OCR- A-level Biology- Biodiversity

what is Biodiversity

the variety of living organisms in an area

what is habitat biodiversity

the range of habitats in an area

what is species richness

the number of species in an area

what is species evenness

the abundance of each species in an area

what is genetic biodiversity

the range of genes that make up species

what are the three non-random sampling techniques

systematic, stratified and opportunistic

how is a quadrat used for sampling

place the quadrat randomly in an area and count the organisms within the quadrat and repeat in different areas, calculate the mean and scale up to the area size

what organisms are sweeping nets used to capture

aquatic and flying animals

how are pitfall traps used to sample organisms

place a cup in the ground so that the top is level with the top of the soil, camouflage the entrance and leave overnight, check the next day and identify the organisms trapped within, repeat for multiple sites in an area

how are pooters used to sample organisms

you can suck up specific organisms for further observation

how is kick-sampling used to sample organisms

in moving water you agitate the soil and organisms will flow into the net

what equation is used to measure biodiversity

Simpsons biodiversity index

what is a polymorphic gene

a gene with multiple variations

what is a monomorphic gene

a gene with different variations

what is genetic bottleneck

where a few individuals in a population survive a sudden change or event and this leaves the species with a small gene pool, reducing genetic biodiversity

what is the founder effect

where a small number of individuals start a new colony geographically isolated from the others, with the gene pool for this population being very small and the subsequent generations have a high chance of having a previously uncommon allele

what is genetic drift

due to the randomisation of alleles being passed from parents to offspring the frequency of occurrence will vary sometimes causing a gene to disappear completely

what is a gene pool

all of the alleles of all the genes within a species

what is ex-situ conservation

conservation away from the species habitat

what is in-situ conservation

conservation within the species habitat

what are the three reasons for maintaining biodiversity

ecological, economic and aesthetic

what are three examples of ex-situ conservation

botanic gardens, seed banks and captive breeding programmes

what are two examples of in-situ conservation

nature/wildlife reserves or marine conservation zones

what does CITES stand for

the convention on international trade in endangered species

what happens when a species is classed in Appendix 1 of cites

the international trade of the organism is completely banned

what happens when an organism is classed in appendix II of CITES

the trade of the organisms is strictly regulated but trade is legal

what happens when an organism is class as Appendix III of CITES

the trade of the organisms is only regulated within specific countries

what does the ICUN Red List do

they assess the conservation status of animal and plant species worldwide, classifying species into a system from extinct to least concern

what is the purpose of the Rio Convention

the consrvation on Biological Diversity was signed in 1992 and looks at the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of biological resources and the fair/equitable sharing of benefits coming from genetic resources

what is the purpose of the countryside stewardship scheme

the scheme provides funding to farmers and private land owners using environmental management strategies to protect and increase biodiversity on their land

what are some ways humans decrease biodiversity

deforistation/increasing population/population growth/monoculture/agriculture