past paper questions Flashcards
(22 cards)
disadvantage of using footprints as an estimation of population size
-misidentification
-many prints made by the same individual hard to
distinguish individual animals of same species (e.g. jaguars)
-multiple prints in same spot makes counting difficult
disadvantage of using human sightings as an estimation of population size
-misidentification
-seeing the same individual twice exaggeration / lying
-poor recollection
-animals (e.g. jaguars) likely to be in places humans are not
reasons why a species may be critically endangered in the wild
-loss of habitat / food source
-hunting / poaching (e.g. for horns)
-climate change
why might small/scattered populations speed up the extinction of a species
-hard to find a mate
-(inbreeding leading to) low genetic diversity / small gene pool
-less likely to adapt to an environmental change
-all wiped out by the same disease
-more vulnerable to, predators / poachers
-natural disaster could wipe out (one / some of) the small populations
Suggest one other way (rather than captive breeding programmes) in which zoos can contribute to conservation efforts
-education / awareness
-support/ promote, conservation projects and research
Suggest evidence that the scientists might have found to support climate change/temp rise
-reduction in extent of ice
-change in ocean current
-change in food (species or population)
-new disease / parasite
-change in predator (species or population)
-change in population of plants
Explain the importance of maintaining biodiversity for the discovery of new antibiotics
-many drugs originated from plants /microbes
-(so, maintaining biodiversity) increase the chance of finding/ developing new drugs
Why is sampling important
we cannot study the whole population
using representative samples allow us to investigate population easily
Factors affecting biodiversity
population growth
deforestation for agriculture
climate change affecting habitats
reasons to maintain biodiversity
Ecological, economic, aesthetic
conservation
the protection and management of species and habitats in order to maintain biodiversity
-can be in situ or ex situ
importance of sampling in measuring biodiversity
-impossible to count every individual
-sample provides an estimate that’s representative of a whole area
issues with sampling
-microscopic species difficult to see
-sampling might miss rare species
-can mistake identified as one species when they’re actually two or more diff species
advantages of conserving plant species as seeds and not adult plants
- takes up little space
- lower maintenance cost
- less susceptible to disease
reasons why estimations of the total number of species on earth is not accurate
-not having found all species
-new species being formed (evolution is ongoing)
-may have recently become extinct since recording
define biodiversity
variety of species in that area, range of habitats/ecosystems
variety of alleles/ genes
why objection to culling of certain species
-wrong to interfere with nature
-wrong to kill animals (cant kill grey squirrels to increase red squirrels)
reason why its important to conserve specific species
-part of food web
-tourism
-native species
factors considered when carrying out an EIA assesement
-size of development
-environmental sensitivity
-potential damage
-strategies to minimise impact
Suggest how organic fertilisers improve the yield of plant crops.
-promotes the growth of one species
-other species are out competes
-may change the soil pH so some plants can’t grow
Explain why a reduction in biodiversity may present problems for agriculture in the future.
it means genetic diversity is decreased, the environment in the future may change and the lost genes may have been useful
Suggest why it is important to ensure that, for each species, the seeds in a seed bank
have been collected from several different sites in the wild.
-maintain genetic variation
-reduced chance of disease affecting the whole population
-reduce chance of inbreeding
