Biodiversity

• What is the definition of a species?

  A species is a group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
• What is the purpose of courtship behaviour?

  Ensures successful reproduction
• What 5 things does courtship behaviour allow a species to do?

  Recognise members of same species

  Identify a mate is capable of breeding

  Forms a pair bond

  Synchronisation of mating

  Become able to breed
• What is the importance of recognising a member of the same species?

  Mating only takes place within same species to produce fertile offspring, prevents breeding with different species this would waste energy. More closely related species will have similar courtship behaviour.
• Why is it important to identify a mate is capable of breeding?

  Both partners need to be sexually mature, fertile and receptive to ensure successful mating.
• Why is it important to form a pair bond?

  Leads to successful offspring and raising of offspring
• Why is synchronisation of mating important?

  Ensures mating occurs when there is maximum probability of sperm and egg meeting.
• Why is important to identify a mate is become able to breed?

  By bringing a member of opposite sec into a physiological state that allows them to breed.
• What are common mating rituals?

  A male will have a certain courtship behaviour to see if the woman is in at the stage where they are fertile. If they are the woman will respond with appropriate behavioural response.
• What is the definition of classification?

  The organisation of living things into groups according to their similarities
• What is the definition of taxonomy?

  The science of classification, involves naming organisms and putting them into groups so its easier to identify and study them.
• What is phylogenetic biological classification?

  Grouping organisms based on evolutionary relationships. The groups are Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

  Each level is known as a taxon(taxa plural)
• What are the 3 main domains?

  Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya
• What are common features of eukarya?

  Cells possesses membrane bound organelles. Membranes contain fatty acid chains attached to ester linkages, not all possess cell wall but those that do it is not made of murein. Have larger ribosomes 80S
• What are common features of bacteria?

  No membrane- bound organelles, unicellular may be found in clusters, cell walls present and made of murein only. Single loop of DNA, no histones.
• What are common features of archaea?

  Genes and protein synthesis more similar to eukaryotes, membranes contain fatty acids attached to glycerol by ether linkages, no murein in cell walls, more complex form of RNA polymerase.
• What are some common class ?

  Mammali, reptilia
• What are some eukarya kingdoms?

  Fungi, Plantae, animalia, protocista
• Describe phylogenetic classification.

  Based upon the evolutionary relationships between organisms and their ancestors.

  Classifies species into groups using shared features derived from their ancestors

  Arranges the groups into a hierarchy, in which groups are contained within larger composite groups with no overlap
• What is the binomial name?

  genus-species written in italics or underlined, the first letter is uppercase.
• How are phylogenetic relationships represented?

  By phylogenetic trees, oldest species are at the base of the

  tree and most recent are represented by ends of branches.
• What’s the definition of a node?

  The branch point, represents a common ancestor of the lineages that branch from it. It signifies that point where a single ancestral lineage splits into 2 or more descendant lineages
• What is a monophyletic group?

  A group of organism that has a shared most recent common ancestor
• What are the 4 ways to compare genetic diversity with and between species?

  Observable characteristics

  Base sequences of DNA

  Base sequences of mRNA

  Amino acid sequences in proteins
• How can you compare genetic diversity with observable characteristics?

  Comparing visible, internal and external features, because we assume genes determine characteristics so variety must result from different alleles present.
• What are limitations if comparing genetic diversity with observable characteristics?

  Many characteristics are controlled by more than one gene, makes it difficult to distinguish one variety from another.

  Difficult to establish extent of environmental influence.

  Due to these scientists no longer use this method
• How do you compare genetic diversity with base sequences of DNA?

  More closely related species share more similar DNA base sequences, mutations change base sequences over time during evolution, distantly-related species share fewer similarities. Automatic machine can analyse data rapidly and accurately to determine order of nucleotides, by dying each base so you can compare different base sequencesz
• How does DNA hybridisation work to compare DNA base sequences?

  DNA are separated into two single strands by heating, mix 2 DNA strands from different organism, if they share similar bases they will hybridise. Heat the hybridised DNA to break hydrogen bond. The higher the temperature needed the more similar DNA as more hydrogen bonds form.
• How do you compare genetic diversity with base sequences of mRNA?

  mRNA is coded for by DNA, we can also compare mRNA base sequences, cannot use hybridisation should use automatic machines
• How can you compare genetic diversity with amino acid sequences in proteins?

  DNA codes for mRNA which codes for amino acid sequence, we can compare the same protein in different species to look for similarities in amino acid sequences.
• What is the principal of immunological comparisons of proteins?

  Antibodies of one species will respond to specific antigens on proteins in the blood system of another
• How does immunological comparisons of proteins work?

  Serum from species A injected into species B

  Species B produces antibodies specific to species A antigens

  Serum extracted from species B, contains the antibodies

  Serum from B is mixed with serum from blood of species C

  Antibodies respond to corresponding antigen on albumin

  response forms a precipitate

  Greater number of similar antigens more precipitate is formed and more closely related species is
• What is the definition of biodiversity?

  The number and variety of of living organism in a particular area
• What are the 3 components of biodiversity?

  Genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity.
• What is the definition of species diversity?

  refers to the number of different species and the number of individuals of each species within any one community
• What is the definition of genetic diversity?

  refers to the variety of genes possessed by individuals that make up a population of a species
• What is the definition of ecosystem diversity?

  refers to the range of different habitats, from a small local habitat to the whole of the earth
• What is the definition of species richness?

  the number of different species in a particular area at a given time.
• What is the index of diversity calculation?

  N= total number of organisms of all species

  n= total number of organisms of each species

  
• What is the lowest index value you can get?

  1 it means there is no diversity only one species present, so the higher the number the more diverse