Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

Question 1

What is alpha, beta and gamma diversity?

Answer 1

Alpha: within a habitat
Beta: between ecosystem comparison
Gamma: within a region of several ecosystems

Question 2

What is biodiversity?

Answer 2

A measure of the number of species and the relative abundance of the species

Question 3

Why should there be a relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning?

Answer 3

Niche differentiation, antagonism and facilitation

Question 4

What are phosphatases?

Answer 4

A family of different enzymes that catalyse mineralisation of different forms of organic phosphorus to inorganic phosphorus, produced in plants, microbes and animals

Question 5

What are some of the chemical properties of phosphorus?

Answer 5

Strongly absorbed to the surface of particles by ionic forces, forms complex molecules, some of which are insoluble, this means it is harder for plants to uptake phosphorus than say nitrogen

Question 6

What are some of the ‘traits’ used to capture variation amongst an ecosystem?

Answer 6

Morphology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and phenology