Year 12 Biology - UNIT 3 TOPIC 1 Biodiversity Flashcards
Biodiversity
The full range of different living things in a particular area or region; it can be described at various levels, including the range of different species, genetic diversity or the diversity of ecosystems present in a larger area
Ecosystem
A self-sustaining unit consisting of the interaction between the species in the community and the environment
Species Evenness / Relative Species Abundance
The number of individuals present for each species in an ecosystem
Percentage Frequency
The percentage of quadrats in which a species appears
Species
The lowest taxon in Linnaean classification
Species Richness
The number of species present in an ecosystem
Percentage Coverage
The percentage of the quadrat that a species takes up
Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI)
A quantitive measure of biodiversity; the combined ratio of individuals in each species to the total individuals in an ecosystem; the probability that two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to different species (or groups)
Simpson’s Index (D)
The probability that two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to the same species (or genus or family etc)
Predation
A species interaction in which one species kills and eats the other.
Symbiosis
A relationship between individuals of two or more species in which at least one organism benefits from the interaction; parasitism, commensalism, mutualism.
Abiotic Factors
The nonliving components of an ecosystem, including the physical landscapes, minerals and weather conditions.
Species Interactions
Includes predation, competition, symbiosis, and disease between producers and consumers; generally a spatial scale is used to determine the ratio; the ratio of producers to 1st and 2nd level consumers is similar to biodiverse ecosystems.
Competition
A species interaction in which two or more individuals (whether the same species or not) compete for the same resource in the same area
Producer
Organisms forming the base of all food chains; converts simple inorganic chemicals into complex organic molecules (food); generally autotropic organisms such as plants.
Consumer
An organism that eats other living organisms (or part of an organism) for nutrition
Distribution of species in an ecosystem
the manner in which a biological taxon is specially arranged
into three types:
1. Uniform dispersion
2. Random dispersion
3. Clumped dispersion
Spatial Scales
How much area a studies ecosystem covers
Environmental Factors
Any abiotic or biotic factors that influence living organisms. Includes factors like temperature, food, pollutants, population density, sound, light, and parasites
Size/depth of area
Abiotic factor; the larger the ecosystem, the more room there is for organisms. Depth is the distance from the surface downward and is linked to temperature and light intensity
Dispersion of species in an ecosystem
The movement of individuals away from their region of origin from a population centre of high density
Temporal Scales
The time period over which an ecosystem is studies
Biotic Factors
The living components of an ecosystem including animals, plants, and bacteria
Substrate
Abiotic factor; the surface on which an organism like plants, fungi, or animals lives; can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals (eg - whales and barnacles).
Macro-level Ecosystem
A large area of land or water (typically a whole continent or ocean) and its inhabitants.
Micro-level Ecosystem
A small area of land or water (typically a single biome - temperate rainforests, alpine tundra etc) and its inhabitants
Niche
A specialised position or role
Relative Abundance
The evenness of distribution of individuals among species in a community. Two communities may be equally rich in species but differ in relative abundance.
Meso-level Ecosystem
A medium-sized area of land or water (typically a single-name location - desert, like etc) and its inhabitants
Diurnal
Active during the daylight hours
Quadrat
A 1m x 1m square frame is placed over a location to provide a boundary for sampling in ecology
Abundance of species in an ecosystem
The number of individuals per species
