4 Biodiversity Flashcards
What is the definition of species?
A group of similar organisms that can breed together to produce fertile offspring.
What is the name of the system by which species are named, what does it feature and how are names written?
The binomial system, it features two names. The first is the generic name which denotes the genus in which the organism belongs, the second is the specific name which denotes the species in which the organism belongs.
The names should be written in italics (underlined if handwritten) with the first name having a capital letter.
(5 bulletpoints)
Courtship behaviour allows individuals of a species to:
1) Recognise members of their own species
2) Identify a mate that is capable of breeding
3) Form a pair bond
4) Synchronise mating
5) Become able to breed
These all increase the probability of producing fertile offspring
2 examples of courtship behaviour?
Vocal sounds (songs or calls) Visual displays (feathers displays or "dances")
What is the grouping of organisms called?
Classification
What is the practice of biological classification called?
Taxonomy
What are the two main forms of biological classification?
Artificial classification
Phylogenic classification
How are organisims divided in artificial classification?
According to physical features, e.g number of legs, feathers, size, shape. These are described as analogous characteristics (same function but different evolutionary origins).
How are organisms divided in phylogenetic classification?
Based upon evolutionary relationships, shared features between organisms and their ancestors. This classification also arramges groups into a hierarchy.
What is a domain and how many are there?
A domain is the highest taxonomic rank, there are three domains: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya
What are the four kingdoms in Eukarya?
Fungi, Plantae, Animalia and Protoctista
What are the ranks in classification?
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species (Kung-fu Panda Climbed Over Fences Gobbling Sushi)
What is species diversity?
Refers to the number of different species and the number of individuals of each species within any one community
What is genetic diversity?
Refers to the variety of genes possessed by the individuals that make up the population of a species
What is ecosystem diversity?
Refers to the range of different habitats from a small local habitat to the whole of the Earth
What is species richness?
The number of different species in a particular area at a given time
What is the equation for index of diversity?
d=N(N-1)/sum of n(n-1)
d= index of diversity N= total number of organisms of all species n= total number of organisms of each species
Give examples of practices that can directly remove habitats and reduce species diversity
Removal of hedgerows
Creating monocultures
Draining marshland
Over-grazing land
Give examples of practices that indirectly remove habitats and reduce species diversity.
Using pesticides
Lack of crop rotation
Give some management techniques which help increase biodiversity
Plant hedges instead of putting up fences
Don’t drain the corners of fields
Maintain existing hedgerows
Use organic fertilisers
Use crop rotation that involves a nitrogen-fixing crop
Create natural meadows
Traditionally, how was genetic measured?
By observing characteristics of organisms
What are the limitations of using observable characteristics?
Many are polygenic (coded for by more than one gene) and so they vary continuously
Characteristics can also be modified by the environment
What is the modern method of inferring DNA differences?
By looking directly at DNA base sequences to determine the exact order of the nucleotides.
How is DNA sequencing done?
Each nucleotide base is tagged with a specific coloured fluorescent dye, which produces a series of coloured bands. These can then be analysed by a computer.
Analysis of DNA sequences allows us to?
Determine evolutionary relationships and compare species
What do mutations cause?
The sequence of nucleotide bases to change
Genetic diversity within, and between, species can be measured by comparing?
The amino acid sequences of their proteins, as this sequence is determined by mRNA which is determined by DNA
What is interspecific variation?
How one species differs from another
What is intraspecific variation?
How individuals within a species differ from one another
Give two reasons why measurements may not be representative?
Sampling bias - the selection process may be biased as unrepresentative choices may be made
Chance - the individuals chosen may not be representative of the total population, purely by chance.
One way to minimise chance?
Use a large sample size
