Unit 4 Species,Taxonomy & Biodiversity

Question 1

Define Species

Answer 1

• A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 2

Describe what is meant by courtship and the advantage

Answer 2

Courtship - Sequence of actions unique to each species allows for successful mating
e.g dancing
- Species recognition to form a pair bond and successfully breed
- Synchronises mating behaviour

Question 3

Describe the purpose of phylogenetic classification
X

Answer 3

• Arranges species into groups according to their evolutionary origins and relationships

Question 4

Describe what is meant by a hierarchy

- Classification systems are an example of a hierarchy

Answer 4

Smaller groups arranged within larger groups with no overlap between groups
(TAXA) - plural (TAXON)

Question 5

Name the 8 groups in the classification hierarchy.

Answer 5

Domain 
⇢Kingdom
⇢Phylum
⇢Class
⇢Order
⇢Family
⇢Genus
⇢Species

Question 6

What is the system used to give species a universal name

Answer 6

Binomial naming system which consists of its genus and species
e.g HUMANS - Homo sapiens

Question 7

Describe what is shown in a phylogenetic diagram.
X

Answer 7

• In a phylogenetic diagram, branch tips represent species at the end of their specific lineage
• Branching points represent common ancestors
  & The closer the branches, the closer
  the evolutionary relationship.

Question 8

Define biodiversity

Answer 8

The variety of living organisms across a range of habitats, can range from small habitats to entire earth

Question 9

Describe what is meant by species richness

Answer 9

A measure of the number of different species in a community

Question 10

Describe how to calculate the index of diversity & what it means

Answer 10

An index of diversity describes the relationship between the number of species in a community and the number of individuals in each species.
EQUATION
d =
N (N − 1) DIVIDE
Σn (n − 1)
where N = total number of organisms of all species
and n = total number of organisms of each species.
INCRRASE IOD BY
LARGE NUMBER OR SAMPLES
RANDOM SAMPLING

Question 11

Describe farming techniques’ impact on biodiversity & list examples of ways to find a balance

Answer 11

Decreases biodiversity however needed for food for humans

• Destruction of hedgerows
• Selective breeding
• Filling in ponds & draining in wetlands

Question 12

Name 4 ways to measure genetic diversity

Answer 12

• the frequency of measurable or observable characteristics
• the base sequence of DNA
• the base sequence of mRNA
• the amino acid sequence

Question 13

Describe how genetic diversity between species can be measured.

Answer 13

• Comparing amino acid sequences
• Comparing observable characteristics
• Comparing differences in base sequence of DNA or mRNA

Question 14

Describe what is meant by sampling

Answer 14

• Selecting a group of people to measure that will represent the whole population