4.2 Biodiversity Flashcards
(28 cards)
what is biodiversity?
a measure of all the species worldwide, the genes they contain and the habitats which they form
a measure of how varied an ecosystem is
how many types of biodiversity are there?
3 types of biodiversity
what are the three types of biodiversity?
- genetic diversity
- species diversity
- habitat diversity
what is genetic biodiversity?
variation in the genetic code
what is species biodiversity?
how many different species in an area
what is habitat biodiversity?
how many different habitats in an area
what is a species?
a group of organisms with similar anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and genetics as well as behavioural characteristics
what is a hybrid?
when different species interbreed to produce infertile off spring
e.g ligers and mules
what are 4 examples of habitats?
-sand dunes
-woodlands
-rivers
-streams
what is a habitat?
the range of physical, biological and other environmental factors within which a species can survive
what is species richness?
the number of organisms of a particular species
what is species evenness?
the relative number of individuals of each species in an ecosystem
what is genetic biodiversity?
explain more
variation between individuals belonging to the same species
why is it important to measure diversity?
allows for comparisons to be made
-between different areas
-same area but different times
what is Simpsons index of biodiversity?
-a measure of biodiversity of a habitat
-it takes species richness and evenness into account
Simpson’s index of Diversity
what’s the result?
a number between 0 and 1
Simpson’s index of Diversity
what does closer to 0 mean?
that all the organisms in the area are the same species
less richness
Simpson’s index of Diversity
what does closer to 1 mean?
the closer to 1 means the more diverse the area is
the more rich
what do all members of the same species share?
all members of the same species share the same genes
there is very little variation within their DNA
what do you call the things when they have different versions of the same genes?
alleles
the differences in alleles among individuals of a species is what creates genetic biodiversity
what creates genetic biodiversity?
the differences in the alleles among individuals of a species
why are species with greater biodiversity less likely to go extinct?
because they are more likely to adapt to changes in their environment so are therefore less likely to go extinct
why might there be problems caused by inbreeding in isolated populations?
because there is reduced biodiversity
why might genetic biodiversity increase?
-mutations in the DNA creating new alleles
-interbreeding between different populations
