Why do we conserve? Flashcards

Question

What is biomimetics?

Answer 1

Using the knowledge of adaptations of other species to improve the designs of our own technology and manufactured items. - some involve structural features that help us to design improved engineering structures and equipment

Answer 2

1. Vehicle design 2. Infection control 3. Architecture 4. Adhesion 5. Materials 1. Aircraft - copying feather structures of soaring birds reduces turbulence and drag, which increases fuel efficiency. 2. Hospital operating theatres - a coating material imitating shark skin is used to control bacterial infections as bacteria cannot stick easily to shark skin. 3. Ventilation in high rise shopping complexes and office blocks - termite mounds absorb sunlight and become hot, causing a convection current due to the hot air rising inside, which is a natural solar driven ventilation system. Air blowing over the mound has low air pressure and draws air out. Mimicking this system reduces the need for air con. 4. Velcro - the burrs with hooks on the seeds of some plants hook onto passing animals to aid seed dispersal, and is now used to attach two sides, one hooked and one fluffy, together. Sticky pads - copying the toe pads of geckos to reduce the need for glue. 5. Synthetic materials - copying lightweight, flexible, strong spider silk to produce better car airbags or body armour.

Answer 3

A relatively small amount of the known animal and plant species are used for human food. Some of them are kept in areas where they are not well adapted so productivity is reduced. Indigenous plants are better adapted than introduced species to local conditions eg pests, climate and soil, so will survive more. Selective breeding is needed to enhance desired traits and eliminate unwanted ones. There are also plans to domesticate new species as the ones we eat now were firs cultivated a long time ago

Answer 4

- Potato Bean of North America has very high protein content - Yeheb Tree from Somalia produces edible nuts, is drought-resistant and can grow in poor quality soils - Perennial maize discovered in Mexico means no need to buy seeds every year and reduces the need of ploughing which would lead to soil erosion

Answer 5

Other species influence the conditions on Earth that are beneficial for humans but their actions are often unnoticed or underappreciated. These include: - atmospheric composition - hydrological cycle - biogeochemical cycles - soil maintenance - interspecies relationships - food - pollination - seed dispersal - habitat provision

Answer 6

- atmospheric composition is influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors which cancel each other out to create an equilibrium - this often goes unnoticed - e.g. respiration and photosynthesis maintain stable CO2 and O2 levels

Answer 7

- evapotranspiration from vegetation produces a large amount of water vapour that forms clouds, controls surface temperatures and increases precipitation

Answer 8

- living organisms involved in the processes of BGC cycles e.g Carbon, Hydrological, Nitrogen, Phosphorus - many done by bacteria and fungi - without these processes, waste materials will build up and important nutrient resources would become depleted

Answer 9

- trees/vegetation play a key role in carbon sequestration - peat, rocks, trees - CO2 important for photosynthesis which produces oxygen which we breathe

Answer 10

- without it, too much water causes floods, too little causes droughts, the salinity of the oceans and soils are affected and ocean encroachment threatens low lying habitats

Answer 11

- worms and decomposers break down the soils returning nutrients to the Earth, such as in sustainable farming techniques - this means more vegetation can grow and animals can eat them - it also avoids the leaching of nutrients

Answer 12

- soil is vital for survival for almost all plants, and thereby animals as it rovides water, nutrients, and support - also regulates the hydrological cycle by sustaining even river flow and reducing flooding - soil also contains dead and decaying organic matter and the processes to decompose this involves invertebrates, fungi and bacteria - the organic matter/humus produced helps hold the soil together and decomposition produces organic acids which aids breakdown and weathering of rocks, producing more soil and releasing more nutrients - 1cm of fertile soil takes 200-400 years

Answer 13

1. organic layer - humus 2. topsoil - minerals with humus 3. eluviation layer - leached minerals and organic matter 4. subsoil - deposited minerals and metal salts 5. parent rock - partly weathered rock 6. bedrock - unweathered parent rock

Answer 14

They plough, mix, aerate, and allow roots to grow in soil/

Answer 15

- species interdependence is crucial because no species can live on their own due to their survival relying on other species for resources and ecological services

Answer 16

The Brazil nut tree: - to pollinate, the flower forms an arched 'hood' formed by several elongated staminodes which creates a chamber enclosing the reproductive organs - only species with specific strength can open it = the orchid bee, which needs the scent from the flower to attract females - when the pod falls from the tree, it has a hard outer casing that is hard to open. The agouti has sharp enough teeth to open it, and when it reaches the nuts it eats some and buries others as a stash. - the forgotten stashes grow into more trees - and the cycle begins again

Answer 17

the close relationship between species usually with benefits to one or all species involved. Includes: - mutualism - commensalism - parasitism - predation

Answer 18

both species benefitting from the interaction e.g. oxpeckers remove the ticks from larger animals such as antelopes, zebras, and gazelles. oxpeckers get food, mammal is freed of potentially harmful parasites

Answer 19

one species benefits but the other is unharmed e.g. remoras and sharks. remoras get protection and food but the shark isn't negatively impacted in any way

Answer 20

one species benefits at the expense of the other e.g. fleas on raccoons can cause blood loss and infection. the flea gets food, the raccoon gets sick

Answer 21

when one species eats another e.g. lion eats zebra. lion gets fed, zebra dies

Answer 22

all heterotrophs rely on other organisms as a source of energy and nutrients to survive. a loss of biodiversity causes a loss of prey or predators which can skew food chains also human food is impacted

Answer 23

1. insect pollination e.g. bees - allows plants to disperse over a wider range as insects search over a large range. The plants also don't to use as much energy to produces pollen as it is more efficient than wind pollination - some flowers have adapted so only specific insects can pollinate them, and some insects have evolved to pollinate specific plants. This ensures the insect gets to eat exclusively, and reduces the risk of pollen being carried to a separate species of plant 2. animal pollination e.g. moths, monkeys - important in areas such as forests where wind velocity is reduced by trees - often unwitting animals who come to drink the nectar and pick up pollen when they do so

Answer 24

Darwin's Orchid - in Madagascar - nectar at the end of 30cm tube - only insect with a long enough tongue is the Sphinx Moth which carries it between flowers - no risk of unspecialised feeders wasting pollen by carrying it to a different plant

Answer 25

Animals are much more advantageous than wind in seed dispersal as it is not as haphazard and seeds can be carried further - they live in same habitat as plant = takes seeds to places where they can survive - allows seeds to be larger which increases chances of survival as they can contain more nutrients for growth during germination -attract animals using brightly coloured fruit that tastes good - can be physically carries e.g. hooks, or eaten then carried in faecal material that acts as a fertiliser - some seeds are stimulated to germinate by passing through the intestines of animals that disperse them

Answer 26

One species provides habitat for many e.g. - trees are nesting sites for birds - hermit crabs live in shells of dead molluscs - trees control abiotic factors below canopy like light levels, humidity, wind velocity and temp. Provides suitable conditions or species that cannot survive in more exposed locations.