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Biology Unit 1 > Biodiversity > Flashcards

Biodiversity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of life that exists in our biosphere.

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2
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

Any area on Earth that living things inhabits.

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3
Q

What are the three levels of biodiversity?

A

Gene, species and ecosystems.

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4
Q

What scale of biodiversity is the largest?

A

Ecosystem

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5
Q

What is a genome?

A

The complete set of DNA in an organism.

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6
Q

What is a gene pool?

A

The sum of all the genes, including all of their different forms, in a given population of one species (all the genes in a species).

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7
Q

What is a gene? Give an example.

A

A section of DNA in a chromosome that encodes an instruction, usually for a specific protein, which when expressed, may affect certain characteristics. E.g. hair colour. Genes are inherited by offspring and can come in different forms.

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8
Q

What is species biodiversity?

A

Biodiversity can refer to the existence of many different specie. The variety of species.

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9
Q

Give an example of species biodiversity.

A

The Swan coastal plain ecological community contains more than 1500 plant species and approximately 130 fish species in it’s rivers. Therefore the ecosystem has more than 1630 different gene pools.

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10
Q

What are the types of species concepts?

A

Biological, morphological and phylogenic species concepts.

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11
Q

What is a species?

A

A group of organisms that can interbreed in their natural environment to produce viable, fertile offspring.

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12
Q

What is the phylogenic species concept?

A

Identifies a species as being the smallest group of organisms that can all trace their origins to a single common ancestor.

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13
Q

What is the morphological species concept?

A

The most commonly applied.
Characterises species by their form, or morphology. For example comparing the skulls of humans and other species in the Homo genus.

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14
Q

What is the biological species concept?

A

A group of species who are able to interbreed in nature and produce viable fertile offspring.

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15
Q

What are the limits/exceptions of the biological species concept?

A

Cannot be applied to extinct species or fossils.
A grizzly bear can reproduce and produce viable, fertile offspring with a polar bear.

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16
Q

What is ecosystem biodiversity?

A

The number of different types of ecosystems present. The number of organisms in a region.

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17
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Living organisms (biotic factors) and the physical environment or non-living environment (abiotic factors) and their interactions.

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18
Q

What is the ecosystem concept?

A
  • describes the relationships between organisms and their environment
  • different ecosystems provide specialised habitats for its inhabitants to adapt to
  • a tool for understanding the complexity of life
  • continually developed and improved
  • can be difficult to determine the dividing line between ecosystems and often materials do cross between multiple ecosystems, it is not a closed system
19
Q

Describe what happens to the biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.

A
  • All components of an ecosystem are linked by the cycling of nutrients and raw materials within it. These materials include water, carbon, oxygen, phosphorous and other minerals.
  • Biotic factors are also linked through the transfer of energy through the system.
20
Q

What is genetic biodiversity?

A

All the different alleles in a gene pool.

21
Q

How does genetic diversity affect biodiversity?

A

Generally populations with higher genetic diversity are more resilient, can better survive sudden changes in the environment and are less susceptible to disease compared to populations with low genetic diversity.

22
Q

How are isolated populations genes affected?

A

Populations that are isolated from each other are likely to have a different genetic composition, depending on which individuals migrated together.

23
Q

What is a biodiversity hotspot?

A

A region with numerous endemic species and a large number of endangered or threatened species.

24
Q

What are the requirements for a biodiversity hotspot?

A
  1. Contain at least 1500 species of endemic vascular plants.
  2. Lost 70% of its primary vegetation.
25
Q

Why is biodiversity important?

A
  • Food/resource production
  • Education/culture
  • Ecotourism
  • Global climate
  • Ecosystem processes
26
Q

What are the 2 scales of biodiversity?

A
  • Temporal - time
  • Spacial - space
27
Q

Why do we measure biodiversity?

A

To see change and consequences of changes in ecosystems.

28
Q

Why is measuring biodiversity difficult?

A
  • Scale of ecosystems
  • Unpredictability of living organisms
29
Q

What are the ways of measuring biodiversity?

A
  • Species richness
  • Genetic diversity
  • Endemic species
  • Unique/diversity of ecosystems
30
Q

What is species richness?

A

The total number of species in an area.

31
Q

What is genetic diversity?

A

The total variety of genes in a species/area.

32
Q

What are endemic species?

A

Species that only occur in that area.

33
Q

What is ecosystem diversity?

A

The number and rarity of ecosystems.

34
Q

What is the spatial scale of biodiversity and why is it studied?

A
  • Refers to the space being occupied.
  • Studied to determine the extent of the ecosystem and the distribution of
    organisms within it.
35
Q

What is the temporal scale of biodiversity and why is it studied?

A
  • Studied over time.
  • Provide information about the biodiversity of organisms in an area over a certain time period
36
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

The living factors of an ecosystem.

37
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

The non-living factors of an ecosystem.

38
Q

List some examples of biotic factors.

A
  • Plant species
  • Animals/fauna
  • Detritus
  • Soil = debris and decaying organic matter
39
Q

List some examples of abiotic factors.

A
  • Oxygen levels
  • Oxygen availability
  • Salt levels
  • Sunlight intensity
40
Q

Describe what is meant by biodiversity. (4 marks)

A
  • Biodiversity is the biological diversity between living organisms.
    There are 3 levels:
  • Ecosystem = number of organisms in a region.
  • Species = number of species in an ecosystem.
  • Genetic = number of different alleles in a gene pool.
41
Q

Describe what is meant by a biodiversity hotspot. (4 marks)

A
  • A biodiversity hotspot is a region that has a high number of endemic species that are only found in that location.
    Requirements:
  • Needs more that 1500 endemic vascular plant species.
  • Lost 70% of its primary vegetation.
42
Q

State 4 reasons for protecting biodiversity. (4 marks)

A
  • Education benefits for research
  • Food security
  • Disease prevention
  • Protect ecosystems
43
Q

Explain the difference between ecosystems and species. (5 marks)

A
  • Ecosystems are the community of organisms,
  • their physical environment
  • and how they interact with that environment
  • Species are a group of organisms that interbreed in their natural environment
  • to produce viable fertile offspring.
44
Q

Why are agreements and cooperation at the international level are important for the maintenance of biodiversity? Use an example. (4 marks)

A
  • Some species migrate through the year
  • Crossing into multiple countries/jurisdictions where they might not be protected.
  • For example whale sharks migrate between tropical waters north and south of the equator, they are not protected in all these areas.
  • Therefore to save this endangered species biodiversity at an international level is necessary.

Biology Unit 1 (13 decks)

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