3.4.6 Biodiversity within a community

Question 1

The demand for increased food production has led to areas of Heath being used to grow wheat. Explain the effect of this on the species diversity of plants

Answer 1

Reduces the species diversity as there is only one species of crop being grown.
The wheat is a better competitor for light and nutrients

Question 2

Why might animal species diversity fall in a given area?

Answer 2

1. Reduction in the number of plant species
2. so less VARIETY of food sources
3. also fewer habitats

Question 3

Explain why it may be more useful to calculate the index of diversity than to record only the number of species present

Answer 3

The index of diversity measures the number of individuals of each species and the number of species

Question 4

What information is required to calculate an index of diversity for a particular community

Answer 4

Number of a species

Question 5

Farmers clear tropical forest and grow crops instead. Explain how this causes the diversity in the area to decrease

Answer 5

There is a lower diversity of plants and lower variety of plants
Fewer types of food
Fewer habitats

Question 6

What are the 3 components of biodiversity?

Answer 6

Species diversity
Genetic diversity
Ecosystem diversity

Question 7

What is species richness?

Answer 7

The number of different species in a particular area at a given time in a community

Question 8

What is a community?

Answer 8

All the populations of different species living in a particular place

Question 9

What is a population?

Answer 9

All the organisms of one particular species

Question 10

Biodiversity is…

Answer 10

the variety of living organisms in an area

Question 11

habitat is..

Answer 11

the place where an organism lives

Question 12

High biodiversity means…

Answer 12

lots of different species there

Question 13

What can you calculate as a measure of biodiversity?

Answer 13

index of diversity

Question 14

Species richness if a measure of….

Answer 14

diversity

Question 15

Which is a better indicator of biodiversity - index of diversity OR species richness?

Answer 15

index of diversity

Question 16

To calculate index of diversity what do you need to know?

Answer 16

total number of ALL species

total number of each species

Question 17

How can you reduce biodiversity?

Answer 17

1. clear trees
2. remove hedges
3. pesticides
4. herbicides
5. monocultures

Question 18

Why might animal diversity increase?

Answer 18

1. Increase in the number of plant species
2. so more VARIETY of food sources
3. also more habitats

Question 19

A species is

Answer 19

a group of similar organisms that are capable of reproducing and producing fertile offspring

Question 20

explain why fewer species of plant would lead to fewer species of lizard in the oil palm plantation?

Answer 20

FEWER PLANT SPECIES

• so fewer habitats/niches
• so lower diversity of insects
• so fewer food sources

Question 21

suggest an explanation for the relationship between the concentration of herbicide and mean crop yield?

Answer 21

• more weed killer SO more crops

- high conc of harm to plants