Biodiversity + Investigating it (10) Flashcards
What is biodiversity?
variety of living organisms
What are 3 ways biodiversity can be measured in terms of?
species diversity
ecosystem diversity
genetic diversity
What is species diversity?
number of species in a community
What is ecosystem diversity?
range of different habitats
What is meant by community?
all different species that live in the same area and interact with each other
What is the equation for index of diversity?
N(N-1)
_______
En(n-1)
What does N stand for?
total number of organisms of all species
What does n stand for?
total number of organisms of each species
What does E stand for?
sum of
How does farming affect species diversity?
decreases species richness as farmland is typically only used for 1 species (monoculture) and uses pesticides/herbicides
How does farming affect genetic diversity?
decreases it as farmers select animals based on certain characteristics, which reduces the number of different alleles in the population
What are 3 ways in which biodiversity can be increased in areas of agriculture?
- hedge rows instead of fences
- grow different crops in same area or rotate crops around after a season
- limit the use of pesticides and herbicides
What are 4 ways in which you can compare the genetic diversity between organisms?
1) frequency of observable characteristics
2) base sequence of DNA
3) base sequence of mRNA
4) amino acid sequence
Why do scientists prefer using gene technology over observation?
inferring DNA differences by observing characteristics is not reliable as characteristics could be coded for by more then 1 gene, or influenced by the environment
What are 2 ways gene technology is used?
- sampling DNA or mRNA in order to read and compare organisms base sequences
- studying amino acid sequence as this will provide info on organisms mRNA and DNA sequences
