Module 4.2.1 Biodiversity -

Question 1

What is a biosphere?

Answer 1

The part of the earth that contains all ecosystems

Question 2

What is a biome?

Answer 2

A large region with the same plant life & climate

Question 3

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 3

The community & it’s environment (interdependence)

Question 4

What is a community?

Answer 4

Populations that live together in a habitat

Question 5

What is a population?

Answer 5

The number of individuals living in the same habitat

Question 6

What is a species?

Answer 6

A group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring

Question 7

What is biodiversity?

Answer 7

The variety of living organisms in the world or a particular habitat

Question 8

Should there be low or high biodiversity & why?

Answer 8

High because it’s desirable

Question 9

What are the 3 levels of biodiversity?

Answer 9

Genetic
Species
Habitat

Question 10

What is habitat diversity?

Answer 10

The number of different habitats in an area

Question 11

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 11

The variation of alleles within a species

Question 12

What is species diversity?

Answer 12

The number of different species (species richness) & the abundance of each species (species eveness) in an area

Question 13

Why is habitat diversity important?

Answer 13

The more range of different habitats in an area, the more diverse it is

Question 14

Why is it important to have genetic diversity?

Answer 14

Individuals of the same species have the same genes but different alleles, if diversity is low the species is more susceptible to changes in the environment & could be wiped out by a single event/disease

Question 15

What is an allele

Answer 15

Different version of a gene

Question 16

What is polymorphism?

Answer 16

When a gene has more than 1 allele (e.g. hair/eye colour, blood type)

Question 17

What is monomorphism?

Answer 17

When a gene has only one allele (most genes are monomorphic - ensures basic structure of a species is similar)

Question 18

What is locus?

Answer 18

Where on the chromosome the alleles are (scientists look at different loci & see how many genes are polymorphic)

Question 19

If a species has high genetic variety what will it have a greater proportion of?

Answer 19

Polymorphic gene loci

Question 20

What is the calculation for proportion of polymorphic gene loci?

Answer 20

Proportion of polymorphic gene loci = Number of polymorphic gene loci/ total number of loci

Question 21

What is species richness?

Answer 21

The higher the number of species = greater the species richness

Question 22

What is species evenness?

Answer 22

The more similar the population size of each species = greater species evenness

Question 23

What is random sampling?

Answer 23

Divide a field into a grid using a measuring tape & use a random number generator to select coordinates to take a sample

Question 24

What is an advantage of using random sampling?

Answer 24

The data is unbiased

Question 25

What are the disadvantages of using random sampling?

Answer 25

Doesn’t cover all areas equally & species with a low presence may be missed

Question 26

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 26

Samples taken from fixed intervals across the habitat often along a line using quadrats

Question 27

What is an advantage of using systematic sampling?

Answer 27

It’s useful when there’s a clear gradient in the environment

Question 28

What is a disadvantage of using systematic sampling?

Answer 28

Only species that are on the line/belt are recorded - underestimate

Question 29

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 29

Divide the habitats into areas which appear to be different & randomly sample each section separately

Question 30

What is opportunistic sampling?

Answer 30

Researchers take samples based on prior knowledge/during the process of collecting data (may sample an area they know contains a particular species)

Question 31

What is an advantage of using opportunistic sampling?

Answer 31

Easier & faster

Question 32

What is a disadvantage of using opportunistic sampling?

Answer 32

The data is biased

Question 33

How are plants sampled?

Answer 33

Using quadrats (frame/point) along a belt transect

Question 34

What are some ways animals are sampled?

Answer 34

Pooter (small insects) Sweep nets (insects in vegetation) Pitfall traps (crawling invertebrates on the ground) Tree beating (invertebrates in tress/shrubs) Kick sampling (organisms in the water)

Question 35

What is capture mark release recapture?

Answer 35

Researcher captures as many animals they can in a defined period of time, counts them & marks them (doesnt cause harm) & releases them to mix in the population. They’re captured again after a few weeks/days over the same time period & they count how many are marked

Question 36

What is an advantage of capture mark release recapture

Answer 36

Doesn’t hurt the animals

Question 37

What are the disadvantages of using capture mark release recapture?

Answer 37

There is assumptions that the animals didnt die/immigrate/migrate

Question 38

What is the formula for population size?

Answer 38

Number in the 1st sample x number in 2nd sample / number in the 2nd sample previously marked