biodiversity

• Maintaining biodiversity is crucial as potential cures for diseases may be found in microorganisms and plants, such as antibiotics
• Antibiotics inhibit the growth of other microbes by preventing cell wall synthesis, inhibiting protein synthesis, or disrupting cell membrane function
• Antibiotics


  • Produced by microorganisms and inhibit the growth of other microbes
• Antibiotics kill bacteria in three ways

  1. Preventing cell wall synthesis

  2. Disrupting cell membranes

  3. Interfering with protein synthesis
• Random mutations in bacteria have led to antibiotic resistance
• Random mutations in bacteria

  Lead to antibiotic resistance
• Biodiversity


  Range of living things, classified into species diversity, genetic diversity, and habitat diversity
• Ways to classify species diversity

  • Species richness
• Large genetic diversity is advantageous for population survival and adaptation through natural selection
• Factors reducing genetic diversity

  • Captive breeding and inbreeding
  • Genetic bottlenecks
  • Founder effect
• Captive breeding in zoos leads to limited gene pool and repeated alleles being passed on
• Genetic bottleneck occurs when a small number of a population survive an event, reducing the gene pool
• Founder effect occurs when a small group establishes a new population with limited genetic variation
• Bottleneck


  When only a few individuals survive in a population, leading to loss of genetic diversity
• Founder effect


  When a small number of individuals migrate to an isolated area, leading to inbreeding and limited genetic diversity
• Calculating genetic diversity

  Examining polymorphic genes within isolated populations to measure genetic diversity
• Polymorphic Gene


  A gene that has more than one allele, contributing to genetic diversity
• Calculating genetic diversity using proportion of polymorphic Gene loci

  Number of polymorphic Gene loci divided by the total number of loci to determine genetic diversity
• Measuring biodiversity in terms of species diversity using the index of diversity

  Formula provided to calculate species diversity using the index of diversity (Simpson's index of diversity)
• Index of diversity (D) ranges between 1 and 10, with higher values indicating greater species diversity
• Sampling is used to measure biodiversity of a habitat as counting every individual is impractical
• Random sampling method


  Laying out tape measures at right angles, generating random coordinates, and placing quadrats at the intersection to take samples
• Non-random sampling techniques

  • Opportunistic
  • Stratified
  • Systematic
• Opportunistic sampling involves sampling conveniently available organisms, leading to bias
• Stratified sampling involves separating populations or habitats into groups for sampling
• Systematic sampling is used to examine changes in species distribution within a habitat
• Belt transect


  Replace a single tape measure along your sample area and place quadrats at every single distance or set intervals to record data
• Belt transect


  • Used to examine a change in the distribution of species within a habitat
• Point quadrat

  Horizontal bar with holes along it, a pin is placed through at set intervals to touch the ground and any species that touches the pin only is recorded
• Point quadrat


  • Used for sampling plants or slow-moving organisms
• Frame quadrat


  Normally 0.5 by 0.5 meters in dimension, can have grids or be completely open, used for recording data in ecology studies
• Frame quadrat


  • Commonly used in ecology studies for recording data
• Recording data in quadrats

  Three methods: Density (counting all individuals present), Frequency (counting how many squares out of 100 the species is present), Percentage cover (estimating the percentage of the entire quadrat covered with the species)
• Density method


  • Counting all individuals present in the quadrat
• Frequency method


  • Counting how many squares out of 100 the species is present
• Percentage cover method

  • Estimating the percentage of the entire quadrat covered with the species
• Techniques for sampling animals

  • Sweeping Nets
  • Pitfall traps
  • Pootas
  • Tolgren 5
  • Kick sampling
• Species richness


  Number of different species present
• Species evenness


  Equal distribution of individuals among different species
• The increase in the human population has had a huge impact on biodiversity