classification and biodiversity Flashcards
what are the two broad groups of plants ?
flowering and non-flowering
what are the two broad of animal groups
invertebrate and vertebrate
what is a vertebrate
an animal with a backbone
what is a invertebrate
an animal without a back bone
why are scientific names for organisms important
so that they can be understood by everyone. there is no confusion and one name can be provided for each organism
give 2 ways that organisms can be classified
physical features
phylogenetic relationships
what are the 7 levels of classification
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus species
why are adaptations important
adaptations are important as it means that organisms are more suited to their environment. this will help. them to survive and reproduce as they will be able to outcompete individuals
what do animals compete for
Mates
Space
Food
Water
what are the three factors affecting population size
pollutants
number of predators
disease
how does disease affect population size
if a new pathogen was introduced into the community then population may decreases due to illness
how does number of predators affect population size
if the number of predators decreases then the number of prey might increase because fewer of them will be eaten by predators.
how does pollution affect population size
pesticides can build up in food chains through bioaccumulation reducing the population size of the organisms at the top of the food chain
air pollution (from car exhausts and power stations) can kill sensitive plant species
excess fertilisers released into lakes and ponds cause increased growth of algae. the algae blocks sunlight from plants, which die. micro-organisms feeding on the dead plant use up oxygen in the water, leading to the death of other organisms
complete the sentence
organisms with ____ ____ can be classified into the _____ group
organisms with similar features can be classified into the same group
what do plants compete for
light , space, water and minerals
what are the two types of adaptations
morphological adaptations (body structure - such as a shape or colour)
behavioural adaptations
(the way a organism behaves)
why is competition necessary in an ecosystem
competition is necessary when resources are limited and leads to evolution by natural selection
what is biodiversity
the variety of living organisms in an area
why is biodiversity important
some animal or plants may have useful medicinal properties / be used for future medicines.
ecotourisms benefit communities
different organisms can provide food or useful industrial materials
it provides us with food
how can biodiversity and endangered species be protected
seed banks
national parks
captive breeding programs
local biodiversity action
plans
the convention of international trade in endangered species (CITES)
how can the use of legislation to protect biodiversity create problems
creating protected areas such as a SSSIs (sites of special scientific interest ) preserves local wildlife, but restricts further development, including agricultural development in the area.
this could cause problems for farmers who need to expand their land in order to keep their farm in profit
what can be used to record the abundance of different plant species in a habitat
A quadrat
what can be used to record the abundance of different plant species in a habitat
A quadrat
why does the distribution of the quadrats need to be random
to prevent biased results
why is it important to take lots of readings in different areas when using quadrats
so that the sample area is accurately represented
what do transects measure
the change in the distribution of organisms in an area
how is a transect set up
they are often long tape measures laid on the ground and quadrats are placed at regular intervals along them
transects are lines that quadrats are placed along
describe the capture/ recapture technique
capture some animas using a trap
mark the captured animal
release the animal
set up the trap again in a couple of days
note the number of animals in the recapture and the number of those that are marked
what assumptions are made when using the capture/ recapture method
there are no births or deaths
there is no immigration or emigration
the mark dont come off
the marking method does not affect the individuals ability to survive
state 2 methods of pest control
pesticides
biological control
what is biological control
it is a method of controlling plant pests by deliberately introducing organisms that feed on the pests to decrease the number of them
why are trials needed before the introduction of biological control
the effectiveness of the chosen biological control method needs to be assessed
the effect on non target species needs to be determined
what is an invasive species
biological control agents can be invasive
an invasive species is any species that is introduced into an area where it does not naturally occur and starts to cause problems for local wildlife
how can invasive species cause problems
they may grow faster than native species and upset the natural ecosystem.
native species may not be able to compete with invasive species for resources such as food and shelter.
they could also carry disease which can lead to a decline in population size
