Darwin and Diversity 2 Flashcards
(149 cards)
What is biodiversity?
A measure of the variety of life at all levels.
What is biodiversity?
A measure of the variety of life at all levels.
What are the three levels of biodiversity?
Ecosystems, species, genes
What is the order of hierarchal classification?
Kingdoms, Phylums, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What are described species?
Species which have been named and have a published description.
What are undescribed species?
Species which have not been scientifically recognised but are informally recognised as a distinct species.
Approximately how many described species are there?
1 - 2 million
Approximately how many described eukaryotic species are there?
~1.8 million
What is the most recent estimate of the number of eukaryotic species, including undescribed species?
8.7 ± 1.3 million
What does a species scape do?
Ranks groups of organisms according to their relative contribution to biodiversity.
How much of the worlds animal biodiversity do birds and mammals make up?
~2%
How much of the worlds animal biodiversity do insects make up?
~75%
What are biodiversity hotspots?
Areas which contain unusually large amounts of biodiversity.
How much landmass do all biodiversity hotspots take up?
Where are the biodiversity hotspots?
Usually around the tropics, but also in places like Madagascar and New Zealand.
Why are most biodiversity hotspots around the tropics?
- There is more land of organisms to live on.
- No glaciation occurred so environmental conditions have not been drastically altered
- More energy from sunlight reaches the tropics, enabling more plants to live here
Why are most biodiversity hotspots around the tropics?
- There is more land of organisms to live on.
- No glaciation occurred so environmental conditions have not been drastically altered
- More energy from sunlight reaches the tropics, enabling more plants to live here
What are the three levels of biodiversity?
Ecosystems, species, genes
What is the order of hierarchal classification?
Kingdoms, Phylums, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What are described species?
Species which have been named and have a published description.
What are undescribed species?
Species which have not been scientifically recognised but are informally recognised as a distinct species.
What is an animal? (3)
- multicellular
- heterotrophic
- eukaryotic
Approximately how many described eukaryotic species are there?
~1.8 million
What is the most recent estimate of the number of eukaryotic species, including undescribed species?
8.7 ± 1.3 million