Topic 1: Describing Biodiversity

Question 1

define biodiversity

Answer 1

amount of variety among living things

Question 2

define species

Answer 2

group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals

Question 3

what is the word to describe biodiversity WITHIN a species

Answer 3

genetic variation

Question 4

what does genetic variation refer to

Answer 4

differences between members of a single species (in terms of the alleles they have for a particular gene) –> imagine, humans are all the same species but we still look different

Question 5

define phenotypic variation

Answer 5

physical differences

Question 6

what are alleles

Answer 6

one of two or more alternative forms of a gene

Question 7

what does a large gene pool mean for a species

Answer 7

the species has many different alleles for its genes

Question 8

genotypic variation

Answer 8

differences between members of a species in the alleles they contain for genes

Question 9

define biome

Answer 9

larrge geographic region characterised by the form of the species living there (certain climate and certain types of living things)

Question 10

define species richness

Answer 10

simply the no. of species counted in the sampling process

Question 11

name a point of usefulness and a limitation for using species richness

Answer 11

useful: gives clear idea of how many species inhabit an ecosystem
limitation: no indication of how plentiful each species is, nor the evenness of distribution

Question 12

define relative species abundance/ evenness

Answer 12

the no. of individuals in each species counted in proportion to other species sampled

Question 13

define percentage frequency

Answer 13

% of quadrats in which a species is counted - helps indicate evenness of species

Question 14

define simpson’s diversity index

Answer 14

used to measure the diversity of an ecosystem (based on data from sampling); formula returns a value between 0 (not diverse) and 1 (very diverse)

Question 15

spatial vs temporal

Answer 15

spatial - over space/ temporal - over time

Question 16

what is the general species distribution pattern at a macro level

Answer 16

clumped

Question 17

what is a common reason for uniform spatial distribution in species

Answer 17

competition

Question 18

what is a taxon

Answer 18

a group within a classification system

Question 19

what are the different taxonomic levels

Answer 19

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Question 20

what are the characteristics of r - selected species

Answer 20

produce many offspring, short life span, little parental care, shorter time to sexual maturity, short pregnancy

Question 21

what are the characteristics of K- selected species

Answer 21

few offspring, invest time and resources into caring for young, longer time to reach sexual maturity, longer life span, longer pregnancy

Question 22

what is molecular sequencing

Answer 22

comparing genomes of different species

Question 23

define clade

Answer 23

a group of taxa (a phylogenetic group) which represents all the evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor

Question 24

what are the three assumptions that cladistics is based on

Answer 24

1. any group of living things is related by descendant to a common ancestor
2. lineages BIFURICATE - (divide/ branch in two)
3. physical changes occur in every lineage

Question 25

define lineage

Answer 25

a group whose evolution can be traced to a single common ancestor

Question 26

compare cladograms to phylograms

Answer 26

both: show evolutionary relationships between taxa
BUT: phylograms have scaled branches (tell us how long ago 2 taxa diverged from a common ancestor)

Question 27

define interspecific competition

Answer 27

-/-
two species compete for the same resource – both species are harmed

Question 28

define predation

Answer 28

+/-
one species kills and eats the other

Question 29

symbiosis: parasitism

Answer 29

+/-
parasite uses host for resources and in doing so damages/ harms the host

Question 30

symbiosis: mutualism

Answer 30

+/+
“you scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours”

Question 31

symbiosis: commensalism

Answer 31

+/0
one species benefits, other is not affected

Question 32

define ecosystem

Answer 32

a community of living organisms and the abiotic components of their environment

Question 33

define microhabitat

Answer 33

the immediate, small-scale place in which a species lives (e.g. the microhabitat of a eurasian pygmy owl is abandoned woodpecker holes)

Question 34

define macrohabitat

Answer 34

large-scale place in which a species lives (e.g. “cool mountain coniferous forest near swampland)

Question 35

what is specht’s ecosystem classification

Answer 35

based heavily on the % cover of the tallest plant layer as well as the height and form of the dominant vegetation species –> because most of the biomass and photosynthesis takes place in the tallest stratum

Question 36

what is an old growth forest

Answer 36

mature, climax communities showing little evidence of disturbance

Question 37

what is stratified sampling

Answer 37

instead of just random - look at the ecosystem and choosing sample sites that accurately represent the ecosystem

Question 38

define strata

Answer 38

vertical layers through an ecosystem

Question 39

define zone/ zonation

Answer 39

horizontal layers in an ecosystem