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GCSE Biology > B6 > Flashcards

B6 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is natural selection?

A

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring over those worse adapted

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2
Q

What is evolution?

A

The changing of an organisms phenotype over time, through the process of natural selection

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3
Q

What characteristic makes a defines a species?

A

The ability to breed and produce fertile offspring

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4
Q

What is speciation?

A

When a species phenotype changes so much that a new species is formed

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5
Q

How does observation of fossils provide evidence for evolution?

A

Fossils can tell us what an organism looked like.

By arranging fossils in chronological order, we can see how its appearance has evolved

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6
Q

What are fossils?

A

Any trace of an animal or plant which lived long ago, usually found in rocks

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7
Q

What is selective breeding?

A

Purposely selecting and mating the best organisms in order to get the best offspring

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8
Q

What is the problem with selective breeding?

A

It reduces the gene pool, which leads to inbreeding:
Inbreeding can increase the likelihood of the organisms developing harmful genetic disorders
It also means if a new disease appears, it is likely that the majority of the stock will be infected, as they all have very similar genes

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9
Q

How did Darwin come up with the evolution theory?

A

He made observations about fossils and living organisms
He noticed there was variation in the same species, where those most suited to their environment would survive.
He carried out selective breeding to show how a selection of particular characteristics could lead to genetic variants.

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10
Q

How has the theory of influenced modern biology?

A
  • Classification- as we now know we are all related in some way, we can classify organisms based on how closely related they are
  • Bacteria- as we now know bacteria can evolve and adapt to antibiotics, we know the importance of finishing the course and developing new antibiotics to fight new evolving bacteria
  • Conservation- we now know the importance of maintaining genetic variation
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11
Q

What are the advantages of asexual production?

A

Can reproduce very quickly as only one parent is required. This means one can colonise a new area rapidly

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12
Q

What are the disadvantages of asexual reproduction?

A

No genetic variation so whole population could be affected by one factor

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13
Q

What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?

A

Genetic variation, so if there is a change, at least some organisms will most likely be able to cope
Evolution over time which allows them to be better adapted to their environment

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14
Q

What are the disadvantages of sexual reproduction?

A

Two parents required, so reproduction takes more time, so there is fewer offspring

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15
Q

What is classification?

A

Organising living organisms into groups

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16
Q

What do evolutionary trees show?

A

Show how species are related to each other

17
Q

How were organisms originally classified?

A

Through observable similarities and differences

18
Q

How are organisms classified now?

A

DNA analysis allows find out differences between organisms in huge detail.
By using DNA sequencing, we can also estimate how long ago two species separated from each other

19
Q

What does biodiversity depend on?

A
  • Variety of organisms living in an area
  • Diversity of genes and alleles
  • Diversity of ecosystems in a particular area
20
Q

What human interactions can reduce biodiversity?

A
  • Increasing human population
  • Industrialisation
  • Globalisation
  • Habitat destruction
  • Waste
  • Sharing resources
21
Q

What is sustainability?

A

Meeting the needs of today’s population without harming the environment or using up resources the future generations will need to meet their needs

22
Q

What conservation techniques can we use?

A
  • Protecting specific species
  • Protecting habitats and ecosystems
  • Preventing ecosystem damage
23
Q

State 2 environmental changes that affect the distribution of organisms

A
  • Water levels (e.g. too little water may cause organisms to migrate to where there is enough)
  • Atmospheric gases (e.g. some species of lichen cannot grow in areas where sulfur dioxide levels are high)
24
Q

How does maintaining biodiversity benefit wildlife and humans?

A
  • Protects food supply
  • Ensures minimal damage to food chains
  • Provides future medicine
  • Provide industrial materials
25
Q

What are the economic problems with maintaining biodiversity?

A
  • it can be expensive conserve species and habitats.
  • Protecting some species and habitats may include preventing countries from exploiting them which is damaging to their economy
26
Q

What methods are there for improving food security?

A
  • Improved nutrition
  • Control of pests
  • Protection against pathogens
  • Plant hormones
  • Selective breeding
27
Q

What is food security?

A

The state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

28
Q

What are the moral problems with maintaining biodiversity?

A
  • There is often no direct benefit to humans, so is it worth it?
  • Protecting some species and habitats may include preventing countries from exploiting them which is damaging to their economy, therefore some people believe human development should take priority
29
Q

What are some ecological problems with maintaining biodiversity?

A

As ecosystems and food chains are incredibly complex, protecting one species may have a knock on effect and cause more harm that it stops

30
Q

What are some political problems with maintaining biodiversity?

A
  • Some conservation schemes require international cooperation, and this can be hard to achieve
  • Conservation schemes also often involve local communities, and they often damage local economies, therefore cooperation may be hard to achieve
31
Q

What are the main reasons that cause a lack of food security?

A
  • Environmental change
  • Changing diets in wealthy populations
  • New pests and pathogens
  • Unsustainable methods of producing food
  • Costs of products

GCSE Biology (11 decks)

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