Biodiversity

Question 1

what is an ecosystem? give an example of different ecosystems

Answer 1

a geographic area where a community of living organisms work together.

e.g Marine, desert, tropical, forest, swamp, parklands…

Question 2

Explain the Linnaean biological classification

Answer 2

The Linnaean system is based on similarities in obvious physical traits. It consists of a hierarchy of taxa, from the kingdom to the species.

Question 3

define a species

Answer 3

Taxonomic group allocated two names; only members of the same species can produce fertile offspring when mating under natural conditions.

Question 4

What are the different ways of classifying an organisms

Answer 4

cladistics & Linnaean

Question 5

explain cladistics

Answer 5

A method of grouping organisms that uses evolutionary lines of descent rather than structural similarities.

Question 6

define biodiversity

Answer 6

A variety of life and the ecosystems in which they survive, how organisms interact with both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of the world.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about DNA hybridisation is true?

a) if the chains of hybridised DNA separate at a high temperature the species is most closely related

b) DNA molecules are bound by covalent bonds

c) if the chains of hybridised DNA separate at a lower temperature the species is most closely related

d) partial hybridisation indicates that organisms are most likely unrelated

Answer 7

a) if the chains of hybridised DNA separate at a high temperature the species is most closely related

Question 8

Discuss why scientists today use a world wide classification system.

Answer 8

there are many tribes in Australia and, due to distance and differences in language, they would have had different names for the same organisms. Australian scientists are required to follow the ‘worldwide’ classification system.

Question 9

Describe the characteristics of a hybrid organism

Answer 9

usually sterile, it may have characteristics of both parents but these are not predictable

Question 10

Explain wether a liger would have a species name

Answer 10

A liger would not have a species name as its offspring would not be able to breed, and the ability to have fertile offspring is one of the characteristics that determines its species.

Question 11

contrast homologous structures and analogous structures

Answer 11

HOMOLOGOUS
- similar structures with slightly different functions indicating shared ancestry

ANALOGOUS
- structures with a similar function but no structural relationship

Question 12

Contrast abiotic and biotic

Answer 12

BIOTIC
- the living components in the environment

ABIOTIC
- the non-living physical factors that affect the ability of an organism to survive

Question 13

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 13

A fear of an organism that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Question 14

Describe the environmental conditions that are advantageous to living in water

Answer 14

LIVING IN WATER

• minerals such as salt
• oxygen doesn’t dissolve in water
• water absorbs light

Question 15

biodiversity can be measured as the…

Answer 15

measure of the variation of living organisms in a habitat ecosystems, or on earth

Question 16

Which of the following taxonomic ranks: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. Contains the largest number of organisms?

Answer 16

class

Question 17

one of the abiotic factors contributing to a rainforest ecosystem’s availability to support high species diversity is…..
a) deep leaf filter
b) low temperature
c) high rainfall
d) percentage canopy cover

Answer 17

c) high rain fall

Question 18

The species richness of an ecosystem is determine by what?

Answer 18

the number of species within an ecosystem

Question 19

percentage cover is a useful tool when measuring what?

a) rainforest canopy
b) changes in fish population over time
c) the average amount of time that crabs stay in a rock pool before moving onto another rock pool
d) the number of different species of plants growing in an urban park

Answer 19

a) rainforest canopy

Question 20

percentage frequency calculated in a vegetation survey provides information about what?

Answer 20

how often a plant species appears in samples

Question 21

what is the Simpsons diversity index?

Answer 21

allows for comparison of diversity between different areas

Question 22

two zebras are fighting over the same territory and limited resources including food and mates, this is an an example of what?

Answer 22

intraspective competition

Question 23

the ecosystem containing the highest diversity on earth is

Answer 23

rainforest

Question 24

offspring produced through asexual reproduction are
a) a genetic combination of a male parent and female parent
b) always prokaryotic
c) genetically identical to their parent
d) usual fertile

Answer 24

c) genetically identical to their parent

Question 25

abiotic factors include

Answer 25

non-living e.g air temperature and soil PH

Question 26

which of the taxonomic ranks contain the smallest number of organisms?

Answer 26

species

Question 27

kookaburras build their nests in three hollows. this is an example of…

Answer 27

commensalism