Biodiversity
What is percentage cover?
It is the percentage of the quadrat area that is covered by one species (eg grass).
What are asexual organisms?
They reproduce without gametes or the fusion of genetic material.
What is camouflage?
By using colours, patterns, or materials animals use this to blend into the surrounding environment.
What is the independent variable?
The variable that goes on the x axis
What is explain?
When you make an idea or situation plain or clear by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts; give an account; provide additional information.
What is SDI?
This number represents the probability that two individuals selected from a sample will belong to different species.
What is a predator / prey relationship?
This type of relationship is when one organism hunts, captures, and consumes another organism.
What is a Niche?
This refers to the specific role or position that an organism occupies within an ecosystem. It encompasses all aspects of an organism's interactions with its environment, including its interactions with other organisms, its physical surroundings, and its resource utilization.
What is Specht's classification system?
This classification system defines structural forms of vegetation in terms of the dominant plant form and the percentage of foliage cover of the tallest plant layer.
What is contrast?
When you display recognition of differences by deliberate juxtaposition of contrary elements; or show how things are different or opposite.
What is a community?
An interacting group of species in a common location.
What are r-strategists?
These organisms prioritise high reproductive rates in environments where resources are abundant, but individual survival and parental care might be lower.
What are Microhabitats?
This is a small, localised environment that can vary significantly from the surrounding area in terms of temperature, moisture levels, light exposure, and other environmental factors. An example would include the space under a rock.
What is zonation?
It refers to the natural pattern of distinct biological communities or habitats that are arranged in a specific order along an environmental gradient. For example, from high to low tide.
What is calculate?
When you obtain a numerical answer showing the relevant stages in the working.
What are spatial and temporal scales?
One is the size or extent of the area under study and the other refers to the time duration over which biological events or processes take place.
What is symbiosis?
Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism are types of this long-term relationship between two different species.
What is the abiotic environment?
This is the one factor that distinguishes a community from an ecosystem.
What is the difference between A belt transect and A line transect?
One is a long strip of terrain in which all organisms are counted and/or measured. The other counts the number of individuals that lie on a straight line that cuts through a community.
What is analyse?
When you examine or consider something in order to explain and interpret it, for the purpose of finding meaning or relationships and identifying patterns, similarities and differences.
What are tolerance limits?
Environmental factors that can limit the distribution and abundance of species in an ecosystem. Meaning each organism has their own range that restricts where that organism could potentially live.
What is the Holdridge life zone system?
A classification system based on climate.
What are Old Growth Forests?
These ecosystems store carbon from the atmosphere in wood, have high biodiversity, and animal species rely on them for nesting hollows and variety of microclimates.
What is Species Richness (S)
I calculate this by dividing the total number of different species (s) by the square root of the total number of individuals (N).
What is infer?
When you derive or conclude something from evidence and reasoning, rather than from explicit statements.