Biodiversity Within Communities

Question 1

Define biodiversity

Answer 1

The variety of living organism in an area including the microbes, plants and animal. High biodiversity is desirable. Biodiversity can be considered at all sizes of areas from locally to globally. Global biodiversity is higher at the equator and lower at the poles.

Question 2

Define community

Answer 2

A group of intervening populations of didfernt species living in the same place at the same time

Question 3

Define population

Answer 3

A group of organisms behaving to the same species found in the same area at the same time and potentially able to interbreed

Question 4

Define habitat

Answer 4

The environment in which an organism or population of organisms usually lives

Question 5

Define species richness

Answer 5

A measure of the number of different species in a community

Question 6

What is the equation for calculating an index of biodiversity?

Answer 6

n = total number of organisms of one species
N = total number or organisms of all species

Question 7

What does a higher/ lower biodiversity index indicate?

Answer 7

A more biodiverse environment where more species are successful. A lower diversity indicates that there are fewer successful species and just a few species are dominating

Question 8

Why is is index of diversity more useful than species richness

Answer 8

Gives information about the abundance of each species.

Allows the diversity of different areas to be compared if alternatively the diversity of one area can be monitored over time to see if diversity is falling

Question 9

From the table calculate the biodiversity index

Answer 9