Cards (49)

  • What is biodiversity?
    Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms.
  • How has biodiversity changed over time?
    Biodiversity has become more extensive but is now threatened by human activity.
  • What human activities threaten biodiversity?
    Deforestation, agriculture, and climate change threaten biodiversity.
  • What are the two main ways to measure biodiversity?
    • Species richness: number of different species in a community.
    • Species evenness: comparison of abundance of different species in a habitat.
  • How is species richness measured?
    Species richness is measured by counting the number of species present.
  • What is random sampling used for in measuring biodiversity?
    Random sampling is used to obtain a representative sample of an area under investigation.
  • What is systematic sampling?
    Systematic sampling involves following a particular pattern, such as taking samples every few meters.
  • What is opportunistic sampling?
    Opportunistic sampling is taking a sample when a source is encountered based on ease of access.
  • What is stratified sampling?
    Stratified sampling involves subdividing the population into strata based on common characteristics and taking a random sample from each stratum.
  • What is genetic diversity?
    Genetic diversity is a measure of the genetic variation found in a particular species.
  • How is genetic diversity determined?
    Genetic diversity can be determined by calculating the heterozygosity index (H).
  • What does a higher heterozygosity index (H) indicate?
    A higher heterozygosity index (H) indicates more genetic diversity in a species.
  • What is the formula for calculating the heterozygosity index (H)?
    H = number of heterozygotes / number of individuals in the population.
  • What is the formula for the index of diversity (D)?
    D = Diversity index, where N is the total number of organisms and n is the total number of organisms of each species.
  • Why is maintaining biodiversity important?
    Maintaining biodiversity is important for ecological, economic, and aesthetic reasons.
  • What are the methods of conserving biodiversity?
    • In situ methods: marine conservation zones and wildlife reserves.
    • Ex situ methods: zoos, seed banks, and botanic gardens.
  • What is the purpose of marine conservation zones and wildlife reserves?
    They serve to protect wildlife in their natural habitats.
  • What are seed banks used for?
    Seed banks store seeds to conserve genetic diversity and prevent plant species from going extinct.
  • Why is storing seeds more advantageous than storing whole plants?
    Storing seeds is cheaper and takes up less space than storing whole plants.
  • What conditions are seeds stored in to maximize their viability?
    Seeds are stored in cool, dry conditions to maximize storage time.
  • What is the role of international cooperation in biodiversity conservation?
    International cooperation is needed for effective biodiversity conservation.
  • Name one historic agreement related to biodiversity conservation.
    Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
  • What is classification in biology?
    Classification is the process of naming and organizing organisms into groups based on their characteristics.
  • Into how many kingdoms can organisms be grouped?
    Organisms can be grouped into five kingdoms.
  • What is the binomial system of naming species?
    The binomial system names species with the genus first and the species second.
  • What is molecular phylogeny?
    Molecular phylogeny is the analysis of molecular differences to determine evolutionary relatedness.
  • What are the three domains of life?
    The three domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota.
  • What is a niche in ecology?
    A niche is the role of a species within its environment.
  • How does natural selection relate to species survival?
    Natural selection is the process where better adapted species survive and pass on advantageous genes.
  • What are anatomical adaptations?
    Anatomical adaptations are physical adaptations, either external or internal.
  • What are behavioral adaptations?
    Behavioral adaptations are changes in behavior that improve an organism's chance of survival.
  • What are physiological adaptations?
    Physiological adaptations are processes inside an organism's body that increase its chance of survival.
  • What is the process of evolution?
    Evolution is the process by which the frequency of alleles in a gene pool changes over time due to natural selection.
  • What are the steps of evolution via natural selection?
    1. Variety of phenotypes within a population.
    2. Environmental change occurs, altering selection pressure.
    3. Some individuals possess advantageous alleles.
    4. Advantageous alleles are passed to offspring.
    5. Over time, allele frequency changes, leading to evolution.
  • What happens when two populations become reproductively isolated?
    New species will be formed due to the accumulation of different genetic information over time.
  • Who is Charles Darwin?
    Charles Darwin is a scientist known for his observations that provided evidence for the theory of evolution.
  • What did Darwin observe about finches on the Galapagos Islands?
    Darwin observed that finches with beaks suited to available food were more likely to survive.
  • What is the significance of fossils in evolution?
    Fossils provide evidence by comparing extinct organisms to those alive today and dating rocks for timelines.
  • How does molecular biology contribute to the evidence for evolution?
    Molecular biology examines similarities and differences between DNA sequences in different organisms.
  • What is comparative anatomy?
    Comparative anatomy involves comparing the anatomy of different organisms by looking at homologous structures.