Biodiversity Flashcards
Define population
All of the organisms of one species in a habitat
Define community
All of the population of all of the species in a habitat
Define biodiversity
The variety of species in an area e.g. pond/forest/earth
Define species richness
The number of different species in an area
What does the index of diversity describe?
The relationship between the number of species in a community and the number of individuals of each species
What is the index of diversity?
N(N-1) / The sum of (n(n-1))
In the index of diversity what is N?
Total number of organisms of all species
In the index of diversity what is n?
total number of organisms of each species
What are the effects of faming on biodiversity?
- Biodiversity is decreased- Forests are cleared- Hedgerows are removed- Monoculture
What happens as a result of monoculture?
- Fewer species of plant- Fewer species of insect- Fewer habitats and niches- Fewer food sources for other species
How can conservation be carried out?
- Get farmers to conserve biodiversity- Protect species by law- Restrict urban development in important and biodiverse areas
Why should farmers conserve biodiversity?
A more biodiverse area is more stable and less likely to be effected by changes
How can you investigate biodiversity?
By comparing genetic diversity
How can you compare genetic diversity?
- Within a species (intraspecific) or between species (interspecific)- Comparing characteristics- Comparing DNA sequence, mRNA sequence and amino acid sequence
What can diversity/variation be caused by?
- Genetic differences (e.g. blood type)- Environmental differences (e.g. nutrition)
What size sample is needed to investigate biodiversity?
Large so data is representative of the whole population and so there is enough data to use a statistical test
How should individuals be selected?
At random to avoid bias
What is the standard deviation?
The average variation of the data away from the mean
What size standard deviation is more reliable?
lower
What does it mean if error bars overlap?
No significant difference
What does it mean is error bars do not overlap?
Significant difference
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
What effect do pesticides have on biodiversity?
They decrease biodiversity
What is a habitat?
The area in which a species lives
What is a species?
A group of similar organisms able to reproduce to give fertile offspring
What is species richness?
A measure of the abundance of each species in an area
