Biodiversity

Question 1

4.2.1 a)

What is biodiversity?

Answer 1

• measure of the variation found in the living world
• includes plants, animals, fungi etc.
• biodiversity considers both structural and functional variety

Question 2

4.2.1 g)

Why is biodiversity essential, give examples.

Answer 2

• essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem for all organisms
• all species are interconnected - dependent on one another
• examples of interconnectivity
  
  • trees = provide homes for animals
  • animals = eat plants
  • plants = need fertile soil (fungi and other microorganisms decompose dead animals + plants = returning nutrients to soils)
• without biodiversity - connections = not made - could harm all species in an ecosystem

Question 3

4.2.1 f)

What could potentially lead to a reduction in biodiversity?

Answer 3

• human activity
  
  • farming
  • clearing land for housing

Question 4

4.2.1 a)

Which areas have the most and the least biodiversity?

Answer 4

• tropical, moist regions (warm all year round) = most biodiversity
• very cold areas e.g. arctic or very dry areas e.g. deserts = least biodiversity
• generally, closer region to equator = more biodiversity

Question 5

4.2.1 a)

What are the different levels that biodiversity can be considered at?

Answer 5

• habitat biodiversity
• species biodiversity
• genetic biodiversity

Question 6

4.2.1 b)i)

What is the purpose of measuring biodiversity?

Answer 6

• plays an important role in conservation
• informs scientists of present species, thus providing a baseline for the level of biodiversity in specific area
  
  • from this information:
  • effects of any changes to environment can be measured, e.g effect of human activity, effect of disease, or climate change
• before major project undertaken e.g. building new road, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is takes place
  
  • which attempts to predict positive and negative effects of project

Question 7

4.2.1 a)

What does the term habitat mean?

Answer 7

• place where an organism lives

Question 8

4.2.1 a)

What is meant by the term habitat biodiversity?

Answer 8

• refers to the range of different habitats found within an area
• in which different species live
  
  • therefore generally, greater habitat biodiversity, the greater a species biodiversity will be in an area
• each habitat = occupied by a range of organisms

Question 9

4.2.1 a)

What are some common habitats in the UK?

Answer 9

• sand dunes
• woodland
• meadows
• streams
  
  • even in schools or local parks
    
    • lawns
    • ponds
    • dark corners between buildings
    • small patch of trees
• UK has a large habitat biodiversity
• unlike Antartica = covered in an ice sheet
  
  • very low habitat biodiversity, and very few species

Question 10

4.2.1 a)

Give a small scale example of a place that has more habitat biodiversity than other and as a result has more species?

Answer 10

• countryside habitats:
  
  • river
  • woodland
  • hedgegrows
  • wild grassland
• large ploughed field:
  
  • becomes one uniform land = not as many species

Question 11

4.2.1 a)

What does the term species mean?

Answer 11

• a group of organisms that can freely interbreed to produce fertile offspring
• very similar in appearance, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and genetics
• range of organisms found in a habitat contributes to species biodiversity

Question 12

4.2.1 a)

What are the two parts to species biodiversity?

Answer 12

• species richness - measure of how many different species are living in a particular area
• species evenness - measure of how evenly represented the species are, (when a species is more present - not represented evenly) in a community

Question 13

4.2.1 a)