Lesson 10 - Biodiversity Flashcards
Definition of biodiversity:
The variety of living organisms present in an area
Importance of biodiversity?
Essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem for all organisms, as all species are interconnected.
Human activities harming biodiversity?
- Clearing land for housing
- Farming
Difference between cold and warm climates?
Cold = little biodiversity
Warm = lots of biodiversity
Different levels biodiversity can be measured at?
- Habitat biodiversity
- Genetic biodiversity
- Species biodiversity
The greater the habitat biodiversity…
the greater the species variation
Species biodiversity details:
- Species richness (the number of different species living in a particular area)
- Species evenness (the number of individuals of each species living in a particular community)
This means that an area can differ in biodiversity even if it has the same number of species.
Community definition
All the populations of living organisms in a particular habitat.
Genetic variation:
- Refers to the variety of genes that make up a species.
Genes are the same for all breeds of dogs but each has different alleles. This can lead to different phenotypes being exhibited.
Genetic variation in relation to diseases?
Genetic variation within a species allows for better adaptations to changing environments. This means that species with genetic variation are more likely to result in individuals who are resistant to disease.