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LS10 - Life Sciences > Biodiversity and Classification > Flashcards

Biodiversity and Classification Flashcards

1
Q

The variety of life forms in a particular area

A

Biodiversity

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2
Q

Various levels of biodiversity

A
  • Genetic diversity
  • Species diversity
  • Ecosystem diversity
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3
Q

Species diversity

A

The variety of species in a particular area

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4
Q

Genetic diversity

A

The genetic variety within a particular taxon

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5
Q

Ecosystem diversity

A

The variety of ecosystems in a particular area

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6
Q

Southern Africa

A

South Africa

Namibia

Botswana

Zimbabwe,

Mozambique,

Swaziland

and Lesotho

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7
Q

Reasons for high levels of biodiversity in Southern Africa

A
  • Unique physical characteristics
  • High Plateau
  • Different oceans with warm Agulhas currant and cold Benguela current
  • Unique Cape Floral Kingdom in the south west
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8
Q

Indigenous species

A

Species that occur naturally in a particular area e.g. country

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9
Q

Exotic/alien species

A

Species that do not occur naturally in a particular area, but have been introduced by humans by mistake of deliberatly

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10
Q

Endemic species

A

Species that occur only in one particular area and nowhere else in the world

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11
Q

Endangered species

A

Species threatened for various reasons and risk extinction

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12
Q

Extinction

A

When there are no longer any living members of a particular taxon, normally a species.

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13
Q

Biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in South Africa

A

The Cape Floral region

Succulent Karoo

Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany

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14
Q

The region in the cape that has one of the richest biodiversity of plants in the world

A

The Cape Floristic Region

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15
Q

The Cape Floristic Region

A
  • South Western Cape region
  • Area around 90 000 km2 (0.05% of earth surface)
  • Contains 3% of all plant species
  • 70% of the 9600 vascular plants are endemic
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16
Q

UNESCO

A

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

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17
Q

Why the Cape Floristic Region is a World Heritage Site

A
  • Declared by UNESCO
  • An area with one of the richest plant diversity
  • Provides exceptional value to humanity worldwide
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18
Q

The Succulent Karoo

A
  • West coast of South Africa
  • Home to 5000 vascular plants
  • 40% endemic and 18% endangered
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19
Q

Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany

A
  • East coast of South Africa
  • Home to 600 tree species
  • Temperate forests with largest tree floral kingdom on earth
  • Many threatened grasslands and forests
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20
Q

How biodiversity is organised by scientists

A
  • Classification systems
  • According to shared characteristics and common ancestry organisms are grouped
  • Groups of organisms assigned as taxa
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21
Q

Taxa

A
  • Groups into which organisms are classified based on shared characteristics.
  • Singular: Taxon
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22
Q

Taxonomy

A

The science of naming, sorting and grouping organisms with shared features

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23
Q

Nomenclature

A

The science of naming taxa

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24
Q

Systematics

A
  • Studying the evolutionary history of life on earth.
  • Hypothesis automatically generated if two organisms are placed in the same taxon: the organisms are related to each other evolutionarily, they share a common ancestor
25
Q

Why formal taxonomy?

(why group and name organisms?)

A
  • Standardised globally
  • Communicate and document biodiversity
  • Easier to process vast numbers of species
  • Important to ensure conservation
  • Can ascribe common properties to taxa e.g. uses
  • Better undestanding of how different groups evolved
26
Q

Aristotle’s role in biological classification

A
  • Two “kingdoms” recognised
  • Plants and Animals
  • These were further split into smaller groups
27
Q

How did ancient scientists name taxa (nomenclature)

A

Names were short descriptions in Latin (i.e. long!)

28
Q

The “father” of modern taxonomy

A

Carolus Linnaeus

29
Q

Main contributions by Linnaeus to taxonomy

A
  • Introduced binomial nomenclature
  • Introduced ranked heirarchy (Kingdom, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species)
30
Q

Binomial nomenclature rules

A
  • Name has two parts: Genus and Species
  • Genus name written with a capital letter
  • Species name written with a small letter
  • Both written in italics or underlined (when handwritten)
31
Q

What are the modern taxon heirarchies

A
  • Kingdom,
  • Phylum (animals) / Division (Plants),
  • Class,
  • Order,
  • Family,
  • Genus,
  • Species
32
Q

How are the different taxon heirarchies organised?

