Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

A level OCR Biology > 4.2.1 Biodiversity > Flashcards

4.2.1 Biodiversity Flashcards

1
Q

how do you decide what species to conserve?

A

by the IUCN

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what does the IUCN stand for?

A

International Union for the Conservation of Nature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what does the IUCN do?

A

puts animals into categories on either a red list of threatened species or a green list of species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what does it mean when the IUCN create a green list of species?

A

it measures the impact of conservation efforts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are the different categories that the IUCN put animals in from most severe to least severe?

A
  1. extinct
  2. extinct in the wild
  3. critically endangered
  4. endangered
  5. vulnerable
  6. near threatened
  7. least concern
  8. data deficient
  9. not evaluated
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

how do we conserve species?

A

-in situ
-ex situ
-habitat management and restoration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what does in situ conservation mean?

A

within the species natural habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

how can in situ conservation occur?

A

through habitat restoration and population monitoring and management

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

how can ex situ restoration occur?

A

through breeding programmes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what are some threats to snow leopards?

A

-prey species competition with livestock
-habitat degradation
-being killed in retaliation for killing livestock
-poaching for illegal trade in their fur, bones and other body parts
-human infrastructure and activity
-climate change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what are some conservation actions for snow leopards?

A

-legislation
-community engagement
-establishing protected areas
-education and training (anti-poaching)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

define habitat

A

the part of an ecosystem where a particular organism lives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

define ecosystem

A

the interactions between all organisms, and their environment in a particular area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

define abiotic factor

A

the non-living physical and chemical factors in an ecosystem that affect a populations distribution and abundance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

define population

A

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time who can interbreed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

define niche

A

the role of an organism within an ecosystem, the effects it has on other components of the ecosystem and the effects they have on it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

define biotic factor

A

an environmental factor caused by other living organisms that affect a populations distribution and abundance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

define community

A

the sum total of all living organisms of all species living in the same place at the same time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

define species

A

a group of organisms that are able to breed together to make fertile offspring and have the same morphology, anatomy physiology and behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

define biodiversity

A

the variety of living organisms present in an area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

why is biodiversity important?

A

biodiversity is fundamental to sustainable life and is essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem for all organisms due to interdependence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what are the different levels of biodiversity?

A

-habitat biodiversity
-species biodiversity
-genetic biodiversity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

describe habitat biodiversity

A

the number of different habitats found within an area- each habitat can support multiple different species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what are the two types of species biodiversity?

