2.1 - Classification and Biodiversity

• Major groups of living organisms

  • Non-flowering plants
  • Flowering plants
  • Invertebrates
  • Vertebrates
• The five kingdoms


  • Bacteria
  • Single celled organisms
  • Plants
  • Fungi
  • Animals
• Scientific names


  Used to avoid confusion
• Hierarchical taxa


  • Kingdom
  • Phylum
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus
  • Species
• Competition


  • Interspecific competition (competition between species)
  • Intraspecific competition (competition within a species)
• Resources organisms may compete for

  • Food
  • Water
  • Light
  • Minerals
• Biodiversity


  The variety of different species and numbers of individuals within those species in an area
• Methods of protecting biodiversity and rare species

  • CITES
  • SSSI
  • Captive breeding programs
  • National parks
  • Seed banks
  • Global biodiversity hotspots
• Quadrat


  • Used to count living organisms/% cover
  • Placed randomly
  • Number counted
  • Repeated to calculate an average
• Transect


  • A series of quadrat samples taken in a line
  • Tape measure laid out as transect line
  • Quadrats laid down at regular intervals
  • Animals and plants in quadrats recorded
• Capture-recapture technique


  • Capture individuals of a species
  • Mark them
  • Release them
  • Capture another sample at a later date
  • Use mathematical equation to estimate population
• Improving accuracy of capture-recapture technique: need to leave enough time between samples, no large movement of animals in/out of area, marking technique doesn't affect survival or recapture chances
• Biological control


  Using another organism to kill pests
• Advantages of biological control

  • Specific to particular pest
  • No need to re-introduce, once established
  • Pest doesn't develop resistance to predator
• Disadvantages of biological control

  • There is a delay before pest numbers reduce
  • The pest is not completely eradicated
• Alien species


  Animal or plant introduced into a country it does not originate from
• Some alien species have become invasive and cause problems because they may grow faster than native species or outcompete native species, and may have no predators causing population to grow out of control