Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms Flashcards
What is Biodiversity?
Variety in an ecosystem
Variety of habitats and a variety of species
What is Species Diversity?
number of different species
number of individuals for each species
What is Genetic Diversity?
variety of alleles in a species population
the larger number of individuals in a species, the larger the genetic diversity
The benefit of high species diversity
Stable ecosystem
each species is less likely to become extinct (due to high genetic diversity)
& if a species does become extinct it will not affect the food chain as there are other species available
How to measure Species Diversity for an area?
Species Diversity Index
takes into account the number of different species and how many individuals there are for each species
the larger the species diversity index, the larger the species diversity
How does deforestation lower species diversity?
(deforestation is the removal of trees for wood & space)
decreases plant species diversity
less variety of habitats
less variety of food sources
decreases animal species diversity
How does agriculture/farming lower species diversity?
deforestation to make space for farm
only grow a few plants & keep a few animal species
selectively breed plants & animals
use pesticides to kill other species
What is Classification?
placing organisms into groups
What is Hierarchical Classification?
large groups divided into smaller groups with no overlap
domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What is Binomial Naming System?
using Genus name and Species name to name organism
Genus name first in capital, Species name second in lower case
e.g. tiger = Felix tigris
What is a Species?
a group of individuals with similar characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Why are the offspring from 2 different species mating infertile?
offspring will have a odd number of chromosomes
therefore, cannot perform meiosis, cannot produce gametes
What is Phylogenetic Classification?
based on evolutionary relationships – how closely related different species are and how recent a common ancestor they have
What is Variation?
difference in characteristics between organisms
Types of Variation
intraspecific = differences between organisms of the same species
interspecific = differences between organisms of different species
Causes of Intraspecific Variation
Genetic Factors = same genes but different alleles (allele are different type/forms of genes)
Environmental Factors
Causes of Interspecific Variation
Genetic Factors = different genes and different alleles
Environmental Factors
Properties of Discontinuous Characteristics
characteristics fall into certain groups with no overlap (e.g. blood group) – determined by genetics only (a single gene)
Properties of Continuous Characteristics
characteristics show a range (e.g. height) – determined by genetics (a few genes, polygenes) and environment
What is Genetic Diversity?
genetic variation, the variety of alleles within a population of a species