Biodiversity Flashcards
what is an ecosystem? give an example of different ecosystems
a geographic area where a community of living organisms work together.
e.g Marine, desert, tropical, forest, swamp, parklands…
Explain the Linnaean biological classification
The Linnaean system is based on similarities in obvious physical traits. It consists of a hierarchy of taxa, from the kingdom to the species.
define a species
Taxonomic group allocated two names; only members of the same species can produce fertile offspring when mating under natural conditions.
What are the different ways of classifying an organisms
cladistics & Linnaean
explain cladistics
A method of grouping organisms that uses evolutionary lines of descent rather than structural similarities.
define biodiversity
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.
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
a) if the chains of hybridised DNA separate at a high temperature the species is most closely related
Discuss why scientists today use a world wide classification system.
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.
Describe the characteristics of a hybrid organism
usually sterile, it may have characteristics of both parents but these are not predictable
Explain wether a liger would have a species name
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.
contrast homologous structures and analogous structures
HOMOLOGOUS
- similar structures with slightly different functions indicating shared ancestry
ANALOGOUS
- structures with a similar function but no structural relationship
Contrast abiotic and biotic
BIOTIC
- the living components in the environment
ABIOTIC
- the non-living physical factors that affect the ability of an organism to survive
What is an ecosystem?
A fear of an organism that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
Describe the environmental conditions that are advantageous to living in water
LIVING IN WATER
- minerals such as salt
- oxygen doesn’t dissolve in water
- water absorbs light
biodiversity can be measured as the…
measure of the variation of living organisms in a habitat ecosystems, or on earth
Which of the following taxonomic ranks: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. Contains the largest number of organisms?
class
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
c) high rain fall
The species richness of an ecosystem is determine by what?
the number of species within an ecosystem
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
a) rainforest canopy
percentage frequency calculated in a vegetation survey provides information about what?
how often a plant species appears in samples
what is the Simpsons diversity index?
allows for comparison of diversity between different areas
two zebras are fighting over the same territory and limited resources including food and mates, this is an an example of what?
intraspective competition
the ecosystem containing the highest diversity on earth is
rainforest
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
c) genetically identical to their parent
abiotic factors include
non-living e.g air temperature and soil PH
which of the taxonomic ranks contain the smallest number of organisms?
species
kookaburras build their nests in three hollows. this is an example of…
commensalism
