Biodiversity 6-8

Question 1

Natural Selection

Answer 1

-Process of selective pressure from environment determining which organisms will thrive/reproduce & pass on genes
-Over time populations will change to reflect successful traits & organisms will produce more offspring than killed
-Variation helps increase chance of species survival in specific environment
Ex: moths in great depression London

Question 2

Fitness/Survival

Answer 2

-Ability of organism live, grow, & reproduce effected by their adaptations, reproductive strategies, genetic diversity, environmental stability, & resource availability

Question 3

Heredity

Answer 3

-Ability/process of traits passing down from parent to offspring

Question 4

Adaptation

Answer 4

-Variation that gives advantages towards passing on genes

Question 5

Artificial Selection

Answer 5

-Decreases variation by selecting the most desirable traits from a population

Question 6

Selective Breeding

Answer 6

-Mating organism w desired traits

Question 7

Charles Darwin

Answer 7

-Came up with natural selection while discovering how worked on diverse small islands of the Galapagos

Question 8

Natural Selection

Answer 8

Directional- favours 1 extreme trait that population shifts towards (taller plants receive more sunlight)
Stabilizing- favours average traits, reduces variation (human birth weights, too low or high may die)
Disruptive- favours 2 extreme traits, opposites, while selecting against average (lizards small, hide, or large, compete)

Question 9

Extinction & Extirpation & Endangerment

Answer 9

Extinction- species no longer exists on out planet (saber-toothed tiger)
Mass Extinction- rapid widespread event where large amount of species die out in a short period of time
Extirpation- organism only disappears from a specific ecosystem or geographical region that it used to inhabit (earthworms in NA during ice age)
Endangered- organism’s numbers have decreased so much that they are at risk for excitation

Question 10

Latitudinal Diversity Gradient

Answer 10

-Pattern of biodiversity being highest towards the equator & decreasing closer to the poles
-Equator has stable climate, many food sources, & different shelter/habitats

Question 11

Biological Indicator Species

Answer 11

-Species that reflects health/state of environment (changes in its population provide info about their habitat or is a signal of pollution/ecological changes)
Ex: grizzly bears, top of the food chain (health reflects state of ecosystem), diverse diet & environment (biomagnification/accumulation)

Question 12

How humans decrease diversity

Answer 12

1. Trade of animal parts & exotic species
2. deforestation & habitat loss
3. climate change & pollution
4. introducing invasive species
5. overhunting & poaching

Question 13

How humans improve diversity

Answer 13

1. Laws + International Treaties- illegal to poach or trade animal parts
2. Nature Reserves + National Parks- protect animals & their habitat
3. Zoos + Breeding Programs- animals protected & offspring increases
4. Seed Banks- plants/seeds protected under special conditions (more seeds harvisted)