Module 4:Biodiversity

Question 1

Measuring Biodiversity

Answer 1

Habitat biodiversity- the number of different habitats in an ecosystem
Species biodiversity- examining different species living in a habitat and measuring species richness and species evenness
Genetic biodiversity- genetic variation between individuals of the same species

Question 2

Random sampling

Answer 2

selecting areas of the habitat to study in a random manner
eliminates bias but rare species may be missed leading to under estimate of biodiversity.
Enough samples have to be taken so data is representative of habitat

Question 3

Non-random sampling

Answer 3

Oppurtunistic- deliberate samples chosen to get representative data
Stratified- choosing two different areas in a habitat to sample
Systematic- samples taken at fixed intervals across a habitat

Question 4

Factors affecting biodiversity

Answer 4

Human population growth- increased human need for land, food and resources reduces habitats and food sources form other species
Monoculture- When only one species of a plant is planted in an area at one time, there is less space for other species
Climate change- Increased human activity increases climate change which affects habitats of other species
Extinction- increased human activity increases the extinction rate of many species

Question 5

Why maintain biodiversity

Answer 5

Ecological- protecting keystone species and maintaining genetic variation
Economic- services and products that plants and animals provide for us such as nutrients in the soil, honey
aesthetic- protecting landscapes- enjoy the natural Beaty of the planet.

Question 6

In situ methods of conservation

Answer 6

Plants or animals are being kept in their natural environment. Conservation zones can be created for marine wildlife- no fishing or hunting allowed here
Adv
Biodiversity in that ecosystem is protected
Dis
Difficult to carry out breeding programmes and animals may not have access to medical care

Question 7

Ex situ methods of conservation

Answer 7

Plants or animals being kept outside their environment
Seeds of plants may be kept in a seed bank to protect them for future generations
Animals may be kept in a zoo or aquarium
Adv
Can carry out breeding programmes
prevent extinction of species
animals have access to health care
Dis
Doesn’t protect biodiversity of original habitat
will lose some genetic diversity
difficult to reintroduce species back into the wild