Biodiversity Flashcards
Define Biodiversity
It is the number of known specie in a habitat
It is also the variety of allele within a population
It can be measured by looking at genetic diversity between individuals of one specie and between species
Define specie richness
The number of different species in an area
Define relative specie abundance
The relative number of species in an area
Define Endemic specie
Is a specie that is only found in one place and evolved due to geographical location
Define biodiversity hotspot
An area with a particulary high level of biodiversity
Why they have rich biodiversity
- stable ecosystem allows many complex relationships to develop between species
- high levels of productivity (when photosynthesis rates are very high) can support more niches
- when organism can grow and reproduce rapidly, it is more likely that mutation occur, leading to adaptions which allow organism to exploit more niche
Diversity index formula
D= N(N-1)/ sum( n(n-1) )
D= diversity index N= the total number of organism of all species n = the total number of organism of each individual species - the abundance of different species
Sum - n(n-1)
Heterozygosity index formula
Heterozygosity index = number of heterozygotes / number of individual in the population
What does high heterozygosity index mean
- the higher the heterozygosity index the higher the diversity i.e. there is hgiher variety of alleles in the population
More variation in a population means they are more likely to survive environmental change
Define allele frequency
The frequency with which a particular allele appears within a population
Define population
A breeding group of individuals of the same species occupying a particular habitat and a particular niche
Define gene pool
The sum total of all the genes in a population at a given time
Define selection pressure
The effect of one or mroe environmental factors that determines whetehr an organism will be more or less successful at surviving and reproducing: selection pressure drives speciation
Gene and allele frequency
Mutation can increase the gene pool of a population by increasing the number of different allele available
If a mutation results in an advantageous feature , the allele will be selected for and so increase in frequency in the population
If the mutation is disadvantageous, natural selection will sometime result in its removal from the gene pool
The changes in allele frequency due to natural selection may lead to new species emerging
Define anatomical adaption
Involve form and structure of an organism