Topic 3.3 Biodiversity

Question 1

Species definition

Answer 1

A group of organisms that can reproduce with each other to produce fertile offspring.

Question 2

Biodiversity definition

Answer 2

The measure of the variety of living organisms in a habitat and their genetic diversity.

Question 3

Abiotic factors

Answer 3

-Air
-Temperature
-Minerals
-Salinity
-Light intensity
-Soil pH
-Water
-Humidity
-Turbidity
-Soil composition

Question 4

Biotic factors

Answer 4

-Predation
-Food availability
-Competition
-Mutualism
-Parasitism
-Disease

Question 5

Species richness

Answer 5

The number of different species in an area.

Question 6

Species evenness

Answer 6

Relative numbers of different types of organisms (calculate the proportions of each species as a percentage of the total abundance).

Question 7

Index of diversity

Answer 7

Species richness and abundance are both taken into account in a formula

Question 8

The Simpson’s Diversity Index formula

Answer 8

d= diversity index
N= total number of organisms
n= total number of organisms of each species
Σ= sum of

Question 9

What might cause e biodiversity measurements to vary across the world?

Answer 9

-Natural events (eg. floods)
-Climate change (eg. severe drought)
-Abiotic factors
-Human activities (eg. deforestation)
-Time of day sampled
-Areas with higher photosynthetic rate
-Time of year sampled

Question 10

Endemic species

Answer 10

A species is classified as endemic to an area if it is found nowhere else in the world.
To be classified as a hotspot area it must have 1500 endemic species.

Question 11

Genetic diversity

Answer 11

The total number of different alleles in the gene pool of a population.
The greater the number of different alleles within a population, the greater the genetic density of that species.

Question 12

Gene pool

Answer 12

Refers to the combination of all genes (including alleles) present in a reproducing species.
A large gene pool has extensive genomic diversity and its better able to withstand environmental challenges.

Question 13

Describe the link between genetic diversity and species survival

Answer 13

-Traits that make them resilient
-Drop in genetic diversity can lead to extinction
-Genetic bottleneck occurs when a population is greatly reduced in size
-The greater the genetic diversity, the more likely the species will be able to adapt to environmental change.

Question 14

Ethical

Answer 14

-Denying future generations to use renewable recourses if biodiversity is destroyed
-Nature is a source of pleasure for some
-Human activities could cause mass extinction due to global climate change
-If biodiversity is lost when a species becomes extinct, unique combinations of DNA are lost.

Question 15

Economic

Answer 15

-Ecosystems provide us with fibres for clothing
-Ecosystems help maintain air quality
-A healthy ecosystem is important for human health and wellbeing

Question 16

Provisioning services

Answer 16

-Food
-Medicines
-Fuel
-Fibres for clothing

Question 17

Regulating services

Answer 17

-Pollination
-Pest control
-Prevention of soil erosion
-Sewage treatment
-Climate regulation

Question 18

Supporting services

Answer 18

-Cycling of carbon
-Cycling of nitrogen
-Soil formation
-Nutrient cycling

Question 19

Conservation

Answer 19

The protection of a species or an area/habitat to prevent damage.

Question 20

Ways humans reduce biodiversity

Answer 20

-Illegal wildlife trade
-Overfishing
-Population (increase), growth in consumption
-Pollution
-Destruction of natural habitats
-Climate change

Question 21

Ways to improve biodiversity

Answer 21

-Consume less and more responsibly
-Eat meat and dairy responsibly
-Reduce food waste
-Education (or future generations)
-Walk shorter journeys

Question 22

The five threats to biodiversity

Answer 22

-Land and sea use change
-Pollution
-Species overexploitation
-Climate change
-Invasive species and disease

Question 23

In-situ conservation

Answer 23

The conservation of a species in its natural habitat and the maintenance and recovery of viable species in their original surroundings.

Question 24

Examples of in-situ conservation

Answer 24

National parks, sanctuaries, natural reserves.

Question 25

Ex-situ conservation

Answer 25

The conservation of components of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.

Question 26

Examples of ex-situ conservation

Answer 26

Aquariums, botanical gardens, DNA banks, zoos

Question 27

Seed bank

Answer 27

A place where seeds are stored and to preserve genetic diversity for the future. They are usually in flood, bomb and radiation-proof vaults holding jars of seeds from a different plant species. The seeds are typically kept at low humidity and cold conditions.

Question 28

Advantages of in-situ conservation

Answer 28

-It conserves species and its habitat -Ecosystem integrity is also maintained as the species are able to play a vital role in the functioning of the ecosystem -Cheaper than ex-situ -Protects the biodiversity and the crucial elements of the ecosystem.

Question 29

Disadvantages of in-situ conservation

Answer 29

-The habitat may be too fragmented to ensure a sustainable population -Too much genetic diversity may have been lost to allow change in in their natural environment -Wildlife reserves may be damaged by ecotourism -The conditions that caused the area to have a loss of species may still e present

Question 30

Advantages of ex-situ conservation

Answer 30

-Protects organisms from predation and poaching -Help attract funding and awareness -Techniques such as artificial insemination are used to maximise reproductive success and genetic diversity.

Question 31

Disadvantages of ex-situ conservation

Answer 31

-Limited genetic diversity -It may be difficult to provide a suitable environment -Many animals may also be unable to be reintroduced into the wild as they will not have learnt the necessary behaviour.

Question 32

Ex-situ conservation in plants

Answer 32

-The genetic material of extinct species would be lost forever, which could possible be a disaster for human survival (plants are a vital importance to all our lives). -Crossbreeding crop plants back to original wild plants, or using wild plants to supply genes for genetic engineering, are ways in which the longterm health of our crop plants can be maintained. -Botanic gardens maintain collections of the world most interesting and unusual plants.

Question 33

Conflict involved with in-situ conservation

Answer 33

-It costs money to maintain and conserve the area which could be spent on health and education -People need the land to live and earn money, but their activities can lead to pollution, erosion and many other problems -Many people struggle to survive snd need the land to grow food to feed themselves and their families -Lack of complete control over many factors which influence the survival of individuals -Fear of natural threats like predation and poaching -Uncontrollable factors like diseases and climate change that could lead to extinction of a species.

Question 34

How a site is chosen to be conserved suitable for in-situ (3 techniques)

Answer 34

The three main in-situ techniques are defined as genetic reserve, on-farm and home garden conservation.

Question 35

Genetic reserve conservation

Answer 35

Genetic reserve conservation of wild species involves the location, designation, management and monitoring of genetic diversity in a particular natural location.

Question 36

On-farm conservation

Answer 36

On-farm conservation involves the maintenance if traditional varieties by farmers in agro-ecosystems.

Question 37

Home garden conservation

Answer 37

Home garden conservation serves as the refuges for crops and crop varieties that were one more widespread in the larger agro-ecosystem or that developed over generations in the gardens themselves, and they provide micro-environments for crop evolution.

Question 38

Allele definition

Answer 38

Different forms of a particular gene, found at the same locus (position) on a chromosome. A single gene could have many alleles.

Question 39

Why should we maintain biodiversity?

Answer 39

-More stable, resilient populations -Ecotourism opportunities -Provide sources of medicine -Stabilise soils -Increase the gene pool