biodiversity

Question 1

What are the three levels that are considered in biodiversity?

Answer 1

• Habitat
• Genetic
• Species

Question 2

What is habitat diversity?

Answer 2

• Habitat is the area inhabited by s species
• It includes the abiotic and biotic factors
• Habitat diversity is the number of habitats in an area

Question 3

What is species diversity?

Answer 3

Species richness (the number of different species) and species evenness (the distribution of each species) in an area

Question 4

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 4

The variation of alleleswithin a species or a population of a species

Question 5

What is random sampling?

Answer 5

each sample site has the same probability of being chosen

Question 6

What are some example of non-random sampling?

Answer 6

1. Systematic sampling
2. Opportunities sampling
3. Stratified sampling

Question 7

How to estimate biodiversity using samples?

Answer 7

• Choose a site to sample
• Record the number of different species or count the number of individuals of each species
• Repeat the process
• Calculate simpson’s index of diversity

Question 8

What is simpson’s index of diversity?

Answer 8

It calculates the species diversity by taking species richness and evenness into account into the equation

Question 9

Why is it important to maintain high genetic diversity?

Answer 9

If a population has low genetic diversity, they might not be able to adapt to a change in the environment and the whole population could be wiped out by a single event

Question 10

How to calculate genetic diversity?

Answer 10

Calculate proportion of polymorphic gene loci = Number of polymorphic gene loci/ total number of loci

Question 11

What is polymorphism?

Answer 11

A locus (the same gene that are always found at the same point ) that has two or more alleles

Question 12

How does human population growth affect biodiversity?

Answer 12

• Habitat loss - more land are used for housing and to produce food
• Over-exploitation - a greater demand for resources means lots of resources are being used up faster than they can be replenished
• Urbanisation - major road developments can isolate species
• Pollution - high levels of pollutants can kill species or destroy habitats

Question 13

How monoculture affect biodiversity?

Answer 13

• Habitat loss - habitats are lost as land is cleared to make way for the large fields, reducing habitat diversity
• Loss of local plants and animals - local and naturally occuring plants and animals are seemn as weeds and pests, and so are destroyed with pesticides and herbicides, reducing species diversity
• Loss of heritage varieties - traditional varieties of crops are lost because htey don’t make enough money, which reduces species diversity

Question 14

What are some ecological reasons to maintain biodiversity?

Answer 14

• Protecting species
• Maintaining genetic resouces

Question 15

Why is protecting species important to maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 15

• Organisms in an ecosystem are interdependent - they depent on each other to survive
  If one species is lost:
• Disruption of food chain
• Disruption of nutrient cycles

Question 16

What is keystone species?

Answer 16

Species on which many of the other species in an ecosystem depend and without which the ecosystem would change dramatically

Question 17

Why do we need to maintain genetic resources?

Answer 17

• Food and drink
• Clothing
• Drugs
• Fuels
• Other industrial materials

Question 18

What are some economic reasons to maintain biodiversity?

Answer 18

Reducing soil depletion
Increased spending on fertiliers
Decreased yields

Question 19

What are aesthetic reason to maintain biodiversity?

Answer 19

brings joy to many people
Increase visitors - economic advantages

Question 20

Why is conservation important?

Answer 20

ensure the survival of endangered species

Question 21

How can biodiversity be maintained?

Answer 21

Conservation - the protection and management of species and habitats

Question 22

What is In-situ conservation?

Answer 22

conservation on site
involves protecting species in their natural habitat

Question 23

What are some in-situ conservation?

Answer 23

• Establishing protected areas such as national parks and wildlife reserves
• Controlling or preventing the introduction of species that threaten local biodiversity
• Protecting habitats
• Restoring damaged areas
• Promoting particular species
• Giving legal protecting to endangered species

Question 24

What are some advantages of in-situ conservations?

Answer 24

• Both species and habitats are conserved.
• Larger populations can be protected and it’s less disruptive than removing organisms from their habitats
• The chances of population recovering are greater than with ex situ methods

Question 25

What are some disadvantages of in situ conservation?

Answer 25

Can be difficult to control some factors that are threatening a species

Question 26

What is ex situ conservation?

Answer 26

Conservation off site Involves protecting a species by removing part of population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location

Question 27

What are some examples of ex situ conservation?

Answer 27

* Relocating an organism to a safer area * Breeding organisms in captivity then reintroducing them to the wild when they are strong enough * Botanic gardens are controlled environments used to grow a variety of rare plants for the purposes of conservation, research, display and education * Seed banks

Question 28

What are some advantages of ex situ conservation?

Answer 28

* Controlled environment - predation and hunting can be managed more easily * Competition for resources can be reduced * Possible to check on the health of individuals and threat them for diseases * Breeding can be manipulated * Reintroduce species that have left an area

Question 29

What are some disadvantages of ex situ conservations?

Answer 29

* Usually only a small number of individuals can be cared for * Can be difficult and expensive to create and sustain the right environment * Animals that are used to human contact may be less likely to exhibit natural behaviour and may be more likely to catch a diseases from humans * Less successful than in situ methods - many species can't breed successfully in captivity

Question 30

What are the two examples of international coorperation?

Answer 30

* Rio Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - Provide guidance to governments on how to conserve biodiversity * CITES agreement - illegal to kill endangered species, conserve species by limiting trade through licensing, and by making it illegal to trade in products made from endangered animals

Question 31

What is an example of local conservation agreement?

Answer 31

* The countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) * The government offered 10-year agreements to pay landowners who followed the management techniques they were suggesting * E.g. to regenerate hedgerows, to leave grassy margins around the edges of fields where wild flowers could grow.