Biodiversity

Question 1

What is a habitat?

Answer 1

• a place where an organism lives

Question 2

What is biodiversity?

Answer 2

Variety of living organisms found in a particular place

Question 3

What are the three levels ?

Answer 3

• Habitat
• Species
• Genetic

Question 4

What is Habitat diversity?

Answer 4

number of different habitats in an area the number of habitats increases biodiversity increases

Question 5

What is species biodiversity?

Answer 5

It has two components species.
Species richness - number of different types of species living in an area
Species evenness tells us the relative abundance of each species in an area.
- It may be balanced or imbalanced.
- Biodiversity increases as the number of species increases and the population becomes more balanced.

Question 6

What is genetic biodiversity?

Answer 6

Range of genetic diversity within a species
- Helps populations adapt to changes in the environment
- The variation of alleles

Question 7

What is Sampling ?

Answer 7

Biologists taking a representative estimate of a population

Question 8

What are the 6 sampling techniques ?

Answer 8

Quadrat: count number of species or measure percentage cover
Pitfall trap—container placed soil level; count them
- Tullgren funnel: sample of soil light causes them to move down to container
- Pooter - straw
-Sweeping nets: organisms in air or in long grass
Kick sampling - in water net placed on water kicked and organisms flow in the net

Question 9

What is random sampling?

Answer 9

Using a random number generator
Pro: Removes bias
- Con: By chance sample may not be representative; minimize by taking large number of samples

Question 10

What is non-random sampling ?

Answer 10

Opportunistic sampling
- choose where to sample e.g - avoid hard to reach areas
Stratified sampling
- Samples are representative to their size -
- Systematic sampling
-

Question 11

What do you use to measure habitat biodiversity ?

Answer 11

• Simpsons Index of Biodiversity

Question 12

How is genetic biodiversity measured ?

Answer 12

Proportion of polymorphic genes loci = number of polymorphic gene loci / total number of loci

Question 13

Where is it important to measure genetic biodiversity ?

Answer 13

• in isolated populations , as they usually have lower GB, which needs to be monitored so they can adapt and survive if environment changes

Question 14

What is ecological reasons important for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 14

• Ecological- genetic biodiversity allows for adaptations to changes in the environment.
  -Protect keystone species
• which are species that have a large affect on the ecosystem e.g - beavers

Question 15

Describe some aesthetic reasons to maintain biodiversity.

Answer 15

• Provides joy and inspiration

Question 16

Describe some economic reasons to maintain biodiversity.

Answer 16

• promotes tourism
• drug developments

Question 17

What are factors that affect biodiversity?

Answer 17

Human population growth
Agriculture: monoculture and using fertilizers and pesticides
- Climate change - species that are unable to adapt extinct
- Rising sea levels
- Flooding

Question 18

What are the two types of conservation methods ?

Answer 18

In Situ
Ex Situ

Question 19

What is In situ ?

Answer 19

• In Situ, within natural habitat
  Wildlife reserve: provides protection from humans and excess hunting
  Marine conservation zone - prevents overfishing and pollution in the water

Question 20

What is Ex situ ?

Answer 20

Outside the natural habitat
Zoos: protect animals in human controlled environment / educate others , breeding programmes to increase species population size
- Botanic gardens
- Seed banks
not all seeds can be stored in seed banks

Question 21

What are the three conservation agreements ?

Answer 21

• Conservation on international trade in endangered species
  -Rio convention on Biological diversity
• Countryside stewardship scheme: gives money to farmers to conserve English landscape

Question 22

In Situ, within natural habitat
Wildlife reserve: provides protection from humans and excess hunting
Marine conservation zone - prevents overfishing and pollution in the water