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A Level Biology Year 1 > Chapter 10 - Biodiversity > Flashcards

Chapter 10 - Biodiversity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is classification?

A

The organisation of living organisms into groups

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2
Q

What will all members of a species have in common?

A

They can breed to produce fertile offspring

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3
Q

What is the name given to the current system of naming organisms?

A

The binomial system

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4
Q

What did Linnaeus do?

A

Devised a universal system of naming organisms

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5
Q

What languages are the names of organisms written in?

A

Greek or Latin

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6
Q

What is the first name of an organism?

A

The generic name, or the genus

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7
Q

What is the second name of an organism?

A

The specific name, or the species

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8
Q

What are the three rules that apply when writing the names of organisms?

A

1) Must be underlined if handwritten
2) The first letter of the genus should be a capital letter
3) If the species is unknown, it can be written as sp

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9
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of living organisms in an area

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10
Q

What is a habitat?

A

The place where an organism lives

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11
Q

What is a community?

A

All the populations of different species in a habitat

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12
Q

How can members of the same species identify each other?

A

They resemble each other, either biochemically or physically

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13
Q

What are the four main advantages of courtship?

A

Members of the same species can recognise each other
Organisms identify a mate capable of breeding
Organisms form a pair bond
Synchronise mating

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14
Q

What must a prospective mate be?

A

Mature and fertile

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15
Q

Why is it important to ensure mating only occurs between members of the same species?

A

So that fertile offspring are produced

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16
Q

Why is it important to synchronise mating?

A

To ensure the maximum probability of the sperm and egg meeting is achieved

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17
Q

What do males use courtship for?

A

To determine if the female is receptive to mating because females only release eggs at certain times

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18
Q

What is taxonomy?

A

The science of classification

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19
Q

What will organisms of the same species exhibit?

A

Similar courting behaviour

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20
Q

What is artificial classification?

A

Based on physical characteristics and their functions rather than evolutionary origins

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21
Q

What is phylogenetic classification?

A

Based upon the evolutionary relationships. It divides organisms into groups using shared features they have received from ancestors and arranges these groups into a hierarchy

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22
Q

What is a hierarchy?

A

A group contained within a larger group but with no overlap

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23
Q

What does the first point on a phylogenetic tree show?

A

A common ancestor of all family members

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24
Q

What do the branches on a phylogenetic tree show?

A

Another common ancestor from which a different group diverged

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25
Q

How to tell if two species on a phylogenetic tree are closely related

A

They diverged away from each other recently

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26
Q

What is each group in taxonomy called?

A

A taxon

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27
Q

What is phylogeny?

A

The study of the evolutionary history of groups of organisms

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28
Q

What are the three domains?

A

Archaea, bacteria and eukarya

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29
Q

Characteristics of domain archaea

A

Newly discovered cell types included

1 kingdom - the archaebacteria

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30
Q

How do archaea differ from bacteria?

A

Their genes and protein synthesis mechanisms are closer to that of eukaryotes
No murein in cell walls
A more complex form of RNA polymerase

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31
Q

Characteristics of domain bacteria

A

1 kingdom - the eubacteria

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32
Q

What are eukarya?

A

A group of organisms made up of multiple eukaryotic cells

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33
Q

What are phyla?

A

The largest groups in each kingdom

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34
Q

Characteristics of Eukarya

A

Membrane-bound organelles
No murein in cell walls (if applicable)
Larger ribosomes than bacteria and archaea
Membranes containing fatty acid chains attached to glycerol by ether linkages

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35
Q

Characteristics of domain eukarya

A

4 kingdoms - protista, animalia, plantae and fungi

36
Q

What is species diversity?

A

The number of individuals of each species in a community

37
Q

What is genetic diversity?

A

The range of alleles in a community

38
Q

What is ecosystem diversity?

A

The range of different habitats

39
Q

What is species richness?

A

The number of different species in a particular area at a given time

40
Q

What is local biodiversity?

A

The variety of different species in a small habitat

41
Q

What is global biodiversity?

A

The variety of species on earth

42
Q

What is ecosystem diversity?

A

The range of different habitats within one particular area

43
Q

What impact does agriculture have on biodiversity?

A

Natural ecosystems develop from complex communities
Agricultural ecosystems are controlled by humans
Farmers select the most productive crops
The number of species and number of alleles they possess decreases
For economic reasons, the yield must be large
Any one area can only support a certain amount of biomass
If most of an area is taken up by a crop, there is little room for anything else
These organisms must outcompete the crop for nutrients, light and space, which rarely occurs

44
Q

Direct practises which have reduced biodiversity (4)

A

Removal of hedgerows
Creating monocultures
Filling ponds and draining marsh and other wetland
Overgrazing of land

45
Q

Why has the overgrazing of land reduced biodiversity?

A

It prevents the regeneration of woodland

46
Q

Why have monocultures reduced biodiversity?

A

Fewer organisms can be supported

47
Q

Why has hedgerow and woodland removal reduced biodiversity?

