4.2 Biodiversity

Question 1

What levels is biodiversity considered at?

Answer 1

Species, habitat, genetic

Question 2

What is species biodiversity?

Answer 2

The number of different species found within a habitat. It includes species richness and evenness.

Question 3

Define species richness

Answer 3

The number of different species

Question 4

Define species evenness

Answer 4

Relative abundance of individuals of each species

Question 5

Define habitat biodiversity

Answer 5

The range of distinct habitats in which different species live in an ecosystem (e.g. sand dunes, woodlands, meadows, streams)

Question 6

What is genetic biodiversity?

Answer 6

Different breeds within a species measured via proportion of polymorphic gene loci

Question 7

How can species richness and evenness be measured?

Answer 7

Richness: counting
Evenness: Simpsons index of diversity

Question 8

What does a high Simpsons index indicate?

Answer 8

High biodiversity
High species richness and evenness
The ecosystem is stable and likely to withstand change
Not dominated by a particular species

Question 9

How to produce a random sample to reduce bias.

Answer 9

• Take samples at regular distances
• Generate random numbers (coordinates)
• number of samples must be representative of area
• Take repeats and calculate mean
• Avoid recounting
• sample at different times
• identification key

Question 10

Describe the sampling types

Answer 10

Stratified: different subgroups
Opportunistic: what turns up
Systematic: regular intervals

Question 11

What does polymorphic and loci mean?

Answer 11

Polymorphic: more than 2 alleles
Loci: position of a gene on a chromosome

Question 12

How can genetic diversity be assessed using calculations?

Answer 12

Proportion of polymorphic gene loci = number of polymorphic gene loci ÷ total number of loci

Question 13

What factors affect biodiversity?

Answer 13

Human population growth, global warning due to climate change, agriculture

Question 14

Problems with human population growth

Answer 14

Using resources such as land to our advantage
Loss of diversity
Extinction
Hunting
Killing for protection
Kill to prevent competition
Introduce new species
Contribute to climate change

Question 15

How does climate change impact biodiversity?

Answer 15

Forest fires, drought, tropical storms, ice caps melt, coral bleaching

Organisms cannot tolerate change so don’t survive

Question 16

Impact of agriculture on biodiversity

Answer 16

Monoculture (one crop species)
Removal of hedgerows
Deforestation
Soil depletion and erosion
Pesticides
Selective breeding

Question 17

Economic reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Answer 17

Ecotourism, medicine source, scientific research, reduce soil depletion

Question 18

Ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Answer 18

Protect keystone species (interdependence/part of food chain), maintain habitats, maintain genetic resources

Question 19

Aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Answer 19

Enjoyed by future generations, protecting landscapes which are beautiful to look at

Question 20

What is in situ conservation?

Answer 20

Protecting animals and plants in their natural habitat.
E.g. national parks, hunting bans, marine conservation zones, wildlife reserves

Question 21

What is ex situ conservation?

Answer 21

Protecting animals and plants away from their natural habitat
E.g. zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks

Question 22

Why is it better to store plants as seeds?

Answer 22

Produced in excess
Can be collected without damage to plant
Take up little space
Easier to store and transport
Less susceptible to disease
Genetic diversity
Viable for long periods of time

Question 23

Advantage of in situ

Answer 23

More likely to survive in wild
Little human contact
Protect whole populations
Less disruption to animals

Question 24

Disadvantages of in situ

Answer 24

Hard to enforce hunting bans
No protection from climate change
Cannot protect from extinction and intraspecific competition

Question 25

Advantage of ex situ

Answer 25

Animals are well fed
Monitored and treated for disease
Reduced intraspecific competition
Protection from hunters
Reduce mortality of young
Young can be hand reared
Mating and artificial selection

Question 26

Disadvantages of ex situ

Answer 26

Expensive, only care for small numbers, breeding less successful in captivity, less successful reintroduction, ethics

Question 27

What is CITES?

Answer 27

• conservation of international trade in endangered species
  Regulate and monitor trade in selected species, ensure trade in animals doesn’t threaten wild populations, less endangered animals can be traded, prohibit commercial trade of wild plants, allow artificially propagated plants to be sold

Question 28

What is CBD?

Answer 28

Rio convention on biological diversity

Promote ex situ conservation, share scientific knowledge, share genetic resources, international cooperation, sustainable use of organisms/habitats/ ecosystems

Question 29

What is CSS?

Answer 29

Countryside stewardship scheme

Sustainable beauty of the countryside
Maintain footpaths and remove litter
Improve habitats for animals
Preserve archaeological and historic sites