Topic 4.2

• What is an adaptation?

  A feature of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment. An adaptation may be anatomical, physiological or behavioural.
• What is a belt transect?

  A line along a sampled area upon which quadrats are placed at intervals to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
• What is the binomial system?

  The universal system of naming organisms. It is made up of two parts; the first gives the genus and the second, the specie
• What is biodiversity?

  The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem
• Who was Charles Darwin?

  The scientist who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection
• What is classification?

  The organisation of organisms into groups.
• What is a community?

  All of the populations of different species living together in a habitat.
• What is conservation?

  The maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity by humans in order to preserve the Earth’s resources.
• What is continuous variation?

  When a characteristic can have any value within a given range e.g. height, mass, heart rate
• What is the convention on biological diversity (CBD) ?

  A treaty that promotes the sustainable use of and maintenance of biodiversity. One of three Rio Conventions
• WHat is the convention on biological on international trade in endangered species (CITES) ?

  A treaty that regulates the trade of plants and wild animals across international borders.
• What is convergent evolution?

  The process by which unrelated species evolve similar traits due to

  exposure to similar environments or selection pressures
• What is the countryside stewardship scheme?

  A scheme in England (1991 -2 014) that aimed to provide financial incentives to farmers to enhance and conserve the environment. Replaced by the Environmental Stewardship Scheme (ESS)
• What is discontinuous variation?

  When a characteristic can only take certain values e.g. sex, eye

  colour, blood group
• What is a domain?

  The highest taxonomic rank
• What are the three domains?

  Archaea

  bacteria

  Eukaryota
• What is evolution?

  The gradual change in the allele frequencies within a population over time. Occurs due to natural selection.
• What is the Ex Situ Conservation?

  A type of conservation that takes place outside of an organism’s

  natural habitat
• What are examples of Ex Situ Conservation?

  Zoos

  Botanic Gardens

  Seed Banks
• what is a fossil?

  The remains of dead organisms found in rocks which are millions of years old.
• What are fungi?

  A biological kingdom consisting of mushrooms, yeasts and moulds
• What is genetic biodiversity?

  A measure of the variety of genes that make up a species
• What is habitat biodiversity?

  A measure of the number of different habitats found within an area
• What is in situ conservation?

  A type of conservation that takes place within an organism’s natural habitat
• What are exampels of in situ conservation?

  Wildlife reserves

  Marine Conservation zones
• What is interspecific variation?

  Differences between members of different species.
• What are keystone species?

  A species which has an unexpectedly large effect on the environment and is crucial for the maintenance of biodiversity
• What is kick-sampling?

  A method used to sample organisms living on the bed of a river. It involves disturbing an area of river bed before placing a net downstream to capture released

  organisms
• What is a kingdom?

  The second highest taxonomic rank.
• What are the five kingdoms?

  Protoctista

  Fungi

  plantae

  Animalia
• What is a line transect?

  A line along a sampled area. The species touching the transect at regular intervals are recorded to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an

  ecosystem
• What is a monoculture?

  The growth of one crop in a given area.
• what is natural selection?

  The process by which the frequency of ‘advantageous’ alleles gradually increases in a population’s gene pool over time
• What is non-random sampling?

  A sampling method in which a sample is not chosen randomly.
• What are the three types of non-random sampling?

  opportunistic

  Stratified

  Systematic
• What is opportunistic sampling?

  A type of non-random sampling that involves drawing a sample

  from part of the population that is conveniently available
• What is a phylogenetic tree?

  A diagram used to show the evolutionary relationships between organisms
• What is phylogeny?

  The evolutionary relationships between individuals or groups of organisms
• What is a pitfall trap?

  A device used to catch small ground surface invertebrates. It consists of a container buried beneath the ground and a roof structure
• What are pooters?

  A device used in the collection of small insects. It consists of two tubes, one connecting the holding chamber to a mouthpiece (with a filter) and the other to an inlet tube