Biodiversity Flashcards
What is biodiversity
The variety of living organisms. It can be measured in terms of species diversity (number of species in a community), habitat diversity (range of different habitats) and genetic diversity (variety of alleles within a species)
Differentiate between species richness and species evenness
Species richness = number of species in an area
Species evenness = whether species have similar numbers
Discuss different types of sampling
Random = no particular system, however aim is still to be representative
Opportunistic = Those that are encountered first are chosen
Stratified = population divided into smaller groups based on a characteristic then sampled
Systematic = follows a particular pattern
Why is sampling important
We cannot study the whole population as that is impractical. Using a representative sample allows us to investigate the population easily
Describe how Simpsons index of Diversity is used
A measurement of the total number of organisms compared to the total number of each species
A high index of Diversity means several different species are equally abundant, whereas a low index means one or two species dominate over others
How can we assess genetic diversity
Total number of loci
What factors affect biodiversity
Population growth
Deforestation for agriculture
Climate change affecting habitats
Give reasons to maintain biodiversity
Ecological = protecting species, maintaining resources
Economic = reducing soil depletion
Aesthetic = protecting landscapes
Define conservation
The protection and management of species and habitats, in order to maintain biodiversity. Can be in-situ (in an organisms habitat) or ex-situ (outside an organisms habitat)
Give examples of in-situ conservation
Marine conservation zones
Wildlife reserves
Give examples of ex-situ conservation
Seed banks
Botanic gardens
Zoos
What are some agreements which were made with the aim of protecting species and habitats
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Rio Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS)
