Biodiversity Of Life On Earth

Question 1

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms that occur on earth, this includes

Answer 1

Species diversity (variety of species)
Genetic diversity (genetic variety within a species)
Ecosystem diversity (the variety of ecosystems that occur in a specific area)

Question 2

South Africa has the 3rd highest level of biodiversity in the world which can be attributed to the country’s unique Physical characteristics, name two other interesting facts.

Answer 2

The largest part of the country is on a high lying plateau between the two vastly different oceans :
The Indian ocean on the east coast warmed by the Mozambique /Agulhas current that ows from the tropics, while the Atlantic Ocean to the east us cooled by the icy benguela current that flows from Antarctica. These two different oceans, prevailing wind combined with SA’s topography create bright green forests and subtropical savannahs on the east coast which gradually turn into semi desert on the west coast.

Question 3

Indigenous species

Answer 3

Occur naturally in a particular country or region.

Question 4

Exotic /alien species

Answer 4

Species that don’t occur naturally in a particular country or region but have been brought from another country or region by mistake or deliberately.

Question 5

Endemic species

Answer 5

Only occur in one country or region and nowhere else in the world. Many of these species are endangered and close to extinction. Example are the Cape sugar bird.

Question 6

Biodiversity hot spots in South Africa

Answer 6

The cape floral kingdom, succulent karoo and maputaland-Pondoland-Albany due to their large number of endemic species.

Question 7

UNESCO

Answer 7

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Question 8

Vascular plant

Answer 8

a plant that is characterized by the presence of conducting tissue.