classification and biodiversity Flashcards
what are the two groups of plants
flowering and non flowering
what are the two groups of animals
vertebrate and invertebrate
what is the order of classification
kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
where do organisms get their scientific names from
their genus and species (genus starts with a capital, species starts with lowercase e.g. Canis lupus)
what are the advantages of having a scientific name
- name is the same all over the world
- name is the same across all languages
- avoids confusion caused by local/common names
what is an adaptation
an adaptation allows an organism to survive better in its environment
what are the two types of adaptations
behavioural and morphological
give some examples of behavioural adaptations
nocturnality, hibernation, migration
give some examples of morphological adaptations
body mass, coat colour, ear length
what is population size
the number of one type of plant/animal in a given ecosystem
what is animal population affected by
number of predators, competition, disease, pollution
what is plant population affected by
number of herbivores, disease, pollution, competition
what do animals compete for
food, water
what do plants compete for
water, light, minerals
what is interspecific competition
competition between members of different species
what is intraspecific competition
competition between members of the same species
what is biodiversity
the number of different species in a particular area and the numbers of individuals within these species
what is biodiversity important for
food, medicine, materials, wellbeing
why is biodiversity decreasing
we are destroying habitats for industry, agriculture and building
what are the methods of protecting biodiversity
CITES, SSIs, captive breeding programs, seed banks, local biodiversity conservation schemes, national parks
what is CITES
an agreement in the international market to prevent trade in endangered species
what are SSIs
sites that are legally protected because they are rare habitats or contain examples of important or rare species
what are captive breeding programs
programs that protect rare species by increasing their numbers through breeding before releasing them back into the wild
what are seed banks
a store of almost every plant/animal seed in order to maintain genetic biodiversity in case they become extinct
what are national parks
protected areas for the enjoyment of the public due to their natural beauty, plants, animals and geology
how do you estimate the number of organisms in an area (using quadrats)
1) randomly place a quadrat within your sample area and count the number of your chosen organisms that are in it
2) repeat an appropriate amount of times in different, random locations each time
3) calculate an average
4) multiply this average by the total number of quadrats that would fit in the sample area
how do you determine the distribution of organisms in an area (using a transect line)
1) lie out a tape/rope across the sample area
2) place quadrats at regular intervals along the transect line
3) record the number of organisms in the quadrats
how do you improve the accuracy of sampling
- the bigger the sample area, the more accurate
- the sample area should be typical of the whole area
- the method of sampling must not affect the results
how do you measure animal population (using capture/recapture)
1) capture a number of individuals from a species
2) mark them in a way in which they will not be more easily seen be collectors or predators
3) release the back into the wild
4) use the equation below to estimate the population
population size = (firtst sample x second sample) ÷ amount of second sample that were marked
what assumptions does the capture recapture technique make
- there is no birth or death
- there is no immigration or emigration
- the marking technique does not affect chances of survival
what is an alien species
an animal or plant that has been introduced into a country that it does not originate from
what is an invasive species
an alien species that has become a pest and can cause great harm to its new area
why might an alien species become invasive
- it has no predators in the area
- it may outcompete the native species
- it may carry disease
- it could prey on the native species, reducing their population
what are the advantages and disadvantages of biological control agents
advantages:
- they are specific to particular pests
- once established, they do not need to be re-introduced
- they do not become less effective over time
disadvantages:
- there is a delay between introducing the biological control agent and a reduction in the pest
- they can sometimes become invasive if the correct procedures are not followed before introducing them
