of a population

Question 24

What is the process of catch and release?

Answer 24

-Catch a certain number of (Living) animals
-Mark the caught animals
-Release the animals back into their original habitat that they were taken from
-Catch the animals from the habitat a second time to count the marked vs unmarked from the caught population
-Use this data to create an estimate of the size of the population
(C1 x C2 / Cm)
C1 = 1st catch size
C2 = 2nd catch size
Cm = Number of the second catch who are marked

Question 25

What are the benefits of biodiversity?

Answer 25

- Economic - Ecological - Aesthetic

Question 26

What is the aesthetic benefit of biodiversity?

Answer 26

- Having an attractive surrounding can have a positive effect of the wellbeing of humans - The nature can positively impact people's mental health especially if the place is very biodiverse

Question 27

What is the ecological benefits of biodiversity?

Answer 27

- Biodiversity is important to maintain a stable environment with a food chain etc - Maintaining biodiversity is also important to protect keystone species' that help to maintain ecosystems - Maintaining biodiversity is also important for the ecosystem to be more stable and resilient to climate change or disease etc

Question 28

What is a keystone species?

Answer 28

A keystone species is a plant or animal that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions (E.g Beavers or wolves in Yellowstone that help to maintain the whole ecosystem, including the rivers)

Question 29

What are the economic benefits of biodiversity?

Answer 29

- There services that ecosystems provide for us that would cost a lot of money if they weren't done by a biodiverse ecosystem instead - Chemicals in pharmaceuticals are produced by maintaining biodiversity - Forest products such as timber is also produced by maintaining biodiverse ecosystems

Question 30

What are all the ecosystem services that are provided to the earth due to maintaining a biodiverse ecosystem?

Answer 30

- Atmospheric cleaning - Water purification - Soil formation, for crops to grow - Pollination - Nutrient recycling (When fungi or bacteria break down dead organic matter to make nitrates, phosphates etc in the soil) - Oxygen production - Flood prevention (From damns made by beavers) - Direct cash benefit from chemical in pharmaceuticals come from ecosystems such as rainforests, timber and forest products also provide a direct cash benefit

Question 31

What are the different variables that affect biodiversity?

Answer 31

- Human population | - Agriculture

Question 32

How does the human population affect biodiversity?

Answer 32

- As the population increases there is a higher demand for buildings, infrastructure, roads, power stations etc - This negatively affects biodiversity as this can cause pollution and deforestation while increasing the amount of energy used as well - An increase in the human population also causes a need for more agriculture which negatively effects biodiversity - As the human population increases it drives the loss of biodiversity

Question 33

How does agriculture affect biodiversity?

Answer 33

- Land used to grow crops and feed for animals is increasing - This reduces biodiversity as it destroys biodiverse habitats to create monocultures with low biodiversity - Agriculture also uses chemicals that can be harmful to the environment and lower biodiversity - Fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides all reduce biodiversity due to eutrophication

Question 34

What is eutrophication?

Answer 34

Eutrophication is the excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to run-off from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life

Question 35

How does climate change affect biodiversity?

Answer 35

- The increase in concentration of greenhouse gases caused by increased human desire for energy then causes rising global temperatures - This is due to an increased concentration of greenhouse gases: CO2 and methane which is created from carbon emission, pollution, factories etc - As temperature rises it can cause drought, drier conditions and forest fires - This can lead to extinction of animals due to destroying of habitats and a failure to adapt to hotter conditions - This lowers biodiversity as species become extinct and ecosystems are destroyed

Question 36

What are the two different types of conservation?

Answer 36

- In situ | - Ex situ

Question 37

What is ex situ conservation?

Answer 37

- Conserving animals away from their natural habitat | - This can be inside: Zoos, shelters, botanic gardens and seed banks

Question 38

What are the benefits of ex situ conservation?

Answer 38

- Ex situ conservation allows people to protect, monitor and research species - Endangered species can be bred safely to prevent them from extinction and maintain genetic biodiversity - Ex situ conservation also provides an opportunity for the community to learn about how to conserve species and about which species are endangered

Question 39

What are the weaknesses of ex situ conservation?

Answer 39

- Ex situ tends to end up with a decreased genetic biodiversity due to the small gene pool - Animals in ex situ conservation can display abnormal behaviour which is a sign of psychological damage - It can be harder for the animals to breed while in ex situ conservation - Also ex situ is ultimately temporary as animals can't be conserved in captivity forever (It is not sustainable)

Question 40

What is in situ conservation?

Answer 40

-Conserving animals inside their habitat | E.g: Wildlife reserves

Question 41

What are the requirements for in situ conservation to make it adequate?

Answer 41

- The reserve must contain sufficient habitats to allow authentic interaction between species' in different habitats - Must be large enough - Must be representative of the place that is being conserved - The reserve must allow for movement and migration of the animals into, out and around the reserve in order to maintain genetic biodiversity and widen the gene pool

Question 42

What are some examples of types of wildlife reserves?

Answer 42

- National parks - National nature reserves - Sites of special scientific interest (Places where scientists/ecologists have identified a species they need to research or monitor) - Marine conservation zones (Sites that limit or prevent fishing)

Question 43

What is the difference between preservation and conservation?

Answer 43

- Preservation is where there is minimal or no human interference - Conservation is more actively managed, maintained and influenced by humans so it is less authentically natural

Question 44

What are some examples of the laws for conservation? (Nationally and internationally)

Answer 44

-CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species law (This regulates/prevents/forbids trade in endangered species) [For example trading ivory from rhino horns is illegal] -The Rio Convention on Biodiversity (This was an international agreement that biodiversity should be maintained and protected) -The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (In the UK) (A scheme that farmers can sign up to which promotes more ecological practices in exchange for the opportunity to get grants and funding from the government)

Question 45

When would non-random sampling be used?

Answer 45

-When the ecosystem is not homogenous and consistent so the researcher would want to sample specific areas which could be different to others in the ecosystem