S2 Biodiversity

Biodiversity

The variety of life in an ecosystem.

Biological key

Used to identify species.

Community

All the living organisms in an ecosystem.

Ecosystem

the community and the habitat

Habitat

The place an organism lives.

Organism

A living thing

Pitfall trap

Used to sample insects on the ground.

Population

The number of individuals of a single species.

Sampling

Used to find species so they can be studied, and population sizes estimated.

Species

A group of organisms which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Quadrat

Used to sample low lying plants and stationary animals on the ground

Adaptation

A trait or characteristic which helps an organism survive in its environment.

Biome

A large region of the planet characterised by its climate and the animals and plants that live there.

Carnivore

An animal which eats animal matter only.

Consumer

An organism that eats other organisms.

Food chain

Shows energy flow between organisms in an ecosystem.

Food web

Made up of many food chains.

Herbivore

An animal which eats plant matter only.

Omnivore

An animal which eats animal and plant matter.

Pollinator

An animal that carry out pollination.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the male to the female part of a flower

Producer

An organism that creates (produces) its own energy - always a plant.

Carbon dioxide

A raw material required for photosynthesis.

Cellulose

Used to make plant cell walls.

Glucose

The sugar produced during photosynthesis

Iodine solution

Used to test for the presence of starch.

Oxygen

product of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy to make food

Respiration

A chemical reaction that takes place in cell to release the energy stored in glucose.

Starch

glucose produced during photosynthesis is stored as starch.

Sugar

Product of photosynthesis

Water

A raw material required for photosynthesis.

Artificial propagation

method of growing plants, includes cuttings, grafting

Asexual reproduction

Reproduction involving one parent - offspring are genetically identical to the parent.

Bulb

Form of asexual reproduction e.g. onion

Germinate

When a seed starts to grow and produces a root.

Runner

Form of asexual reproduction e.g. strawberry

Sexual reproduction

Reproduction involving two parents. Offspring are genetically different to the parents.

Tuber

Form of asexual reproduction e.g. potato.

Agriculture

Describes farming and methods used to look after crops and animals.

Biological control

when an organism us introduced to control a pest species. Biological control is an alternative to pesticides.

Crop yield

Describes how much of a crop is produced.

Fertiliser

A chemical used to increase plant growth.

Fungicide

A chemical used to kill fungi and moulds that cause disease.

Herbicide

A chemical used to kill weed that compete with the crop for space, light, water and nutrients.

Food security

ability for all people to access nutritious food in a sustainable way that does not degrade the land.

Genetically modified

Describes an organism which has had its genes altered.

G.M. Crop

A crop that has been genetically modified to give it new traits.

sustainability

Improving human life whilst supporting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity.

Organic farming

farming which does not use G.M crops or synthetic chemicals

pesticide

a chemical used to kill pests