Year 11 Biodiversity Flashcards
Define biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things; the different species, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form.
What is a mega diverse country?
A country recognized for possessing diverse ecosystems and many endemic species, such as Australia.
Define gene
Gene: unit of heredity
List the importance of maintaining biodiversity.
- Provisioning services (food, clean water, timber)
- Regulating services (climate, disease, pollination)
- Cultural services (recreational, aesthetic benefits)
- Supporting services (soil formation, nutrient cycling)
Describe genetic biodiversity.
Genetic biodiversity = all of the different genes within a population/species.
Describe species biodiversity.
Species biodiversity = the variety of species within a habitat or region.
Describe ecosystem biodiversity.
Ecosystem biodiversity = the variety of ecosystems within a given region.
Define a keystone species.
A species that has a large influence on an ecological community despite its relatively low abundance.
What is the biological species concept?
A group of organisms whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring.
What is the morphological species concept?
Characterises a species by its morphology or form.
Can be applied to fossils: Comparison of structures such as bones can determine variablilty between similar species. characteristics to identify include: body symmetry, structure of skeleton, digestive system etc
What is the phylogenetic species concept?
The smallest group of organisms who can all trace their origins to a single common ancestor. utilises genetic techniques and is used in all classififcation systems.
Define sub-species.
A taxonomic group that is a division of a species, usually arising from geographical isolation.
Define hybrid.
An offspring resulting from the cross between parents of different species or sub-species.
How can biodiversity be measured?
- Species richness
- Species evenness
- Simpson Index calculations
What is species richness?
The number of different species present in an area.
What is species evenness?
Takes into account the abundance of each species in a community.
What does the Simpson Index measure?
A measure of biodiversity that takes into account both species richness and species evenness.
What is a World Heritage site?
A location recognized by UNESCO for its cultural or natural significance, examples include Shark Bay and the Great Barrier Reef.
Define a biodiversity hotspot.
A biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction.
What are international migration routes?
Routes used by animals for migration, including breeding areas for birds, whales, turtles, and whale sharks.
List the criteria for a biodiversity hotspot.
- Contains at least 1500 species of vascular plants that are endemic
- Must have lost at least 70% of the original habitat
What is biological classification?
A hierarchical system based on molecular sequences, physical features, and reproduction methods.
Why do biologists classify living things?
- Organizing information
- Identifying patterns and trends
- Effective communication
- Internationally recognized system
What is the significance of the Linnaean system of Binomial nomenclature?
An internationally recognized two-part naming system that includes Genus and species.
List the main classification groups (taxa) used in biology.
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
What happens as you move down the hierarchical groups (taxa)?
Organisms share more characteristics and there are fewer organisms at each successive level.
What types of characteristics can be used for classification?
- Physical characteristics (morphology)
- Reproductive methods
- Molecular sequences
What is a clade?
A clade (also known as a monophyletic group) is a group of organisms that includes a single common ancestor and all of its descendants.
Define cladistics.
A method of grouping animals based on lines of descent rather than structural similarities.
What is a cladogram?
A diagram used in cladistics to show evolutionary relationships among organisms.
True or False: Classification systems reflect evolutionary relatedness between groups of organisms.
True
Define Genome
Genome: an organism’s complete set of DNA
Why is the Fitzgerald River a biodiversity hotspot
supports over 1,700 identified plant species, which represents almost 20% of the State’s described plant species.
Difference between native and endemic species
Native can belong to multiple regions, while endemic belong to one specific region.
Why is it difficult to determine endemism in marine species?
There is no definitive boundary in marine/oceanic environment.
Limitations of Biological species concept:
Not possible to appl to fossils of extinct organisms, because it’s impossible to know which individuals could interbreed.
Sometimes an overlap of species can occur, and a hybrid forms, carrying mismatched chromosomes.
Limitations of Morphological species concept
Unrelated species may evolve similar physical characteristics due to adapting to similar environments.
Limitations of phylogenetic species concept
it does not identify species based on reproductive boundaries between them, it may have the effect of identifying populations connected by gene flow as different species.
How can phylogenetics be used?
Genetic information is used to create phylogenetic trees that show common ancestry from branching points.
Percentage cover:
how much an area is covered by a plant/feature.
Percentage frequency
Probability a species will be found in a single quadrant.
List one biotic and abiotic factoe tht limit a species abundance and distribution.
Pests
Mountain Ranges- Weather/climate
features of Eukaryotes
contain DNA within a nucleus and membrane organelles.
features of prokaryotes
no nucleus, membrane bound
features of animalia
mammals, insects, sea sponges
features of archaea
prokaryotes, live in extreme environments
features of Plants
eukaryotic, cell walls, photosynthesis
features of fungi
multicellular, breakdown+ absorb nutrients
features of protists
single celled/multicellular, eukaryotic
relationship between phylum and class
A phylum is a broader taxonomic grouping with multiple classes, each of which contains organisms sharing more specific characteristics than those within the phylum as a whole.
why is Linnaeus’s binomial system used
-universal identification language
easy to organise
state the idea that classification os based on
Biological classification is based on the idea of shared ancestry and derived characteristics.
example of physical characteristics used in classification
physical/structural/morphological
example of how methods of reproduction are used in classification
sexual: two parents and the union of gametes can be internal or external. asexual one parent producing identical offspring
example of how molecular sequences are used in classification
DNA, RNA and amino acid can be analysed to help with classification. provides information for ancestral relationships and divergence times.
What is paraphyletic
A paraphyletic group is a group that shares a common ancestor but excludes some of its descendants.
Impacts of new technologies and molecular sequencing of dna
reclassing of organisms
dna supports hypotheses of evolutionary relationships
provide highly detailed info on evolutionary history