A

Species lose habitats and food sources

48
Q

Ways in which food production has increased (4)

A

Genetic modification
Use of pesticides and herbicides
Changes in farm practices
Technology

49
Q

Why do pesticides reduce biodiversity?

A

Not only does it kill the insect themselves, but it also removes a food source for the food chain

50
Q

Indirect practices which have reduced biodiversity (3)

A

Use of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers
The absence of crop rotation
Escape of effluent from silage stores into water sources

51
Q

How has the EU helped maintain biodiversity?

A

Offering farmers grants to return to a natural meadow

52
Q

3 examples of conservation schemes

A

Legal protection for endangered species
Creating protected areas which restrict further development
Environmental Stewardship Scheme encourages farmers to conserve biodiversity

53
Q

How are people trying to maintain biodiversity? (5)

A

Maintain and create hedgerows and ponds
Leave wet corners of fields
Reduce the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers
Use nitrogen-fixing crops to improve soil fertility rather than fertilisers
Create natural meadows and replant native trees

54
Q

How can observable characteristics help to classify organisms?

A

Characteristics are influenced by the genes an organism has, so organisms with similar characteristics have similar DNA

55
Q

Why are there limitations with using observable characteristics to help us classify organisms?

A

Lots of characteristics are either influenced by environmental factors or by a number of genes

56
Q

How can comparing mRNA sequences help us to classify organisms?

A

mRNA is coded for by DNA by complementary base pairing, so by comparing two strings of mRNA, we can also compare two sequences of DNA

57
Q

How can amino acids help us to classify organisms?

A

A sequence of amino acids is coded for by mRNA, so also DNA. This means that we can compare the amino acid sequence for the same protein in two species and count the number of similarities or difference in order to see how similar they are

58
Q

How can proteins be used to test the similarity between two organisms?

A

If two proteins, and therefore two organisms are similar, they will bind to the same antibody, so you can test to see how well two proteins bind to the same antibody

59
Q

How can DNA be used to test the similarity between two organisms?

A

Modern technology has allowed us to determine the entire base sequence of an organism’s DNA. We can compare the DNA of members of one species to that of members of another species in order to see how similar they are. Closely related species will have a higher percentage of similarity in their DA base order

60
Q

When a species gives rise to another species through evolution, how would we expect their DNA to differ?

A

Initially, it would be very similar. However, over time, mutations would develop and the nucleotide sequence in the new species would change over time

61
Q

Problems with DNA sequencing to classify organisms

A

Not all DNA is functional and codes for proteins

62
Q

What does a percentage similarity table show you?

A

How similar two organisms area - if two are very similar, the percentage will be higher

63
Q

How can you tell that two organisms are very similar by looking at their DNA?

A

The more similarities between the sequences, the more similar the two are

64
Q

How can antibodies and antigens be used to compare organisms?

A

Serum albumin from species A is injected into species B
Series B produces antibodies complementary to the antigens in the albumin of species A
Serum from species B is mixed with serum from species C
The antibodies in serum C respond to their corresponding antigens in serum B
These antibodies form a precipitate
The more precipitate that forms, the closer two species are related

65
Q

What is interspecific variation?

A

When one species differs from another

66
Q

What is intraspecific variation?

A

When organisms in the same species differ from each other

67
Q

What is variation?

A

The differences that exist between individuals

68
Q

What two factors is variation caused by?

A

Genetics and the environment

69
Q

What are the two reasons that a sample might not be representative?

A

Sampling bias

Chance

70
Q

Method of random sampling

A

1) Divide the study area into a grid of numbered lines
2) Use a random number generator to obtain a series of coordinates
3) Take samples at the intersections of these coordinated

71
Q

How to minimise the chances of our data not being representative

A

Use a larger sample size

Analyse the data collected

72
Q

Why does using a larger sample size reduce the chances of our data not being representative?

A

Anomalies will have less influence over the result

The data is more reliable

73
Q

What is a skewed distribution curve?

A

When it is shifted slightly to one side

74
Q

How to calculate the mean?

A

Total of all values / number of values

75
Q

What is the mode?

A

The most common value

76
Q

What is a normal distribution curve?

A

A bell-shaped curve that is symmetrical about the mean

77
Q

What is the median?

A

The middle value

78
Q

Why is the mean useful?

A

You can easily compare one sample with another

79
Q

Why is the mean not very useful?

A

It gives you no information about the range of the data values

80
Q

What is standard deviation?

A

How much the values in a single sample vary

81
Q

How to find standard deviation from a graph?

A

It is the point where the curve changes from being convex to concave

82
Q

How much of the data lies between one standard deviation?

A

68%

83
Q

How much of the data lies between two standard deviations?

A

95%

84
Q

When there is no information on the number of significant figures to use, what should you do?

A

Use the same number as the data given to you in the question

85
Q

How to calculate standard deviation

A

See flashcard

86
Q

How to draw error bars on a graph

A

They extend one SD above and below the mean

A Level Biology Year 1 (21 decks)

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