A

-species richness
-species evenness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
describe species richness
the number of different species found within an area
26
describe species evenness
a comparison of the numbers of individuals of each species living in a community
27
describe genetic biodiversity
the variety of genes that make up a species
28
what are the impact of genes?
-many genes will be the same for individuals in a species -different alleles increase the genetic biodiversity of a species -greater genetic biodiversity within a species allows for better adaptation to a changing environment and is more likely to lead to individuals who are resistant to disease
29
why do we need to measure biodiversity?
-provides a baseline for the diversity of an area -allows the affect of any changes in the environment to be measured -conservation -to know what species are present
30
what is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?
an assessment undertaken before a major project is carried out (e.g. a new road), to predict the positive and negative effects of a project on the biodiversity in that area
31
what do EIA's look at?
-environmental changes within ecosystems and habitats -potential gains/losses in: the variety of species, the variety and abundance within in species, the space available for ecosystems and habitats, the physical connectedness between ecosystems and habitats
32
why do rainforests matter?
-a constant supply of sunlight and water in rainforests has encouraged the proliferation of species -the warmth and humidity below the canopy allow pathogens to abound -they are the source of much food and other products such as Brazil nuts, bananas, rubber and resins -rainforests store around half of Earth's available fresh water -it's been estimated that the Amazon creates as much as 80% of its own rainfall -rainforests are crucial in the Earth's carbon cycle -up to half of all the carbon stored in land based ecosystems resides in rainforests
33
what is sampling?
sampling takes measurements of a limited number of organisms within a particular area
34
what does sampling allow us to do?
-estimate the abundance of organisms -measure a particular characteristic -assess human impact on habitats and biodiversity
35
why do we sample?
-to measure to biodiversity of a habitat -observe all species present -identify all species -count how many individuals are in each species
36
what are the different types of sampling?
-random sampling -non random sampling
37
when is random sampling used?
areas with uniform or patchy distributions- this removes bias and ensure that the sample is representative
38
what are the characteristics of the process of random sampling?
-selects area/individuals by chance -uses a grid and generates random coordinates
39
what are the types of non-random sampling?
-opportunistic sampling -stratified sampling -systematic sampling
40
when is opportunistic sampling used?
biologists use this method because it is easy
41
what are the characteristics of the process of opportunistic sampling?
-chooses samples that are conveniently available -weakest form of sampling
42
when is stratified sampling used?
-to calculate populations for individual strata (sub-group) and the total population -can produce precise results for the strata in each population
43
what are the characteristics of the process of stratified sampling?
-splits populations based on characteristics -each strata is sampled
44
when is systematic sampling used?
to see changes in populations over a given stretch of habitat
45
what are the characteristics of the process of systematic sampling?
-sampling different areas within a habitat -often uses a line or belt transect over an environmental gradient
46
what is a line transect?
lay tape measure down and count what it touches
47
what is a belt transect?
place quadrat at set intervals along transect
48
why is a sample never fully representative?
-sampling bias= selection process may be biased -chance= organisms selected may not be representative of the whole population
49
how can sampling bias be reduced?
random sampling
50
how can chance be eliminated in sampling?
can be minimised by using a larger sample
51
what are the methods for plant sampling?
-frame quadrat -point quadrat
52
what is a point quadrat?
count what touches the pole
53
what are the methods for animal sampling?
-mammal trapping -pooter -tree beating -kick sampling -pitfall traps -sweep nets -Tullgren funnels -capture - mark- release- recapture
54
what does mammal trapping involve?
often pressure plated or motion censored
55
what are Tullgren funnels used for?
for different invertebrates found in soil
56
how do Tullgren funnels work?
-involves soil on a gauze -light bulb above soil produces heat and causes insects to burrow down -they fall down the funnel into a beaker
57
describe how capture-mark-release-recapture
1.capture as many animals as possible 2.mark each individual before releasing it back into the sample area-ensure that you give them time to redistribute 3.recapture as many individuals as possible 4.record the number of marked and unmarked 5.calculate the population size using a formula
58
what's the formula for the capture-recapture method?
*see paper flashcard*
59
describe the important of measuring abiotic factors
-abiotic factors have a direct effect on the living organisms of an area -to enable scientists to draw conclusions about the organisms present in an area, it is important to measure the abiotic conditions at every sample point
60
what sensor is used to measure wind speed and what is it measured in?
anemometer, m s⁻¹
61
what sensor is used to measure light intensity and what is it measured in?
light meter, lux
62
what sensor is used to measure relative humidity and what is it measured in?
humidity sensor, mg dm⁻³
63
what sensor is used to measure pH and what is it measured in?
pH probe, pH
64
what sensor is used to measure temperature and what is it measured in?
temperature probe, °C
65
what sensor is used to oxygen content in water and what is it measured in?
dissolved oxygen probe, mg dm⁻³
66
how can you measure the biodiversity of an area?
one measure of the biodiversity of an area is species diversity
67
what does it mean the greater the species diversity?
the greater the stability of the community
68
what communities have large numbers of evenly distributed species in large populations?
the most stable communities
69
what does the Simpsons Index of Diversity take into account?
-species richness -species evenness
70
what is species richness?
the number of different species living in a particular area
71
what is species evenness?
a comparison of the numbers of individuals of each species living in a community
72
in the Simpsons Index of Diversity equation, what does N stand for?
total number of organisms of all species
73
in the Simpsons Index of Diversity equation, what does n stand for?
total numbers of organisms of a particular species
74
describe the results of the Simpsons Index of Diversity
Simpsons Index of Diversity always results in a value between 0 and 1, where 0 represents no diversity and 1 represents infinite diversity. The higher the value of D, the more diverse the habitat.

A level OCR Biology (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions