Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Biology > Biodiversity > Flashcards

Biodiversity Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms in an area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a species?

A

A species is a group of similar organisms able to reproduce to give fertile offspring

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a habitat?

A

A Habitat is the area inhabited by a species. It includes the physical factors, like the soil and temperature range, and the living factors, like availability of food or the presence of predators.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is habitat diversity?

A

The number of different habitats in an area. For example, a particular area could contain many different habitats- sand dunes, woodland, meadows, streams, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is species diversity?

A

The number of different species and the abundance of each species in an area. For example, a woodland could contain many different species of plants, insects, birds, and mammals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is genetic diversity?

A

The variation of alleles within a species. For example, the variation of alleles within the dog species gives rise to different breeds, such as a labrador or poodle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Why do biologists choose to take samples?

A

In most cases, it is too time-consuming to count every individual in a population so a sample is taken to make it easier.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How do you take a sample?

A
  • choose an area to be sampled
  • count the number of individuals of each species
  • repeat the process
  • use your results to estimate the total number of individuals
  • when sampling different habitats use the same sampling techniques
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What sampling technique do you use for crawling ground insects?

A

You can use a pitfall trap or a pooter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What sampling technique do you use for small organisms?

A

For small insects that live in soil or leaf litter, you could use a tullgren funnel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What sampling technique do you use for aquatic organisms?

A

You could use kick sampling

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What sampling technique do you use for organisms that live in long grass?

A

You could use a sweep net

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

When and how do you do a random sample?

A

To avoid bias you should use a random sampling technique. In a field, you divide it into a grid using measuring tapes and use a random number generator to select coordinates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

When and how do you do a non random sample?

A

It is necessary to take a non-random sample when there is a lot of variety in the distribution of species in the habitat and you want to make sure all the different areas are sampled.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is systematic sample and how do you carry it out?

A

This is when samples are taken at fixed individuals, often along a line.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is opportunistic sample and how do you carry it out?

A

This is when samples are chosen by the investigator. It is used because it is simple to carry out, but the data will be biased.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is stratified sample and how do you carry it out?

A

This is when different areas in a habitat are identified and sampled separately in proportion to their part of the habitat as a whole.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is species richness?

A

Species richness is the number of different species in an area. The higher the number of species, the greater the species richness. It is measured by taking random samples of a habitat and counting the number of different species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is species evenness?

A

Species evenness is a measure of the relative abundance of each species in an area. The more similar the population size of each species, the greater the species’ evenness. It’s measured by taking random samples of a habitat, and counting the number of individuals of each different species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is genetic diversity?

A

Genetic diversity is the variation of alleles within a species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Why is it important to do calculations to work out the genetic diversity of a population?

A

It is important because if a population has low genetic diversity, they might not be able to adapt to a change in the environment and the whole population could be wiped out by a single event

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What kinds of populations would be lower in genetic diversity?

A

Isolated populations like those in zoos/ bred in captivity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is a pedigree animal?

A

A pedigree animal is one that has been bred purely from animals of the same breed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is a rare breed?

A

A rare breed is usually a breed of farm animal that’s not used in large-scale farming

25
Q

What are the possible benefits of calculations of genetic diversity of a population?

A

Calculations can be used to monitor the genetic diversity of these populations over time and efforts can be made to increase the genetic diversity of the population if needed.

26
Q

What are alleles?

A

They are different versions of the same gene

27
Q

What is a locus/loci?

A

They are alleles of the same gene found at the same point on a chromosome

28
Q

What is polymorphism?

A

Polymorphism is when a locus that has two or more alleles

29
Q

What is the formula for working out the proportion of polymorphic gene loci?

A

number of polymorphic gene loci/total number of loci

30
Q

What causes habitat loss?

A

Human development is destroying habitats which decreases habitat diversity?

31
Q

What causes over exploitation?

A

A greater demand for resources means a lot of resources are being used up faster than they can be replenished. This decreases genetic diversity within populations, as well as decreasing species diversity.

32
Q

What causes pollution?

A

HIgh amounts of pollutants can kill species or destroy habitats which decreases biodiversity.

33
Q

What causes urbanisation?

A

Sprawling cities and major road developments can isolate species, meaning populations are unable to interbreed and genetic diversity is decreased.

34
Q

What is monoculture?

A

Monoculture is the growing of a single variety of crop

35
Q

How does monoculture lead to a decline in global biodiversity?

A
  • habitat is lost as land is cleared
  • local plants and animals are destroyed with pesticides and herbicides
  • heritage variety of crops are lost as they not planted any more
36
Q

What is climate change?

A

Climate change is the variation in the Earth’s climate. It occurrs naturally but the climate change we are experiencing at the moment is caued by humans increasing the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

37
Q

How do greenhouse gases cause global warming?

A

Greenhouse gases cause global warming, which causes other types of climate change.

38
Q

How does climate change affect biodiversity?

A
  • change in climate can make a habitat uninhabitable
  • can cause migration which changes species’ distribution
  • if it is too rapid it can cause a species to become extinct
39
Q

How are organisms in an ecosystem linked?

A

Organisms in an ecosystem are very interdependent- they depend on each other to survive. This means that the loss of just one species can have pretty drastic effects on an ecosystem.

39
Q

What does the loss of a species in an ecosystem cause?

A
  • it can cause the disruption of food chains
  • it can cause the disruption of nutrients cycles
40
Q

What are keystone species?

A

They are the species on which many of the other species in an ecosystem depend on and without which the ecosystem would change dramatically.
They are often predators but can also be modifiers or hosts.

41
Q

What are genetic resources?

A

Genetic resources refer to any material from which plants, animals or microorganisms, containing genes, that we find valuable. Genetic resources could be crops, plants used for medicines, micro-organisms using in industrial processes, or animal breeds.

42
Q

What products do genetic resources provide us with?

A
  • food and drink
  • clothing
  • drugs
  • fuels
  • other industrial materials
43
Q

How do genetic resources adapt to changes in the environmnet?

A

A good example is climate change may mean that some crops won’t be able to grow in the same areas as they do now. However, we may be able to use genes from a plant that’s resistant to droughts to genetically engineer a drought resistant crop.

44
Q

What is continuous monoculture?

A

Continuous monoculture involves planting the same crop in the same filed without interruption

45
Q

What are the effects of continuous monoculture?

A

Continuous monoculture causes soil depletion because the nutrients required by the crop are gradually used up. This causes larger economic costs of soil depletion include increased spending on fertilisers and decreased yields.

46
Q

What are the aesthetic reasons for conserving biodiversity?

A
  • Areas rich in biodiversity provide pleasant, attractive landscapes that people can enjoy. By maintaining biodiversity we protect these beautiful landscapes.
  • The more biodiversity in an area the more visitors the area is likely to attract- this also has economic advantages
47
Q

What is in situ conservation?

A

It means on-site conservation and involves protecting species in their natural habitat. Conservation is important to ensure the survival of endangered species.

48
Q

What are the methods of in situ conservation?

A
  • establishing protected areas as national parks and wildlife reserves
  • restricting urban development and farming
  • controlling or preventing the introduction of species that threaten local biodiversity
  • protect habitats
  • promoting particular species
  • giving legal protection to endangered species
49
Q

What is an advantage of in situ conservation?

A

Often both the species and their habitat are conserved. Larger populations can be protected and it is less disruptive than removing organisms from their habitats. The changes in the population are greater than with ex-situ methods.

50
Q

What is a disadvantage of in situ conservation?

A

It can be difficult to control some factors that threatening a species

51
Q

What is ex situ conservation?

A

Ex situ conservation means off-site conservation- it involves protecting a species by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location. It is often used as a last resort.

52
Q

What are the methods of ex situ conservation?

A
  • relocating an organism to a safer area
  • breeding organisms in captivity and then reintroducing them to the wild when they are strong enough
  • Botanic gardens for the research and conservation of plants which can also be reintroduced
  • seed banks
53
Q

What are the advantages of ex situ conservation?

A

It can be used to protect individual animals in a controlled environment- things like predation and hunting can be managed more easily. It can also be used to reintroduce species that have left an area.

54
Q

What are the disadvantages of ex situ conservation?

A

Usually, only a small number of individuals can be cared for. It can be difficult and expensive to create and sustain the right environment. In fact, animals that are habituated may be less likely to exhibit natural behavior and are more susceptible to disease from humans. It is often less successful and many species cannot breed successfully or adapt to their new environments.

55
Q

What is the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)?

A

It aims to develop international strategies for the conservation of biodiversity and how to use animal and plant resources in a sustainable way. The convention made it part of international law that conserving biodiversity is everyone’s responsibility. It also provides guidance to governments on how to conserve biodiversity.

56
Q

What is the countryside stewardship scheme?

A

The countryside stewardship scheme was introduced in 1991. Some of its aims were to conserve wildlife and biodiversity and to improve and extend wildlife habitats by promoting specific management techniques and landowners.
The government offered 10-year agreements to pay landowners who followed the management techniques they were suggesting. For example, to regenerate hedgerows, to leave grassy margins around the edge of fields where wildflowers can grow, and to graze upland areas to leep down bracken.

56
Q

What is the CITES agreement?

A

CITES the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species is an agreement designed to increase international cooperation in regulating trade in wild animal and plant specimens. The member countries all agreed to make it illegal to kill endangered species. The agreement helps to conserve species by limiting trade through licending, and by making it illegal to trade in products made from endangered animals. it is also designed to raise awareness of threats to biodiversity through education.

Biology (26 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions