Unit 2.1 - Classification and Biodiversity Flashcards
What are the five kingdoms?
Plants, Animals, Fungi, Single Celled Organisms (Protoctists), Bacteria
Why do scientists need to classify organisms?
It makes it easier to identify new organisms and for scientists to communicate with each other.
Why are scientific names used rather than common names?
This creates a universal language for scientists to communicate with each other, and it avoids the confusion and duplication caused by the use of common or local names.
How does the binomial system make an organism’s scientific name?
The name is made from the organism’s genus and species (e.g. Homo sapiens)
What two main types of adaptation are there?
Morphological and behavioral
Describe the difference between morphological and behavioral adaptation
Morphological - changes to organism’s structure or physical features (e.g. leg length, camouflage)
Behavioral - way an organism behaves, acts or reacts to its environment (e.g. nocturnal, diet, etc.)
6 ways of maintaining biodiversity
CITES (Legislation) SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) Captive Breeding Programs Local Biodiversity Action Plans Seed/sperm Banks National Parks
What are the two types of competition?
Intraspecific - within a species
Interspecific - between different species
What do organisms compete over?
Animals - Food, mates, territory
Plants - Light, space
Both - Water, Minerals
What factors limit population size?
Competition over resources, predation, disease and pollution
Define the term ‘biodiversity’
The number of/variety of species in an area, or the number of individuals within those species.
Why is it important to maintain biodiversity?
Biodiversity creates stable environments which are resistant to a drop in a particular food source; more chance of finding new drugs/medicines; good for human well-being and for scientific interest; provides more building materials.
What are the difficulties with legislating to protect biodiversity?
The real world is varied and it is difficult to create legislation that covers all situations fairly.
What are the principles of sampling (how must it be done to be effective)?
Sample size must be large enough to be representative of the area being sampled; samples must be random to avoid researcher bias; method of sampling must not affect the results.
What methods are used for random sampling, systematic sampling and sampling animals?
Random - quadrats; systematic - transects; animals - capture/recapture
What are the principles of capture-recapture sampling of animals?
There must be no death, no large-scale migration and the marking technique must not affect the chance of recapture
Define the term ‘native species’
A species which exists naturally in an area and has not been introduced from elsewhere by humans
What is an alien species?
A species which has been introduced into an ecosystem and whose numbers grow faster than those of native species, upsetting the ecological balance, or whose numbers grow out of control.
What is biological control?
When a non-native species is deliberately introduced to an area to control/prey on a local pest species.
What problems can occur as a result of biological control?
The new species may carry diseases to which it has resistance but local species do not; it may prey on local species other than the target; it may have no natural predators and so its population may grow out of control; it may out-compete native species for resources, decreasing biodiversity.
