chapter 10 - biodiversity Flashcards
Define a species
I species are capable of breeding to produce living fertile offspring
Explain the binomial naming system
Generic name- This is the genus to which an organism belongs to
Specific name- Species to which an organism belongs to.
The first letter of the generic name must be capitalized. Both the generic name and the specific name must be underlined.
Describe and explain courtship behavior
In order for members of the same species to recognize one another during mating courtship behavior is often used. Members of the same species share similar physical, biochemical and behavioral characteristics.
enables individuals to Recognize members of their own species Synchronize mating Form a pair bond Become able to breed
Explain and define classification
Classification is the process of naming and organizing organisms into groups based on their characteristics. Organisms can be grouped into one of the five kingdoms(animals, plants, fungi, prokaryotes, protoctists). Then they can be grouped further into (phylum, class, order, family, genus and species)
What is artificial classification
This divides organisms according to differences that are useful at the time. Such features may include, color, size, number of legs etc. these are described as analogous characteristics where they have the same function but do not have the same evolutionary origins. for example the wings of butterflies and birds are both use for flight but they originated in different ways.
What is phylogenetic classification
it is based upon the evolutionary relationship between organisms and their ancestors. It’s classified as species into groups using shared features derived from the ancestors. Arranges the groups into a hierarchy in which groups are contained within larger composite groups with no overlap. Relationships in a phylogenetic classification are partly based on homologous characteristics, homologous characteristics have similar evolutionarily origins regardless of the functions.
What is a genetic bottleneck
Sharp reduction in genetic diversity following a catastrophe
What is the founders effect
where a small population establishes a community in a new location
What is molecular phylogeny
The analysis of molecular differences in different organisms to determine the extent of that evolutionarily relatedness
The data obtained by molecular phylogeny has been excepted by scientists. And this gave rise to a new taxonomic grouping, Where all organisms can be separated into one of the three domains (bacteria, archaea, eukaryota)
How does the scientific community evaluate data
Findings are published in a scientific journal and presented at scientific conferences
Scientist then study the evidence in a process called peer view
Scientists start collecting evidence to either support or reject the suggestion.
Define and explain biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms. Overtime the variety of life on earth has become more extensive but now it is being threatened by human activity such as deforestation.
How come biodiversity be measured
Species diversity is the number of different species and the number of different individuals in a community it can be measured by simply counting the number of species presents via methods such as random sampling
Genetic diversity is a measure of genetic variation found in a particular species, in other words it is the number of alleles in a gene pool.
Ecosystem diversity is the range of different habitats
What is the diversity index formula
D= N(N-1)/
sum n(n-1)
D=diversity index
N=total number of organisms
n= total number of organisms of each species
What is the impact of agriculture
Agricultural ecosystems reduce the biodiversity of the number of species presence because humans select for particular characteristics. This reduces the number of alleles and therefore genetic diversity of the population. Farmland is typically used for only a single species and therefore means that fewer individuals of other species can survive there.
How do we maintain bio diversity and what techniques do we use
Use hedgerows instead of fences
Growing different crops in the same area [intercropping]
Reducing the use of herbicides and pesticides
Preserving wetland instead of draining these for farming use
How do we measure characteristics via sampling and what is the problem with sampling
Sampling is used as we cannot measure each individual. However it may not be representative of the population due to sampling bias and chance
How do we try to eliminate sampling bias
We use a quadrat or a transect, these can be used by placing them on randomly generated coordinates in the sample area to increase the reliability of the resorts a larger sample size is needed.
transect-A string or rope is placed on the ground in a line and the number of organisms/species on the line is observed this can be done at intervals
quadrat- Can be used to split an area up and measure particular coordinates call mom the smaller species a smaller quadrat is used four large species a larger quadrat used.
What is the definition of abundance
The total number of species/organisms in an area. However this is very hard to find as it is hard to find the exact number so we usually take a sample
What is the definition of frequency
This is how likely a species/organism is to appear in a quadrat.
Define percentage cover
An estimate of the area that a quadrat has covered
Describe the process of Mark, capture, release
The Mark-Recapture technique is used to estimate the size of a population where it is impractical to count every individual. The basic idea is that you capture a small number of individuals, put a harmless mark on them, and release them back into the population.
What is the equation for Mark capture release
number in the first sample X number in the second sample / total number of individuals recaptured.
What are some assumptions for Mark capture release
No reproduction
No migration or immigration
The idea of mixing [marked individuals do not have enough time to spread out with the unmarked individuals in an area]
That’s marking does not increase an organisms vulnerability to predators
define species richness
The number of different types of species present in an area or a sample.
Define species evenness
The abundance of a particular species in an area
