Biodiversity Flashcards
How do you select squares at random?
Layout tape measures as axis
Use random number generator to get coordinates for particular square in grid
Definition of biodiversity?
A measure of the number and type of organisms in a certain area
Mixture of richness and eveness
How do you calculate richness?
Take appropriate samples in habitat
Record all species
Qualitative data (list of names)
How do you calculate evenness?
Take appropriate samples in habitat
Record all species
Record number of each species/% cover
Quantitative data (number of individuals of each species)
What 2 ways are there for measuring genetic diversity?
Look at observable features
Count the number of different alleles for a specific locus
What is the problem with using observable features to measure genetic diversity?
Unreliable as you don’t know exactly what alleles they have, just an indicator
What is the definition of a locus?
The position of a gene on a chromosome
How do you calculate the genetic diversity?
Work out the proportion of loci that have more than 1 allele
Proportion of polymorphic gene loci=
Number of polymorphic gene loci/
Total number of loci
What does polymorphic gene loci mean?
Polymorphic - Different versions
Gene loci - location of gene
What are SNP’s
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
Reason for human differences, very small
What is Simpson’s diversity index?
Measures biodiversity of a habitat (richness and evenness)
D = 1 - (sum of (n/N²))
What does everything mean in the Simpson’s diversity index?
D = 1 - (sum of (n/N²))
D - Diversity
n - Number of individuals in species
N - Total number of things
What 3 factors affect biodiversity?
Human population growth
Climate change
Agriculture
How does human population growth affect biodiversity?
Habitats destroyed for housing/roads etc
Hunting/poaching - eg dodo birds
More pollution/greenhouse gases eg CO2, methane which cause climate change
How does climate change affect biodiversity?
Icebergs melt - no habitat for things that live on them, sea levels rise, temperature lowers, currents change
More dry - Only xerophytes survive so less diversity
Increase forest fires
How does agriculture negatively affect biodiversity?
Pesticides kill pests/insects but also kill beneficial insects (bees)
Habitat destroyed to use land for a monoculture
How can agriculture positively affect biodiversity?
Get subsidies from government to maintain/grow hedges
What are the 3 reasons for conservation?
Ecological
Economical
Aesthetic
What are ecological reasons for conservation?
Interdependence - species depend on each other
Keystone species - presence affects many in the habitat
Genetic resource - Wild varieties may have useful features like disease resistance
What are the economical reasons for conservation?
Tourism - eg safaris
Monoculture - 1 crop, decrease diversity
Soil depletion - monoculture could require certain minerals like nitrates and deplete stores in the soil
Rare plants can be sold for a lot of money
What are the aesthetic reasons for conservation?
Landscapes are nice to look at
Nature parks to visit eg when dog walking
What is the definition of ex situ conservation?
Conserving an endangered species by activities that take place outside its normal habitat
What is the definition of botanical garden?
A collection of plants all together in one place, like a zoo for animals, seeds can be collected from the wild and plants propagated quickly
What is the definition of zoo?
A collection of animals. Most have an important role in conservation such as captive breeding programmes and research into endangered species
What is the definition of seed bank?
Collection of seed samples Eg millenium seed bank. Seeds are stored in dry/ freezing conditions to preserve them
What is the CBD (AKA Rio convention)?
Convention of biological diversity
Agreement signed at the Rio earth summit in 1992 to conserve biodiversity. It also takes into account peoples needs and sustainable development
What is the CITES?
Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Regulate trade of wildlife, live specimens and products
What is the definition of in situ conservation?
Carrying out active management to maintain the biodiversity in the natural environment
What is the definition of a local nature reserve?
Smaller sites of protected countryside sometimes including habitat/species preservation
What is the definition of marine conservation zone?
Areas protected as they are important to conserve the biodiversity of naturally rare, threatened and representative habitats in the sea
What is the definition of a national park?
15 areas of protected countryside in the UK covering many of the most beautiful/valued landscapes
What is the definition of SSSI?
The country’s best wildlife/geological sites that have been designated as sites of scientific interest
What is the definition of a wildlife reserve?
Designated areas set aside for the conservation of a species or habitat
What is the definition of CSS?
Countryside stewardship scheme, 1991, conserve English landscapes primarily by funding farmers to manage/maintain countryside. This has now been replaced by the Environmental Stewardship Scheme.
Which tactics for conservation are in situ?
Local nature reserve Marine conservation zone National parks SSSI Wildlife reserve CSS
Which tactics for conservation are ex situ?
Botanical garden
Zoo
Seed bank
Which tactics for conservation are conventions?
CBD
CITES
CSS
What are the advantages of in situ conservation?
Don’t have to move organisms
Maintains biodiversity of habitat
Doesn’t affect interdependence in habitat
What are the advantages of ex situ conservation?
Conserve species, prevent extinction
Habitats may have been lost - only choice
People visit and spend money which can be used in conservation projects
Breeding programmes maintain biodiversity
What are the disadvantages of in situ conservation?
Difficult to control natural environment (eg who enters)
Expensive (difficult to maintain a large area)
What are the disadvantages of ex situ conservation?
Expensive to move organisms
Difficult/impossible to return organisms to the wild
Difficult/dangerous to transport/capture animals
Decrease biodiversity of natural habitat
May not breed in captivity
People have ethical concerns
What is the definition of sampling?
A method for estimating the number of organisms in a particular area
What is the definition of systematic sampling?
Sampling species in different areas of the same habitat
What is the definition of opportunistic sampling?
Sampling the organisms easily available
What is the definition of random sampling?
A method for collecting data which involves selecting individuals by chance
What is the definition of chance?
This factor can be minimised by taking a large number of samples
What is the definition of stratified sampling?
Splitting populations into sub groups and then taking a random sample
What is the definition of a line transect?
A line is run through a habitat and samples are taken at certain intervals along the line
What is the definition of a belt transect?
Two parallel lines are marked in a habitat and samples are taken between them
What is the definition of sampling bias?
This factor can be removed by taking random samples
Advantages of random sampling?
Removes/reduces experimental bias
Any subjects can be chosen
Advantages of opportunistic sampling?
Easy to do
Uses easily available subjects
Advantages of stratified sampling?
All categories of the population are represented
Advantages of systematic sampling?
More generalisable as more areas of the habitat are sampled
Disadvantages of random sampling?
May not have equal numbers of each sub group
Disadvantages of opportunistic sampling?
Not generalisable/representative of the whole population
Disadvantages of stratified sampling?
More time consuming
Subgroups may not be clear
Disadvantages of systematic sampling?
More time consuming
Disadvantages of belt transect?
More time consuming
More difficult
Interrupted belt transect may miss species
Disadvantages of line transect?
Small area so some organisms are not sampled
Advantages of belt transect?
Allow a correlation to be seen between conditions and species present
Advantages of line transect?
Quicker
Easier
Allow a correlation to be seen between conditions and species present
How do you work out abundance?
Number of individuals /
Area of sample
How do you estimate total population (maths)?
Number of individuals in first sample X number of individuals in second sample /
Number of recaptured marked individuals
What do you do to estimate total population? (explanation)
Capture - mark - release - recapture
Definition of a species?
A group of similar organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
