Biodiversity Flashcards
How are species interconnected?
- all species are interconnected, e.g, animals eat plants that need fertile soil to grow.
- fungi and decomposers return nutrients to the soil.
Why is biodiversity important?
biodiversity maintains a balanced ecosystem for all organisms
A balanced ecosystem provides us with food, oxygen
Human activity reduces biodiversity
what human activities reduce biodiversity
farming, clearing land for housing, pollution, climate change
what regions have the most biodiversity?
tropical moist regions that are warm all year round.
which regions have the least biodiversity?
very cold or very dry areas (arctic and desserts)
what assessment predicts the positive and negative effects of a project?
Environmental Impact Assessment
what are different types of biodiversity?
- habitat biodiversity
- species biodiversity
- genetic biodiversity
Habit biodiversity definition
refers to the number of different habitats found within an area.
examples of a habitat?
meadows, woodlands, streams
2 components of species diversity?
- species richness
- species evenness
species richness
the number of different species living in a particular area.
species evenness
a comparison of the numbers of individuals of each species living in a community.
Genetic biodiversity definition
the variety of genes that makes up a species
habitat definition
area where an organism lives
what area of the world is more biodiverse
the equator is more biodiverse than the poles
a word meaning the growth of only one type of crop
monoculture
simpsons index of biodiversity values
n = number of organisms in one given species present
N = total number of organisms
greater the simpsons index number
the more diverse a community
calculating genetic diversity
(polymorphic gene loci/ all gene loci) × 100
polymorphic gene loci meaning
a position on a chromosome where a gene has more than one allele
Random sampling pros and cons
+ minimal bias
- occasionally data may not be relevant to investigation
Systematic sampling definition
individuals selected at regular intervals within target area
systematic sampling pros and cons
+ easy to implement
- can introduce bias
stratefied sampling definition
population partitioned into groups with similar characteristics. When dampling an environment, for example, the region can be divided into different areas and sampled separately
