Adaptations Flashcards
What is genetic diversity?
The gene pool is a measure of all alleles within a population. The more extensive or more diverse a population gene pool is the more significant the population’s genetic diversity and therefore resilience to environmental change
Population?
a group of individuals of the same species living in the same location.
Gene pool?
The total number of individual alleles within a particular population
Why is genetic diversity important?
It is important to protect the longevity of a species by guarding it against disadvantageous environmental changes, such as disease or predators. The larger the population the greater the resilience to environmental change.
Advantages and disadvantages of Sexual reproduction
Advantages -
_ increases genetic diversity in a population therefore increasing the longevity of a species and its protection against environmental changes.
_ improve disease resistance by promoting the difference of alleles.
Disadvantages
_ The cost and time spent in making zygotes is time and resource-consuming.
_ risk of transferable diseases, and risk of losing offspring due to outside influence such as embryo damage.
Advantages and disadvantages of Asexual reproduction
Advantages
_ Populations grow faster
_ offspring are genetically identical to parents helpful for organisms in which their phenotype is adapted to a specific environment.
_ does not require a mate to reproduce and is not time-consuming.
Disadvantages
_ Genetic diversity is low therefore these populations may suffer during environmental change or be more susceptible to diseases.
What is embryo-splitting?
The division of an early embryo into several individual embryos.
Process: Fertaliasation ⇾ Early embryo ⇾ embryo splitting ⇾ surrogate mothers ⇾ genetically identical offspring.
The most common process is IVF
What are the Complications of embryo splitting?
⇾ Alteration of embryos: Some believe that alteration is acceptable however some believe that embryos are sacred
⇾ Genetic diversity: The diversity of a population is decreased leaving the species susceptible to disease and predators.
⇾ Research Animals: large production may lead to objectification and the abuse of animals.
What is a clone?
Genetically identical organisms or segments of DNA
What are reproductive cloning technologies?
artificially induced human interactions to produce genetically identical clones.
What is SCNT?
+ stages
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer is the transference of a somatic nucleus in an enucleated egg cell.
- Enucleation: the removal or destruction of the nucleus from the donated egg cell to produce an enucleated egg.
- Extraction: The donated somatic cell’s nucleus is extracted
- Insertion: The somatic cells’ nucleus is inserted into the enucleated egg cell.
- Development: Following insertion, the cell begins to divide and develop into an embryo, which is then implanted into a surrogate mother. The pregnancy then continues as normal.
Complications of SCNT?
⇾ Animal Suffering: Ofen SCNT is unsuccessful due to the non-viable embryos being produced to miscarriages during the pregnancy. Even animals that survive are at risk of a lower life expectancy.
⇾ Human Cloning: Applcation of SCNT in humans is illegal due to the destruction of embryos.
⇾ Premature Ageing: Clned animals age much quicker compared to natural species due to the shortening to telomeres.
Cloning in plants
produces little to no genetic diversity which again allows for the species to be susceptible to disease and predators.
Abiotic Factors
Non-living parts of an ecosystem that shapes the environment
⇾ pH
⇾ Temperature
⇾ Light
⇾ Water
Biotic Factors
Living organisms that affect/shape the environment
⇾ Food
⇾ Plants
⇾ Animals
⇾ Bacteria
Open Grassland Ecosystem Impact
High Human Impact
Dry Environment Impact
Medium Human Impact
Swap Environment Impact
Low Human Impact
Tolerance Levels
⇾ Optimum Range: climate conditions where an organism thrives
⇾ Zone of Physiological Stress: conditions where an organism can survive but with reproductive success
⇾ Zone of intolerance: conditions where an organism cannot survive (extremes of the limiting factor )
Adaptation Defenition
Genetically controlled structural physiological or behavioural features that enhance the survival; of an organism in a particular environment.
Surface Area to Volume Ratio for Hot Areas
Having a high SA:V in deserts absorbs or releases a high amount of quest quickly
Having A low SA:V will release or absorb a low amount. of heat quickly, therefore internal temperature is resistant to change.
Surface Area to Volume Ratio for Cold Areas
Having a low SA:V in cold temperatures releases heat slowly allowing for time to be taken to change body temperature. Most animals maintain spheric shape with a low SA:V to decrease heat loss
What are structural adaptations?
evolved modifications to an organism’s physical structure, e.g..
The gills of fish.
Beaver’s large and pointed teeth.
Duck’s webbed feet.
The flexible jaw of a snake.
What are physiological adaptations?
Evolved modifications to an organism’s internal functioning or metabolic processes, e.g.
temperature regulation,
release of toxins or poisons,
releasing antifreeze proteins to avoid freezing in cold environments
What are behavioural adaptations?
evolved modifications to an organism’s actions
e.g. bird calls and migration
hibernation
What are the limiting factors?
any conditions that approach or exceed the limits of a tolerance for an organism.
E.g. access to water, food, mates, shelter and sunlight
Relationships between organisms
⇒ Mutualism (+/+): interactions between two organisms of different species where both parties experience some overall benefit
⇒ Commensalism( +/0): interactions between two organisms of different species where one gains some benefit while the other experiences no significant benefit or harm
⇒ Predation (+/-): interactions between different species where one organism hunts and kills another organism for food
⇒Parasitism (+/-): interactions between two organisms of different species where one organism obtains nutrients at the expense of a
host organism
⇒ Amensalism (0/-): interactions between two organisms of different species where one organism experiences some negative effect while the other experiences neither a beneficial nor negative effect
⇒ Competition (-/-): interactions between two or more organisms competing for the same pool of resources
carrying capacity
the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely
Keystone species & It’s Types
A species whose effects on the ecosystem are more significant than expected in relation to their population size.
⇒ Apex Predators: Sit at the top of the food chain because they have no predators, They are responsible for controlling the number of prey therefore the number of organisms in the ecosystem.
Eg. Great white sharks control the number of organisms in the ocean by eating sea lions which eat fish, therefore, preventing unmanageable numbers.
⇒ Ecosystem Engineers: Organisms that create or significantly alter the structure of the environment.
Eg. The Bilby is responsible for digging holes whilst hunting for food and creates microhabitats for seeds and leaves to fall into while also trapping water.
Explain Fire Techniques for Aboriginal Land Management
Purposeful low burns were used to regenerate seed and grass growth by burning away all the shrubs. The plants were stimulated by fire and would regenerate seed growth and new grasses and plants would grow. This method for plants also kept bushfires away because there was not much bushland to act as fuel.
What are fire mosaics?
Small sections of land are burned specifically to make way for managing wildlife, managing crops, reducing fuel, and clearing paths and undergrowth.
Species richness
The number of different species in a region – this is the total number of species (both plant and animal) for each location.
Species evenness
How balanced are the numbers of each species in a habitat? The more ‘even’ the species in a habitat are, the greater the biodiversity as there are not one or two species dominating over the rest. To quantify this, ecologists will count each individual member of each species in what can be a time-consuming process. Instead, you evaluated the abundance of the species as low, medium, or high.
