4.5-6 Species, Taxonomy and Biodiversity

Question 1

What is a species?

Answer 1

A group of organisms with similar characteristics

That can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 2

Why is courtship generally important?

Answer 2

Reproduction to survive
DNA is passed on to the next generation
Females only produce eggs at a certain time
So mating is successful

Question 3

Why do animals carryout courtship before mating?

Answer 3

Species recognition - so they can produce fertile offspring
Mating compatibility - sexually mature, fertile
Pair bond formation
Synchronised mating - when she is ovulating

Question 4

What is sign stimulus?

Answer 4

It will trigger a response in the partner that is visual

Aimed at furthering courtship behaviour

Question 5

What is innate behaviour?

Answer 5

Genetically inherited and unlearnt behaviour

Question 6

What is a releaser mechanism?

Answer 6

A nerve pathway that results in the right stimulus response allowing for innate behaviour to take place

Question 7

What is ecological niche?

Answer 7

The role of an organism in the ecosystem combination of its habitat and food type

Question 8

What is the stimulus chain response?

Answer 8

Stimulus - male carries out an action
Response - she responds with a specific action
Chain - proceeds to a chain of stimuli and responses

Question 9

What could be a cause of the stimulus-response chain braking in courtship?

Answer 9

She’s the wrong species
Not sexually mature
Not in her breeding cycle

Question 10

What is classification?

Answer 10

The organisation of living things into groups

Question 11

What is taxonomy?

Answer 11

The study of the theory behind classification and the formation of classification

Question 12

What is phylogeny?

Answer 12

The evolutionary relationships between organisms

Question 13

What is artificial and phylogenetic classification?

Answer 13

Artificial - pick common characteristics to put them into groups

Phylogenetic - based on evolutionary relationships

Question 14

How do more common features relate?

Answer 14

The more features they have in common the more recently they have evolved from a common ancestor

Question 15

Classifications are hierarchal - what does that mean?

Answer 15

They are groups contained within groups

And they are non-overlapping

Question 16

What is the modern classification system based on?

Answer 16

Three domains:

Bacteria
Archaea
Eukaryota

Which have some biochemical differences

Question 17

What is a mnemonic for the taxa of classification?

Answer 17

Delicious 
King
Prawn 
Curry
Over
Fat
Greasy
Sausages

Question 18

What are the actual taxa for classification?

Answer 18

Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Question 19

What are some eukaryota kingdoms?

Answer 19

Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia

Question 20

What is a common phylum?

Answer 20

Chordata

Question 21

How does the nomenclature work for naming a species?

Answer 21

The first name is the genus
The second name is the species

The first is a capital
The second is lowercase

Question 22

What do phylogenetic tree diagrams show?

Answer 22

Evolutionary relationships between organisms
And the relative time since the divergence from a common ancestor

The closer the branches are the more features the organisms will share

Question 23

What is a community?

Answer 23

All of the individuals of all species in a given habitat

Question 24

What is a population?

Answer 24

All of the individuals of one species in a particular habitat

Question 25

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 25

A particular area with specific community and environmental conditions

Question 26

What is species richness?

Answer 26

A measure of the number of different species in a community

Question 27

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 27

The variety of genes and alleles passed on by the individuals that makes up any one species

Question 28

What is ecosystem diversity?

Answer 28

The range of different habitats within a particular area

Question 29

What is species diversity?

Answer 29

The number of different species and the number of individuals of each species within a community

Question 30

What is a hostile environment?

Answer 30

A place you wouldn’t want to live

Extreme conditions

Question 31

What are some features of a hostile environment?

Answer 31

Lower diversity of organisms
Less stable ecosystem
Abotic factors dominate

Eg - desert

Question 32

What are some features of a less hostile environment?

Answer 32

Higher diversity of organisms
More stable ecosystem
Biotic factors dominate

Eg - rainforest

Question 33

What are the three categories of biodiversity?

Answer 33

Species
Genetic
Ecosystem

Question 34

How is index of diversity calculated?

Answer 34

d = N(N-1)
———
Σ n(n-1)

Where
N - total number of all species
n - total number of each species (do every on in the table)

Question 35

What are the factors for reducing diversity in an ecosystem?

Answer 35

Deforestation 
Monoculture 
Removal of hedgerows
Road building
Use of agrochemicals

Question 36

How is an ecosystem affected by deforestation?

Answer 36

Done for: road building, timber, farming, housing and land

Less competition for space
Destroys habitat
Food sources are removed

Question 37

How does monoculture affect an ecosystem?

Answer 37

Means there is only one species growing

Less competition for your required species
Reduced species diversity
Low genetic diversity from selective breeding

Question 38

How does removal of hedgerows affect an ecosystem?

Answer 38

Reduces competition as species richness is great in hedges
Makes more space for larger machinery
Removes many habitats

Question 39

How does road building affect an ecosystem?

Answer 39

Allows for vegetation to be transported
Allows larger vehicles to be used
Removes habitats
It can lead to speciation (if separated by the road)

Question 40

How does use of agrochemicals affect an ecosystem?

Answer 40

Fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are used

Reduces species richness, diversity and competition