classification and biodiversity

Question 1

what are the two broad groups of plants ?

Answer 1

flowering and non-flowering

Question 2

what are the two broad of animal groups

Answer 2

invertebrate and vertebrate

Question 3

what is a vertebrate

Answer 3

an animal with a backbone

Question 4

what is a invertebrate

Answer 4

an animal without a back bone

Question 5

why are scientific names for organisms important

Answer 5

so that they can be understood by everyone. there is no confusion and one name can be provided for each organism

Question 6

give 2 ways that organisms can be classified

Answer 6

physical features

phylogenetic relationships

Question 7

what are the 7 levels of classification

Answer 7

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus 
species

Question 8

why are adaptations important

Answer 8

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

Question 9

what do animals compete for

Answer 9

Mates
Space
Food
Water

Question 10

what are the three factors affecting population size

Answer 10

pollutants
number of predators
disease

Question 11

how does disease affect population size

Answer 11

if a new pathogen was introduced into the community then population may decreases due to illness

Question 12

how does number of predators affect population size

Answer 12

if the number of predators decreases then the number of prey might increase because fewer of them will be eaten by predators.

Question 13

how does pollution affect population size

Answer 13

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

Question 14

complete the sentence

organisms with ____ ____ can be classified into the _____ group

Answer 14

organisms with similar features can be classified into the same group

Question 15

what do plants compete for

Answer 15

light , space, water and minerals

Question 16

what are the two types of adaptations

Answer 16

morphological adaptations (body structure - such as a shape or colour)

behavioural adaptations
(the way a organism behaves)

Question 17

why is competition necessary in an ecosystem

Answer 17

competition is necessary when resources are limited and leads to evolution by natural selection

Question 18

what is biodiversity

Answer 18

the variety of living organisms in an area

Question 19

why is biodiversity important

Answer 19

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

Question 20

how can biodiversity and endangered species be protected

Answer 20

seed banks

national parks

captive breeding programs

local biodiversity action
plans

the convention of international trade in endangered species (CITES)

Question 21

how can the use of legislation to protect biodiversity create problems

Answer 21

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

Question 22

what can be used to record the abundance of different plant species in a habitat

Answer 22

A quadrat

Question 22

what can be used to record the abundance of different plant species in a habitat

Answer 22

A quadrat

Question 23

why does the distribution of the quadrats need to be random

Answer 23

to prevent biased results

Question 24

why is it important to take lots of readings in different areas when using quadrats

Answer 24

so that the sample area is accurately represented

Question 25

what do transects measure

Answer 25

the change in the distribution of organisms in an area

Question 26

how is a transect set up

Answer 26

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

Question 27

describe the capture/ recapture technique

Answer 27

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

Question 28

what assumptions are made when using the capture/ recapture method

Answer 28

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

Question 29

state 2 methods of pest control

Answer 29

pesticides

biological control

Question 30

what is biological control

Answer 30

it is a method of controlling plant pests by deliberately introducing organisms that feed on the pests to decrease the number of them

Question 31

why are trials needed before the introduction of biological control

Answer 31

the effectiveness of the chosen biological control method needs to be assessed
the effect on non target species needs to be determined

Question 32

what is an invasive species

Answer 32

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

Question 33

how can invasive species cause problems

Answer 33

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