Rational For Wildlife Conservation

Question 1

What is Biomimetics?

Answer 1

Biologically inspired design. The use of knowledge of species adaptation and initiating that to solve human design problems.

Question 2

What is sharklet technology?

Answer 2

-Sharks have millions of microscopic structure’s arranged in a pattern that repells
-Humans have mimicked this pattern bib surfaces such as chopping boards and hospitals to repel bacteria.

Question 3

How have bullet trains been designed using biomimetics

Answer 3

-King fishers are able to dive into water to catch pray so quickly they don’t even make a splash
-The bullet train has been redesigned to mimic the birds beak to reduce noise and increase speed.

Question 4

How has Velcro been designed using biomimetics?

Answer 4

-Burdock plants are sticky as they produce seed packets covered with stiff spines
-Humans have mimicked this sticky technology to produce Velcro

Question 5

How have wind turbines been evolved using biomimetics

Answer 5

-wales flippers have been mimicked to create wind turbines as the shape increases wind speed and therefore saves energy

Question 6

Give 2 examples of how physiological research of animals has been used to improve our medical understanding of humans

Answer 6

1. Squid. A squid has the largest nerve cell in the animal kingdom and a highly developed nervous system. Helped us to understand Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and see where nerve transport breaks down.
2. Kangaroo. Kangaroos are born the size of a grain of rice (very underdeveloped) They develop externally in their mothers pouch for 8 months. This has helped us to understand embryonic development

(Other examples like dogs, frogs, monkeys and zebra fish)

Question 7

Examples of plants with medicinal value used to treat illnesses

Answer 7

1. Plant:poppies
   Medicine:opium, morphine,heroin
   Treatment: pain
2. Plant:Cinchona tree
   Medicine: Quinine
   Treatment: malaria
3. Plant: Willow tree
   Medicine: aspirin
   Treatment:pain
4. Plant: yew tree
   Medicine:chemotherapy drug
   Treatment: cancer

Question 8

What is the centre of biodiversity?

Answer 8

An area of the world that has high concentrations of the close relatives of important crop species.

Question 9

What is a CWR ?

Answer 9

Crop Wild Relative. The original pre domesticated version of important crop species, before selective breeding/ they are manipulated

Question 10

Why are CWRs so important?

Answer 10

CWRs are more genetically diverse Ethan genetically bread crop species. They are a generic resource we may need to use in future to solve problems with domesticated species.

Question 11

Current and future risks to vavilov centres and CWRs?

Answer 11

-Deforestation for urbanisation, wood, agriculture, mining, energy production (HEP
-Climate change (cwr out of range of tolerance)
- sea levels rising

Question 12

How can we preserve CWRs ?

Answer 12

-Artificial conditions
-seed banks
-legal protection (designation)
-education on how to avoid threats
-Reduce combustion of fossil fuels
-Reduce methane emissions
-Removal of introduced species

Question 13

Examples of characteristics introduced to a domesticated food crop from CWRs

Answer 13

Banana: genetically identical clones planted that are highly susceptible to outbreaks of pests and diseases.

Question 14

What is biological control ?

Answer 14

The use of a living organism to control the population of a pest

Question 15

Examples of biological control:

Answer 15

Increasing beetles and ladybirds controls agricultural pests like acids as they eat small insects. This stops the need to use pesticides.

Hedgehogs eat slugs reduces the level of pesticides and toxins that contaminate agriculture used to remove them. Increases biodiversity

Question 16

How can predation benefit a species?

Answer 16

-Control population size
- reduce competition for food, mates, light, space, water
-removes weak genes from a species (natural selection)

Question 17

Give examples of seed dispersal methods.

Answer 17

-Burdock seeds are sticky and attach to animals and get carried away elsewhere

-Squirrels store food/bury nuts that germinate and produce plants

-exploding seed pods pop and seeds get dispersed through wind/trampling etc

-Plants produce fruit and birds eat/carry the seeds which get excreted and dispersed elsewhere

Question 18

Give examples of pollination relationships

Answer 18

Bats: some plants have pale nocturnal flowers that bats are attracted to.
They get pollen on their faces and go to the next flower carrying reproductive cells

Bees: bees are attracted to bright plants.
They seek food and pollen gets attached to their body. It carries the pollen to more plants which fertilises them

Question 19

Causes/impacts of bee population collapse

Answer 19

Intensive farming: nowhere left for bees to roam.
Hives get shipped accross the word bacteria fungi and parasites cause colonies to collapse

Neonicotinoids: released toxins into soils. Stops bees being able to find him and fly which means that they cannot navigate to find food or mates.

Lots of habitats and flowering plants: The parasitic mite can kill entire bee populations.
Potential neglect by beekeeper

Question 20

How can species provide habitats for another

Answer 20

A tree provides a habitat for birds and insects
Coral reefs provide protection and space for habitats
Parasitic relationships like fleas mites and bacteria

Question 21

How does life interact and support other Earth systems?

Answer 21

Hydrological cycle:
movement through transpiration
Interception (slowing down run off)
Infiltration

Atmospheric composition
-photosynthesis contributes to oxygen levels

Biogeochemical cycles
-carbon
-water
-decomposition
-Photosynthesis
-respiration

Soil:
Decomposition (decay of living things)
Bacteria contributes to nitrogen content
Worms process soul change texture. Waste product= soil fertility