Q2. What is biodiversity? What does it mean to say it increases or decreases?

Background

Topic: Biodiversity

This question is testing your understanding of the definition of biodiversity and how changes in biodiversity are described.

Key Terms:

• Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

• Increase/Decrease: Refers to the gain or loss of species, genetic variation, or ecosystem types.

Q3. What are the 3 components of biodiversity? How are each measured?

Background

Topic: Components of Biodiversity

This question is testing your knowledge of the different levels at which biodiversity is studied and how scientists quantify each component.

Key Terms:

• Genetic Diversity: Variation of genes within species.

• Species Diversity: Variety and abundance of different species in a given area.

• Ecosystem Diversity: Variety of ecosystems in a region.

Q4. Why do some scientists feel that preservation from species-poor lineages is a particular priority (compared to lineages with many species)?

Background

Topic: Conservation Priorities

This question is about understanding why conserving certain evolutionary lineages may be more urgent than others.

Key Terms:

• Lineage: A sequence of species each of which is considered to have evolved from its predecessor.

• Species-poor lineage: A lineage with few living species.

• Evolutionary history: The unique genetic and evolutionary information carried by a lineage.

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Q5. What is ecosystem function? Give some examples of what happens when function breaks down.

Background

Topic: Ecosystem Function

This question is testing your understanding of the processes and roles that maintain ecosystem health and what occurs when these processes are disrupted.

Key Terms:

• Ecosystem function: The biological, geochemical, and physical processes that take place within an ecosystem.

• Examples: Nutrient cycling, energy flow, pollination, decomposition.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Define ecosystem function and list some key processes involved.

2. Think of examples of what can happen when these functions are disrupted (e.g., loss of pollinators leading to reduced plant reproduction).

3. Consider the consequences for both the ecosystem and human societies when functions break down.

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