A4.2 Conservation of biodiversity

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

Biodiversity: variety/ multiformity of life

Exist at multiple levels:
1. ecosystem diversity
- variety in the combinations of species living tgt in communities
- diversity is partly due to the very varied environments on Earth
- also partly due to the geographical ranges of organisms
2. species diversity
- the many diff species on the evolutionary tree of life
- these species have varied body plans, internal structure, life cycles, modes of nutrition
3. genetic diversity within species
- variety in the gene pool of each species
- variation between both geographically separated populations & within populations
- species with only a few surviving Indivs inevitably have little genetic diversity & problems due to inbreeding