Year 12 Biology - UNIT 3 TOPIC 1 Biodiversity

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Ecosystem

Answer 2

A self-sustaining unit consisting of the interaction between the species in the community and the environment

Question 3

Species Evenness / Relative Species Abundance

Answer 3

The number of individuals present for each species in an ecosystem

Question 4

Percentage Frequency

Answer 4

The percentage of quadrats in which a species appears

Question 5

Species

Answer 5

The lowest taxon in Linnaean classification

Question 6

Species Richness

Answer 6

The number of species present in an ecosystem

Question 7

Percentage Coverage

Answer 7

The percentage of the quadrat that a species takes up

Question 8

Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI)

Answer 8

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)

Question 9

Simpson’s Index (D)

Answer 9

The probability that two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to the same species (or genus or family etc)

Question 10

Predation

Answer 10

A species interaction in which one species kills and eats the other.

Question 11

Symbiosis

Answer 11

A relationship between individuals of two or more species in which at least one organism benefits from the interaction; parasitism, commensalism, mutualism.

Question 12

Abiotic Factors

Answer 12

The nonliving components of an ecosystem, including the physical landscapes, minerals and weather conditions.

Question 13

Species Interactions

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Competition

Answer 14

A species interaction in which two or more individuals (whether the same species or not) compete for the same resource in the same area

Question 15

Producer

Answer 15

Organisms forming the base of all food chains; converts simple inorganic chemicals into complex organic molecules (food); generally autotropic organisms such as plants.

Question 16

Consumer

Answer 16

An organism that eats other living organisms (or part of an organism) for nutrition

Question 17

Distribution of species in an ecosystem

Answer 17

the manner in which a biological taxon is specially arranged
into three types:
1. Uniform dispersion
2. Random dispersion
3. Clumped dispersion

Question 18

Spatial Scales

Answer 18

How much area a studies ecosystem covers

Question 19

Environmental Factors

Answer 19

Any abiotic or biotic factors that influence living organisms. Includes factors like temperature, food, pollutants, population density, sound, light, and parasites

Question 20

Size/depth of area

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Dispersion of species in an ecosystem

Answer 21

The movement of individuals away from their region of origin from a population centre of high density

Question 22

Temporal Scales

Answer 22

The time period over which an ecosystem is studies

Question 23

Biotic Factors

Answer 23

The living components of an ecosystem including animals, plants, and bacteria

Question 24

Substrate

Answer 24

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).

Question 25

Macro-level Ecosystem

Answer 25

A large area of land or water (typically a whole continent or ocean) and its inhabitants.

Question 26

Micro-level Ecosystem

Answer 26

A small area of land or water (typically a single biome - temperate rainforests, alpine tundra etc) and its inhabitants

Question 27

Niche

Answer 27

A specialised position or role

Question 28

Relative Abundance

Answer 28

The evenness of distribution of individuals among species in a community. Two communities may be equally rich in species but differ in relative abundance.

Question 29

Meso-level Ecosystem

Answer 29

A medium-sized area of land or water (typically a single-name location - desert, like etc) and its inhabitants

Question 30

Diurnal

Answer 30

Active during the daylight hours

Question 31

Quadrat

Answer 31

A 1m x 1m square frame is placed over a location to provide a boundary for sampling in ecology

Question 32

Abundance of species in an ecosystem

Answer 32

The number of individuals per species