biodiversity Flashcards
what is a species?
capable of breeding to produce living, fertile offspring
what is the binomial system?
naming species system
what are the important features of the binominal system?
– a universal system based upon Latin or Greek names
– first name = generic name
– second name = specific name
how does courtship behaviour help to ensure reproduction?
– recognise members of their own species
– identify a mate that is capable of breeding
– form a pair bond
– become able to breed
what is artificial classification
dividing organisms according to differences that are useful at the time such as colour and size.
what is phylogenetic classification?
– evolutionary relationships between organisms
– classifies species into groups using shared features derived from their ancestors
– arranges the groups into a hierarchy
what features do all bacteria have?
– no membrane-bound organelles
– unicellular
– ribosomes are smaller (70s)
– cell walls are present
– single loop of DNA - no histones
how are archaea different from bacteria?
– their genes and protein synthesis are more similar to eukaryotes
– membranes contain fatty acids
– there is no murein
– more complex form of RNA polymerase
what are the features of Eukarya?
– membrane-bound organelles
– have membranes containing fatty acid chains attached to glycerol
– not all possess cells with a cell wall
– ribosomes are larger
what is the order of classification system?
– kingdom
– phylum
– class
– order
– family
– genus
– species
what are the three components of biodiversity?
– species diversity
– genetic diversity
– ecosystem diversity
what is species diversity?
number of different species and the number of individuals of each species within any one community
what is genetic diversity?
variety of genes possessed by the individuals that make up a population of a species
what is ecosystem diversity?
range of different habitats, from a small local habitat to the whole of the earth
what are some practises that directly remove habitats?
– removal of hedgerows
– creating monocultures
– filling in ponds and draining marsh
– over-grazing of land
what are some practises that indirectly remove habitats?
– use of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers
– escape of effluent from silage stores
– absence of crop rotation
what are some conservation techniques?
– maintain hedgerows
– plant hedges
– maintain existing ponds
– leave wet corners of fields rather than draining them
– plant native trees
– reduce use of pesticides
– use organic fertiliser
– crop rotation
– create natural meadows
what are the different ways in which you can measure genetic diversity?
– compare physical characteristics
– compare base sequence of mRNA
– compare base sequence of DNA
– compare amino acid sequences
why might random sampling not be representative?
– sampling bias
– chance
