Biodiversity Flashcards
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living organisms in an area
What is a species?
A group of similar organisms that can breed together to produce fertile offspring.
What is a habitat?
The area inhabited by a species. It includes all the biotic and abiotic factors.
What is habitat diversity?
The number of different habitats in an area.
What is species diversity?
The number of different species and the abundance of each species in an area.
What is genetic diversity?
The variation of alleles within a species or population of species.
How is sampling used to measure biodiversity?
1) Choose an area to sample.
2) Count the number of individuals of each species. This varies depending on the organism being studied.
3) Repeat the process to give a better sample of the whole habitat.
4) When comparing habitats, use the same sampling technique.
Why is random sampling better than non-random sampling?
To avoid your results being biased
How could a random sapling technique be used to investigate plant species in a field?
Divide the field into a grid using a measuring tape.
Then use a random number generator to select random coordinates.
Then investigate the plants in these coordinates.
When would it be necessary to use non-random sampling techniques?
When there is lots of variety in the distribution of species in the habitat and you want to make sure all the different areas are sampled.
What are the three types of non-random sampling?
Systematic
Opportunistic
Stratified
What is systematic sampling?
Give an example of a technique
When samples are taken at fixed intervals, often along a line.
Quadrats placed along a transect.
What is opportunistic sampling?
When samples are chosen by the investigator.
It is simple but the data is biased.
What is stratified sampling?
When different areas in a habitat are identified and sampled separately in proportion to the habitat as a whole.
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richness and evenness
