Biology by Bradford
A4.2.5Two meadows
Both quadrats hold the same four species, so they have the same species . The numbers of each are equal in A but not in B, so A has the higher . A fall in either, between one survey and the next, is a sign of biodiversity loss.
A4.2 Conservation of biodiversity: revision map
The subtopic in the middle and nine tasks round it: label two diagrams, complete two tables, put a process in order and fill 37 gaps. Every box is standard level. Type into the blanks and check them, or print it on A4, Letter or A3 with an answer key.
Conservation of biodiversity
Ecosystems ยท Unity and diversityHover over a box to see it. Untick it to leave it off this sheet and its printout.
NameA4.2.5From survey to evidence
Number the steps in order.
- Other experts check the method and the results before the study is published.
- Years later the survey is done again, in the same places with the same method.
- Scientists and trained volunteers record the species in a habitat, using a standard method.
- IPBES, an intergovernmental body, combines many published studies into reports on biodiversity worldwide.
- The two surveys are compared to measure how the community has changed.
Volunteers who collect records are : they add huge amounts of data, but their methods are harder to check. A study counts as verifiable once it has passed and been published.
A4.2.8Which species first?
The EDGE of Existence programme puts effort into species that are both , with few or no close relatives like the pink species here, and . Losing such a species would lose far more unique than losing one of many close relatives. Choosing which species to save raises as well as economic and political questions, so it needs debate.
A4.2.1Variety in all its forms
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When one population of a species dies out, the number of species may not change, yet found only in that population are lost.
A4.2.4Southeast Asia's lost forest
The lowland rainforest of Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia is forest, named after the family of giant trees that dominates it. Much has been for valuable timber, then burned and replanted as plantations. These are direct human causes; demand for the products in faraway countries is an one.
A4.2Conservation of biodiversity
A4.2.6Under pressure
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Behind all of these is the growth of the human . Global transport adds another cause, carrying pests, diseases and species to new places.
A4.2.2Then and now
Around two million species have been named and described, but millions more are still to be . The suggests that more species are alive today than at any time in the past. The same specimens can be classified in different ways: recognise many species in a group, few.
A4.2.3Gone for good
| Species | What it was | How humans drove it extinct |
|---|---|---|
| North Island giant moa | a huge flightless bird, part of New Zealand's land | by the first human settlers, whose fires also destroyed its forest |
| Caribbean monk seal | a mammal of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico | killed in large numbers for the oil in its blubber; its fish prey |
| Dodo | a flightless bird of the island of Mauritius | killed for food by sailors; its eggs eaten by rats and pigs that ships brought to the island |
These losses are part of the mass extinction, the first caused by one species: ours.
A4.2.7Many ways to conserve
| Approach | In situ or ex situ? | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Nature reserve | protects the habitat, managed to control invasive species or poaching | |
| Rewilding | restores a area, bringing back species such as wolves or beavers, then lets nature run itself | |
| Zoo or botanic garden | breeds animals or grows plants for release back into the wild | |
| Seed or tissue bank | stores in the cold for decades |
No single approach is enough on its own: different species need different measures.
Word bank allelescitizen scientistsdeforestationdegradeddiscoveredecosystem diversityethicalevennessevolutionarily distinctevolutionary historyex situfossil recordgenetic diversitygerm plasmglobally endangeredhuntedin situindirectinvasiveloggedlumpersmarinemegafaunamixed dipterocarpoil palmoverexploitationoverfishedpeer reviewpollutionpopulationrichnesssixthspecies diversitysplittersurbanization
Answer key
Every box on the sheet with its gaps filled in, as the subtopic reads in full.
LabelVariety in all its forms
- ecosystem diversity
- species diversity
- genetic diversity
When one population of a species dies out, the number of species may not change, yet alleles found only in that population are lost.
GapsThen and now
Around two million species have been named and described, but millions more are still to be discovered. The fossil record suggests that more species are alive today than at any time in the past. The same specimens can be classified in different ways: splitters recognise many species in a group, lumpers few.
TableGone for good
Species What it was How humans drove it extinct North Island giant moa a huge flightless bird, part of New Zealand's land megafauna hunted by the first human settlers, whose fires also destroyed its forest Caribbean monk seal a marine mammal of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico killed in large numbers for the oil in its blubber; its fish prey overfished Dodo a flightless bird of the island of Mauritius killed for food by sailors; its eggs eaten by rats and pigs that ships brought to the island These losses are part of the sixth mass extinction, the first caused by one species: ours.
GapsSoutheast Asia's lost forest
The lowland rainforest of Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia is mixed dipterocarp forest, named after the family of giant trees that dominates it. Much has been logged for valuable timber, then burned and replanted as oil palm plantations. These are direct human causes; demand for the products in faraway countries is an indirect one.
GapsTwo meadows
Both quadrats hold the same four species, so they have the same species richness. The numbers of each are equal in A but not in B, so A has the higher evenness. A fall in either, between one survey and the next, is a sign of biodiversity loss.
OrderFrom survey to evidence
- Scientists and trained volunteers record the species in a habitat, using a standard method.
- Years later the survey is done again, in the same places with the same method.
- The two surveys are compared to measure how the community has changed.
- Other experts check the method and the results before the study is published.
- IPBES, an intergovernmental body, combines many published studies into reports on biodiversity worldwide.
Volunteers who collect records are citizen scientists: they add huge amounts of data, but their methods are harder to check. A study counts as verifiable once it has passed peer review and been published.
LabelUnder pressure
- urbanization
- deforestation
- pollution
- overexploitation
Behind all of these is the growth of the human population. Global transport adds another cause, carrying pests, diseases and invasive species to new places.
TableMany ways to conserve
Approach In situ or ex situ? What it does Nature reserve in situ protects the habitat, managed to control invasive species or poaching Rewilding in situ restores a degraded area, bringing back species such as wolves or beavers, then lets nature run itself Zoo or botanic garden ex situ breeds animals or grows plants for release back into the wild Seed or tissue bank ex situ stores germ plasm in the cold for decades No single approach is enough on its own: different species need different measures.
GapsWhich species first?
The EDGE of Existence programme puts effort into species that are both evolutionarily distinct, with few or no close relatives like the pink species here, and globally endangered. Losing such a species would lose far more unique evolutionary history than losing one of many close relatives. Choosing which species to save raises ethical as well as economic and political questions, so it needs debate.