A
  • The system starts with Kingdom
  • Each consecutive level becomes more and more specific
  • E.g. Organisms of the same Family have more in common than organisms of the same Order
33
Q

Influence of Darwin on Taxonomy

A
  • Taxa have more significance since Darwin explained evolution for the first time
  • The implication of placing organisms into a particular taxon
  • They are related to each other evolutionarily and share a common ancestor.
34
Q

Ernst Haekel’s influence on the Kingdom system

A

Added Protista as a Kingdom (1866)

35
Q

Robert Whittaker’s influence on the Kingdom system of classification

A

Added Fungi and Monera (Bacteria) as Kingdoms (1969)

36
Q

Whittaker’s five Kingdoms

A
  • Monera (Bacteria)
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia
37
Q

Carl Woese’s influence on modern taxonomy

A
  • The three Domain System
  • Recognised two major groups of bacteria rather than just one
38
Q

The three domains

A
  • Archaebacteria
  • Bacteria
  • Eukaryotes
39
Q

Bacteria Domain vs the Archaebacteria Domain

A
  • Bacteria includes most single celled prokaryotes
  • Archaebacteria includes unique bacterial prokaryotes that typically live in extreme environments such as icy cold
  • Archaebacteria are considered ancient life forms that evolved separately from bacteria
40
Q

Prokaryotes

A
  • Do not have true nuclei
  • DNA not enclosed by a membrane
  • No true organelles
  • The Bacteria and Archaebacteria are Prokaryotes
41
Q

Eukaryotes

A
  • Organisms with cells that have true nuclei
  • DNA enclosed by nuclear membrane
  • Cells contain true organelles
  • All Eukarya are Eukaryotes
42
Q

Kingdoms in the Eukarya Domain

A
  • Protista
  • Fungi
  • Plantae
  • Animalia
43
Q

General characteriatics of the Bacteria

A
  • Unicellular
  • Prokaryotes
  • Cell walls
  • Some autotrophic (photosynthesis) e.g. blue-green algae
  • Some heterotrophic parasites, saprotrophs or mutualists
  • Asexual reproduction binary fission
44
Q

Binary Fission by bacteria

A

A single cell divides intotwo cells with identical DNA in each

45
Q

Parasitic

A

Dependent on living organic matter for food where the other organism is harmed

46
Q

Saprotrophic

A

Dependent on dead organic matter for food

47
Q

Mutualistic

A
  • Living together with other organisms, so that both benefit from the relationship
  • e.g. bacteria in the human digestive system
48
Q

General characteristics of the Protista

A
  • All Eukaryotes
  • Reproduction either sexually or asexually
  • Aquatic
  • Protozoa: Anima-like, unicellular and heterotrophic
  • Algae: Plant-like, autotrophic
  • Slime and water moulds: Fungi like, heterotrophic
49
Q

General characteristics of Fungi

A
  • All Eukaryotic
  • Heterotrophic
  • Parasites, saprotrophs or mutualists
  • Unicellular or multicellular
  • Cell walls made of chitin and cellulose
  • Bodies consist of hyphe
  • Reproduction asexually or sexually (spores or gametes)
50
Q

General characteristics of Plantae

A
  • All Eukaryotes
  • Autotropic, using photosynthesis
  • Multicellular and complex
  • Cell walls of cellulose
  • Reproduce sexually (spores and gametes) and asexually (specialised outgrowts)
51
Q

General characteristics of Animalia

A
  • All Eukaryotes
  • Multicellular and complex
  • All heterotrophs and depend on other organisms for food (feeding)
  • Do not have cell walls
  • Reproduction mostly sexual (gametes) and sometimes asexual
52
Q

Example Bacteria

A
  • Lactobacillus sp. (in yogurt)
  • Escherichia coli (in your intestines)
53
Q

Example Protista

A
  • Amoeba (an animal-like Protist in ponds)
  • Sea Lettuce (plant-like algae on the rocky shore)
54
Q

Example Fungi

A
  • Yeast (used to make bread and beer)
  • Mushrooms (the reproductive parts we sometimes eat)
  • Moulds (sometimes grows on stale bread)
55
Q

Divisions in Plantae

A
  • Bryophytes (e.g. mosses)
  • Pteridophytes (e.g. ferns)
  • Gymnosperms (e.g. conifers)
  • Angiosperms (flowering plants)
56
Q

Phyla in Animalia

A
  • Porifera (e.g. sponges)
  • Cnidaria (e.g. jelly fish)
  • Platyhelminthes (e.g. flatworms)
  • Annelida (e.g. earthworms)
  • Arthropoda (e.g. insects)
  • Chordata (all vertebrates)
57
Q

Biological keys

A
  • Instruments used to identify living oganisms
  • They consist of a series of options that lead the user too the correct taxon name (identification)
58
Q

Dichotymous keys

A
  • A key with two choices at each step.
  • At each step two statements are given as options based on characteristics you can see on the organism needing to be identified.
  • If you choose the right option at each step, it will lead to the correct taxon name.

LS10 - Life Sciences (20 decks)

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