Biodiversity

Question 1

What is meant by the term ‘species diversity’?

Answer 1

refers to the number of different species and the number of individuals within a species, in a community

Question 2

What is meant by the term ‘genetic diversity’?

Answer 2

refers to the variety of genes possessed by individuals that make up the population of a species

Question 3

What is meant by the term ‘ecosystem diversity’?

Answer 3

refers to the range of different habitats

Question 4

What is meant by the term ‘species richness’?

Answer 4

the number of different species in a particular area at a given time

Question 5

Why is it more useful to calculate species diversity, rather than relying on species richness?

Answer 5

It measures number of species AND the number of individuals. Some species may only be present in small numbers

Question 6

What is meant by the term ‘biodiversity’?

Answer 6

the range and variety of alleles, species and habitats within a specific region

Question 7

How does the diversity of agricultural land differ from that of a natural ecosystem?

Answer 7

• agricultural land is controlled by humans.
• There is a smaller number of species and a smaller variety of alleles.
• Large amounts of species considered valuable reduce the space and nutrients available for other species

Question 8

Give 3 farming practices that directly reduce species diversity

Answer 8

• removal of hedgerows
• creating of mono-cultures
• filling in ponds/draining other wetlands
• over-grazing of land –> preventing regeneration of woodland

Question 9

Give 3 farming practices that indirectly reduce species diversity

Answer 9

• use of pesticides/inorganic fertilisers
• escape of effluent from silage stores
• absence of crop rotation and lack of inter-cropping

Question 10

Give 5 examples of conservation techniques to reduce the impacts of farming practices

Answer 10

• plant hedges as field boundaries
• reduce pesticide use/ use organic fertilisers
• use inter-cropping to control weeds
• maintain existing ponds
• leave wet corners of fields

Question 11

What are 4 ways of investigating genetic/bio diversity?

Answer 11

• comparing observable characteristics
• comparing DNA base sequence
• comparing mRNA base sequence
• comparing a/a sequence in proteins

Question 12

Give 3 limitations of comparing observable characteristics as a way of measuring diversity

Answer 12

• large numbers of observable characteristics are coded for by more than one gene
• difficult to distinguish
• Characteristics can be modified by the environment

Question 13

What is interspecific variation?

Answer 13

differences in organisms from two different species

Question 14

What is intraspecific variation?

Answer 14

members of the same species differ from one another

Question 15

Why may sampling not be an accurate representation of a population

Answer 15

• sampling bias
• chance

Question 16

Give 2 ways we can minimise the risk of chance impacting the sampling process

Answer 16

• bigger sample size
• analysis of the data collected

Question 17

Why is taking a larger sampling size good?

Answer 17

• reduce impact of anomalies
• reduce risk of chance
• increases reliability

Question 18

Why might biomass be used rather than the number of individuals?

Answer 18

individual organisms too small to count/could not be identified

Question 19

Why use sterilised soil when investigating plants?

Answer 19

• kill pathogens that cause disease
• no other fungi/bacteria
• no competitors