Biodiversity, Species & Taxonomy Flashcards
Define biodiversity
The number of different species and number of individuals of each of the different species within a community
Define species richness
The number of different species within a community
Define community
All individuals of all species living in the same area at the same time
Define species
A group of closely related organisms that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring
Define genetic diversity
Difference in DNA/Alleles/Genes
Define niche
Where an organism lives and its role in the community, eg: how it feeds, how it interacts with other organisms and its environment.
Define habitat
Where an organism lives within an ecosystem.
Define diversity index
A quantitative measure that reflects how biodiverse a community is
What information is required to calculate an index of diversity for a particular community? (2)
- Number of species
- Number of individuals in each species
Explain why an index of diversity may be a more useful measure of biodiversity.
Measures number of individuals of each species along with number of species
As some species may be present in low/high numbers.
Give an advantage of using a diversity index than an indicator species.
Diversity index conisders both the number of different species and the number of individuals of each, whereas indicator species only focuses on the presence of one species which may not be accurate or representative.
After a forest was cleared for agriculture, the species diversity of insects in the area decreased. Explain why (4)
- Decrease in variety of plants
- Fewer habitats/niches
- Decrease in food variety
- Pesticides killing insects
Which comes first Genus or Species? (Binomial Naming System)
Genus
Define classification
Grouping of organisms based on shared characteristics (e.g: pentadactyl limb)
Domain groups:
- Bacteria
- Archaea (single-celled prokaryotes)
- Eukarya
Eukarya Kingdoms:
- Protoctista
- Animalae
- Plantae
- Fungi
Taxonomy hierarchy:
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
Taxonomy hierarchy mnemonic
Delicious
King
Prawn
Curry
Or
Fat
Greasy
Sausages
Explain what is meant by a hierarchy
Groups within groups with no overlap.
Define phylogenetic group
Grouped according to common ancestry.
What is courtship behaviour?
When organisms display behaviour to attract a mate of the same species and opposite sex to ensure reproductive success.
Give two ways in which courtship increases the probability of successful mating.
- Attracts same species
- Attracts opposite sex
- Indication of sexual maturity
- Stimulates release of gametes
- Form pair bond
What do modern classification methods use?
- Frequency of measurable/observable characteristics
- Base sequence of DNA
- Base sequence of mRNA
- Amino acid sequence of proteins encoded by DNA and mRNA
In classification, comparing the base sequence of a gene provides more information than comparing the amino acid sequence for which the gene codes. Explain why.
- Genes have more bases than amino acids/longer
- Able to compare introns
- Degeneracy of code/more than one code for each amino acid.
