classification and biodiversity

Question 1

what are the two groups of plants

Answer 1

flowering and non flowering

Question 2

what are the two groups of animals

Answer 2

vertebrate and invertebrate

Question 3

what is the order of classification

Answer 3

kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Question 4

where do organisms get their scientific names from

Answer 4

their genus and species (genus starts with a capital, species starts with lowercase e.g. Canis lupus)

Question 5

what are the advantages of having a scientific name

Answer 5

• name is the same all over the world
• name is the same across all languages
• avoids confusion caused by local/common names

Question 6

what is an adaptation

Answer 6

an adaptation allows an organism to survive better in its environment

Question 7

what are the two types of adaptations

Answer 7

behavioural and morphological

Question 8

give some examples of behavioural adaptations

Answer 8

nocturnality, hibernation, migration

Question 9

give some examples of morphological adaptations

Answer 9

body mass, coat colour, ear length

Question 10

what is population size

Answer 10

the number of one type of plant/animal in a given ecosystem

Question 11

what is animal population affected by

Answer 11

number of predators, competition, disease, pollution

Question 12

what is plant population affected by

Answer 12

number of herbivores, disease, pollution, competition

Question 13

what do animals compete for

Answer 13

food, water

Question 14

what do plants compete for

Answer 14

water, light, minerals

Question 15

what is interspecific competition

Answer 15

competition between members of different species

Question 16

what is intraspecific competition

Answer 16

competition between members of the same species

Question 17

what is biodiversity

Answer 17

the number of different species in a particular area and the numbers of individuals within these species

Question 18

what is biodiversity important for

Answer 18

food, medicine, materials, wellbeing

Question 19

why is biodiversity decreasing

Answer 19

we are destroying habitats for industry, agriculture and building

Question 20

what are the methods of protecting biodiversity

Answer 20

CITES, SSIs, captive breeding programs, seed banks, local biodiversity conservation schemes, national parks

Question 21

what is CITES

Answer 21

an agreement in the international market to prevent trade in endangered species

Question 22

what are SSIs

Answer 22

sites that are legally protected because they are rare habitats or contain examples of important or rare species

Question 23

what are captive breeding programs

Answer 23

programs that protect rare species by increasing their numbers through breeding before releasing them back into the wild

Question 24

what are seed banks

Answer 24

a store of almost every plant/animal seed in order to maintain genetic biodiversity in case they become extinct

Question 25

what are national parks

Answer 25

protected areas for the enjoyment of the public due to their natural beauty, plants, animals and geology

Question 26

how do you estimate the number of organisms in an area (using quadrats)

Answer 26

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

Question 27

how do you determine the distribution of organisms in an area (using a transect line)

Answer 27

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

Question 28

how do you improve the accuracy of sampling

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

how do you measure animal population (using capture/recapture)

Answer 29

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

Question 30

what assumptions does the capture recapture technique make

Answer 30

• there is no birth or death
• there is no immigration or emigration
• the marking technique does not affect chances of survival

Question 31

what is an alien species

Answer 31

an animal or plant that has been introduced into a country that it does not originate from

Question 32

what is an invasive species

Answer 32

an alien species that has become a pest and can cause great harm to its new area

Question 33

why might an alien species become invasive

Answer 33

• 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

Question 34

what are the advantages and disadvantages of biological control agents

Answer 34

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