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Biology AS > Biodiversity > Flashcards

Biodiversity Flashcards

1
Q

what could differences between individuals of the same species be due to?

A

environmental or genetic factors, or a combination of both

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2
Q

species

A

group of similar organisms which are able to interbreed to produce fertile offspring

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3
Q

why do scientists take a sample of a population rather than looking at the whole thing?

A

to save time and resources

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4
Q

importance of courtship behaviour

how does courtship behaviour work?

A
  • to attract a mate of the same species (species recognition)
  • prevent interbreeding between different species - as offspring won’t be fertile
    courtship behaviour is species specific, so only members of the same species will exhibit and respond to the same courtship behaviour.
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5
Q

what is necessary before successful mating?

A

courtship behaviour

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6
Q

how does a phylogenetic classification system arrange species?

A

into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships

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7
Q

how is phylogenetic classification a hierarchy?

A

smaller groups are placed into larger groups and there is no overlap between groups.

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8
Q

what is each group in phylogenetic classification called?

A

a taxon

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9
Q

what are the taxa in phylogenetic classification?

A 
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
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10
Q

what does a binomial consist of?

A

genus and species name

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11
Q

what is the purpose of the binomial classification system?

A

to allow for universal identification of a species and avoid confusion with common names

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12
Q

What is species richness?

A

a measure of the number of different species in a community

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13
Q

what does the index of diversity describe?

A

the relationship between the number of species in a community and the number of individuals of each species

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14
Q

equation for index of diversity

A

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

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15
Q

why is index of diversity a more useful measure of biodiversity that species richness?

A

as it takes into account the number of organisms of each species as well as the number of species. This is useful as some species may only be present in small numbers

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16
Q

4 ways of comparing genetic diversity within or between species

A

• the frequency of measurable or observable characteristics
• the base sequence of DNA
• the base sequence of mRNA
• the amino acid sequence of the proteins encoded by DNA and
mRNA.

17
Q

how did genetic diversity used to be measured?

A

by comparing observable characteristics

18
Q

why is it important that sampling is done randomly?

A
  • so that the sample is representative of the whole population
  • to avoid bias
19
Q

standard deviation

A

a measure of the spread of values around the mean/variation in a sample

20
Q

standard deviation bars overlap

A

means the difference between samples is not significant.

21
Q

biodiversity

A

the variety of living organisms in an area

22
Q

agricultural techniques which can reduce biodiversity (4)

A

hedgerow/ pond/ woodland removal, pesticides, herbicides, monoculture

23
Q

How can hedgerow/pond/ woodland removal in agriculture reduce biodiversity?

A

reduces number of trees/ hedges/ habitat diversity, so species may lose shelter and food sources and die or have to move elsewhere.
Linking!!

24
Q

How can pesticides in agriculture reduce biodiversity?

A

pesticides = chemicals which kill species which feed on crops
Direct reduction in biodiversity as pest species are killed
species which feed on pests lose a food source so numbers could also decrease.

25
Q

How can herbicides in agriculture reduce biodiversity?

A

herbicides = chemicals which kill unwanted plants (weeds)

reduces plant diversity and could lead to reduction in numbers of organisms which feed on weeds.

26
Q

How can monoculture in agriculture reduce biodiversity?

A

monoculture = when fields have 1 type of crop only. Having a single plant type reduces plant diversity, habitat diversity so fewer other organisms are supported with habitat/ food sources

27
Q

Limitations of inferring genetic diversity by comparing the frequency of measureable/ observed characteristics (2)

A
  • some characteristics are polygenic, meaning coded for by more than 1 gene and show continuous rather than discrete variation. this makes it hard to distinguish between different characteristics.
  • characteristics can be modified by the environments - so variation may be due to environmental rather than genetic differences.
28
Q

Why can comparing the frequency of observed characteristics be used as a measure of genetic diversity?

A

As observable differences between organisms are due to different alleles. A wide range of characteristics means there are many different alleles and high genetic diversity.

29
Q

How can comparing DNA base sequence be used to measure genetic diversity within a species?

A
  • sequence DNA of members of the species
  • compare DNA base sequences between members
  • greater similarity means less genetic variation
30
Q

How/ why can comparing mRNA base sequence be used to measure genetic diversity?

A

mRNA is coded for by DNA - the mRNA base sequence is complementary to that of the template DNA strand. Variation in mRNA base sequence gives a measure of DNA/ genetic diversity.

31
Q

How/ why can comparing amino acid sequence of a particular protein be used to measure genetic diversity?
drawback?

A

amino acid sequence of a protein is determined by mRNA base sequence and hence DNA base sequence. genetic diversity within and between species can be measured using the degree of similarity in the amino acid sequence for the same protein.

however - genetic code is degenerate, so same amino acid sequence could be coded for by a different DNA sequence.

32
Q

use of courtship behaviour in classification

A

more closely related species have more similar courtship behaviour

33
Q

how can you ensure that variation observed in a sample isn’t due to chance?

A

by performing a statistical test

34
Q

how can a balance between agriculture and conservation be achieved?

A
  • protecting endangered species
  • planting new trees, making new hedgerows
  • making ponds - increases diversity as many species can survive here that can not on land
  • intercropping instead of monoculture
  • reducing pesticide and herbicide use
35
Q

why can comparing DNA base sequence be used to measure genetic diversity between species?

A

Species with more similar DNA base sequences are more closely related - have a more recent common ancestor.
when 1 species gives rise to another, the DNA of the new and original species will initially be very similar. Mutations occur and the DNA base sequences gradually become more different.

36
Q

how are DNA changes linked to changes in the features of a species?

A

the DNA base sequence determines the amino acid sequence of an organism’s proteins. Proteins determine features of an organism.
This means changes is features are due to changes in the DNA.

37
Q

How can immunological comparisons be used to measure genetic diversity?

A

similar proteins bind to the same antibodies, for example antibodies for a human version of a protein will recognise similar proteins (similar tertiary structure) from other species. (=> similar AA, mRNA, DNA)

38
Q

How can courtship behaviour increase the probability of successful mating?

A
  1. Recognise mate of same species;
  2. Synchronises mating
  3. Attraction of mate of the opposite sex;
  4. Indication of fertility
  5. Formation of a pair bond (to help raise young).

Biology AS (10 decks)

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