Biodiversity

• A mutation is a permanent change in the genetic information of an organism and increases its biodiversity
• Endemism is the occurrence of a species in a single area.
• Australia has a high degree of endemism
• low biodiversity reduces an organisms ability to adapt to a changing environment
• High biodiversity increases an organisms ability to adapt to a changing environment
• Biodiversity is the full range of different things living in an area
• A biodiversity hotspot is an area with a high number of endemic species and a large number of endangered species. For the location to be considered as a biodiversity hotspot, it must have at least 1500 species of endemic plants and must have lost 70% or more of its natural vegetation
• The main causes of habitat loss are agriculture, urbanisation, mining, logging and forestry
• Invasive species are non-native species that cause harm to native ecosystems by competing with them for resources, preying on them, outcompeting them and spreading diseases
• An ecosystem is a self sustaining unit made up of a community of organisms in an area
• A gene pool is a total collection of genes in a given population of species
• A gene is a section of DNA that codes for a specific protein.
• The biosphere is the part of the Earth that is inhabited by living organisms.
• mutations are important because they create diversity in an ecosystem and resistance towards disease