Topic 1: Biodiversity Flashcards
what is a brief explanation of what the context for biodiversity is in regards to evolution?
- that life exists in many forms
- as well that modern and historic species are related through common ancestors and therefore common characteristics
what is an example of common characteristics that species share? (specifically a characteristic found in humans?)
- presence of two arms
what is the broad definition for evolution?
descend with modification (so descend from common ancestor and modify through history)
what is the narrow definition for evolution?
genetic composition among the same species
what is meant by the term LUCA?
- means last common ancestor, the last one between all life in the world, evidence of this would be found in genes
what is the main point of evolution? gained through both the narrow and broad definitions?
both describe decent with modification
what are adaptations?
specific characteristic that enhance survival and reproduction in a specific environment
what is meant by the term “fitness” when talking in biology?
an individuals ability to survive, reproduce and pass down genes (DNA)
what are common ancestors used for in the studies of evolution?
- determine closeness of species
- determine shared traits
- narrow down family trees
what are is meant by the term shared traits?
shared traits are the observable & measurable diversity in populations, show the divergence in species after the common ancestor
what is the difference between character and trait in regards to evolution?
- character is the actual heritable feature of the organism
- trait is the condition of the trait/feature
what is the catalogue of life? what is its purpose? what were the problems with this system? have they been changed, and if so how?
- catalogue of life is the system that was used to count how many species of life there are, it states that there are 2 million living species
- the problem with this system is that it did not take into account any fossils, some scientists argued that fossils should be included in these counts –> which leads us to an estimated 8.7 million species
what are the types of biodiversity?
- species diversity
- genetic diversity
- ecosystem diversity
what does the term species mean?
populations that can breed with members in the same group in nature and produce viable, fertile offsprings
what is species diversity?
- the number of species or higher taxonomic units
- numbers of different species, which adds to biodiversity
what is genetic diversity?
- various versions of genetic composition in populations of single species
what does the term population mean?
group of individuals in same species that live in same area & interbreed, producing fertile offspring
what does it mean if a species has limited distribution? what would these species likely be classified as?
- the species likely consists of a single population
- likely classified as endangered species
what does it mean if a species is widely distributed?
the species has many populations that are spread over a large area
what is ecosystem diversity? what is an example of this?
variety of habitats and the relationships among them
(eg) predator-prey relationship
what does the term ecosystem mean?
environment that species live, interact, and breed in
what is the benefit of biodiversity? what are some examples?
- to facilitate maintenance of healthy ecosystems and provide sustainable ecosystem service to human populations.
- provision of materials (oxygen, water, food, medicine)
- regulating services (stabilize climates & provisioning materials)
- supporting services (recycling)
- cultural services (influences)
what is the IUZN red list?
shows categories between extant and extinct
what does it mean if a species is endangered?
it is a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all of or a significant portion of its range
