Biodiversity Flashcards
what do rainforests provide?
- medicine
- food and products
- their own rainfall
what is biodiversity?
the variety of living organisms present in an area
what is habitat biodiversity?
the number of different habitats found within an area
what is species richness?
the number of different species living in a particular area
what is species evenness?
a comparison of the numbers of individuals of each species living in a community
what is genetic biodiversity?
the variety of genes within a species- many of these will be the same so it becomes the variety of alleles in a population
why do we measure biodiversity?
- important role in conservation
- informs scientists of the species that are present
- provides a baseline for the level of biodiversity in an area
- allows the effects, if any, to the environment to be measured
when is an environmental impact assessment taken?
before a major project
what does the EIA attempt to predict?
the positive and negative effects of a project on the biodiversity of an area
what does the EIA look for?
- gains/loses in variety of species
- gains/loses in space available for ecosystems and habitats
- gains/loses in physical connectiveness between ecosystems and habitats
- environmental changes within ecosystems and habitats
Suggest why the habitat biodiversity would be greater in the Amazon rainforest than the Sahara desert?
There is more food and shelter in the rainforest and has a less harsh environment than the desert
Explain why intensive farming has reduced the habitat diversity of the UK countryside?
- cutting down bushes to increase size of farms
- insects and birds home gone - pesticides and insecticides
What is sampling?
Taking measurements of a limited number of individual organisms present in a particular area
What is sampling used for?
To measure biodiversity of a habitat
What is random sampling?
Selecting individuals by chance
How can you make your sampling random?
Use a grid and generate random numbers
When is random sampling used?
Used if the area looks uniform or the distribution is patchy
Why is random sampling used?
- It removes bias
- ensures sample is representative
What is non random sampling?
An alternative sampling method where the sample is not chosen at random
What are the three ways non random sampling can be carried out?
- opportunistic
- stratified
- systematic
What is opportunistic sampling?
- weakest form of sampling as it may not be representative of the population
- uses organisms that are conveniently available
What is stratified sampling?
- some populations can be divided into strata (sub groups) based on a particular characteristic
- a random sample is then taken from each of these strata proportional to its size
What is systematic sampling?
- different areas within a habitat are identified and sampled
What are the types of transects
Line of belt