Biodiversity

Question 1

What is biodiversity?

Answer 1

The variety of living organisms in an area

Question 2

What is species diversity?

Answer 2

Number of different species and the abundance of each species in an area

Question 3

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 3

Variation of alleles within a species

Question 4

What is endemism?

Answer 4

When a species is unique to a single place

Question 5

What is phenotype and how does it affect genetic diversity?

Answer 5

The observable characteristics of an organism, the larger the number of different phenotypes the greater the genetic diversity

Question 6

What is a niche?

Answer 6

The position occupied by an organism in an ecosystem

Question 7

What are the two ways of measuring genetic diversity?

Answer 7

Looking at a species genotype and phenotype

Question 8

What would happen if 2 species living in the same habitat had exactly the same role within the habitat?

Answer 8

They will compete directly with each other and the better adapted organism will out compete the other and exclude it from its habitat

Question 9

Suggest an advantage and disadvantage of using the same insect pollinator.

Answer 9

a) ensures pollen comes only from a member of its own species
b) if the insect is not present or extinct, the plant will not be pollinated

Question 10

What is natural selection?

Answer 10

Those surviving individuals who, by chance, possessed some characteristics that gave them an advantage over others “survival of the fittest”

Question 11

What is evolution?

Answer 11

A change in allele frequency in a population overtime

Question 12

What is a gene pool?

Answer 12

All the alleles of all the genes present in a population

Question 13

What is biodiversity?

Answer 13

The variety of living organisms in an area

Question 14

What equation do we use to estimate alleles present in a gene pool?

Answer 14

Hardy Weinberg equation

Question 15

What are the two ways we can use the equations and what are they?

Answer 15

1. Use when given information about phenotypes
   p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1
2. Use when given information about allele frequency
   p + q = 1

Question 16

What letter occupies T, t, TT, tt and Tt?

Answer 16

T = p
TT = p2
t = q
tt = q2
Tt = pq

Question 17

What 2 places help conserve endangered species?

Answer 17

Zoos and seedbanks

Question 18

What causes a reduction in global diversity?

Answer 18

• Extinction
• Loss of genetic diversity

Question 19

What is conservation?

Answer 19

Involves the protection and management of endangered species

Question 20

What are seed banks and what do they do?

Answer 20

A seed bank is a store of lots of seeds from lots of different species, they help to conserve biodiversity by storing seeds of endangered species

Question 21

What are some advantages of seed banks?

Answer 21

• Cheaper to store seeds than to store fully grown plants
• Less labour to look after seeds than plants
• Seeds are less likely to be damaged by disease/vandalism

Question 22

What are some disadvantages of seed banks?

Answer 22

• Testing seeds for viability can be expensive and time consuming
• Too expensive to store all types of seed and regularly check

Question 23

What is captive breeding?

Answer 23

Breeding animals in controlled environments

Question 24

What is an advantage of captive breeding?

Answer 24

Help to increase the number of species threatened by extinction

Question 25

What is a disadvantage of captive breeding?

Answer 25

- Animals can have problems breeding outside their natural habitat - Many people think its cruel to keep animals in captivity

Question 26

What are some advantages of reintroduction of species after captive breeding?

Answer 26

- Can increase their numbers in the wild - Restoring lost habitats - Help organisms that relies on these plants/animals for food

Question 27

What are some disadvantages of reintroduction of a species after captive breeding?

Answer 27

- Reintroduction could bring new diseases to habitats - Reintroduced animals may behave differently to those raised in the wild

Question 28

How do seed banks and zoos contribute to scientific research?

Answer 28

- Increases knowledge about behaviour, physiology and nutritional needs - Seed banks can be used to grow endangered plants for use in medical research

Question 29

What is the equation for calculating index of diversity?

Answer 29

D= N(N-1) / E n(n-1)

Question 30

What does the N, n and E stand for?

Answer 30

N = total number of organisms of all species n = total number of organisms of one species E = 'sum of'

Question 31

There are 3 different species of flowers in a field - a red, white and blue species. There are 3 red, 5 of white and 3 of the blue. Calculate the species diversity index of the field.

Answer 31

D = 11(11-1) / 3(3-1) + 5(5-1) + 3(3-1) D = 3.44

Question 32

What are the 3 domains?

Answer 32

Bacteria, Archaea and Eukaryota

Question 33

What are the 7 kingdoms?

Answer 33

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Question 34

What does the Hardy-Weinberg principle predict?

Answer 34

The frequencies of alleles in a population won't change from one generation to the next. Only when there is a large population, no immigration, emigration, natural selection or mutations

Question 35

What is meant by the term molecular phylogeny?

Answer 35

Looking at how closely species are related through its DNA and proteins

Question 36

Describe the conditions used for the storage of seeds in seed banks

Answer 36

- Dry and cold to reduce enzyme activity and prevent germination

Question 37

Canola is a plant grown as a crop because the seeds are rich in oil. The extracted oil is used in cooking and as a sustainable fuel. Suggest why the production of oil from Canola seeds can be described as sustainable.

Answer 37

- Renewable - Available resources can be used for future generations

Question 38

Farmers provide the plants with fertilisers containing nitrate ions. Explain the importance of nitrate ions for the growth of plants.

Answer 38

- Help with the production of proteins and amino acids - Used for synthesis of DNA

Question 39

Scientists carried out an investigation into the effect of nitrate fertiliser on the yield. Suggest how the scientist could have ensured that this investigation was valid

Answer 39

- Genetically similar plants - Repeats to generate mean data - A controlled environmental variable e.g. soil pH - Control e.g. no nitrate

Question 40

Suggest how natural selection could have given rise to the adaptations of a waxy leaf frog.

Answer 40

- Selection pressures, change in environment - This causes competition (predation) - Mutation occurs - Advantageous characteristics/alleles survive and passed on - Increased frequency of advantageous alleles

Question 41

Explain how the biodiversity of lemurs in two different parts of Madagascar could be compared

Answer 41

- Record the number of species of lemurs and the number of individuals in each species - Calculate diversity index - The higher the index, the more diversity

Question 42

Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that gradually cause muscles to weaken. One type of muscular dystrophy, caused by a recessive allele, affects 10 people in 100,000 of the population. Calculate the number of carriers in a population of 17.02 million

Answer 42

1. Calculate q q2 = 10/100,000=0.0001 q= √0.0001= 0.01 2. Calculate p using p+q=1 x + 0.01 =1 x=0.99 3. Calculate 2pq (carriers) 2*0.01*0.99=0.0198 4. Multiply this by the population 0.0198*17020000 = 336 996 carriers

Question 43

In the 1970s, a theory for a new system of taxonomy was proposed by a scientist called Woese. Describe the process by which the scientific community critically evaluates new theories.

Answer 43

- Conferences/communicating theory - Peer review - Checking evidence to ensure validity

Question 44

Suggest why successful interbreeding between Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers would make some scientists doubt their classification as separate species

Answer 44

- Successful interbreeding produces offspring - Same species produce fertile offspring - Different offsprings usually have genetic incompatibility

Question 45

Suggest reasons why the two species do not interbreed

Answer 45

- Physical incompatibility - Different breeding times

Question 46

What are behavioral adaptations?

Answer 46

Refers to defensive behaviours that increases chance of survival

Question 47

What are anatomical adaptations?

Answer 47

Refers to structural features such as horns, claws or feathers, that increase an organism's chances of survival

Question 48

What are physiological adaptations?

Answer 48

Refers to processes inside the body, that increase an organism's chances of survival

Question 49

What is the binomial system?

Answer 49

- Scientific name given to individual species - It consists of the organisms genus and species