Term-1

Biological Diversity

Ecosystems
KEY TERMS
 Ecosystem: combination of all organisms living in community and
Ecosystems are communities of all non-living features with which they interact
 Ecology: study of interrelationships between different types of
organisms living in proximity to each organisms and between organisms and environment
 Environment: abiotic factors of ecosystem
other.  Community: A group of different populations in area/habitat
 Biodiversity: variety and variability of plants and animals in
environment due to genetic variation (mutations)
 Species: a group of closely related organisms that are capable of
Biotic Factors interbreeding
 Speciation: formation of new species separate from rest of
● Any living factor that affects another population (isolate from main population)
 Abundance: # of individuals in a species in an area
organism.  Biotic- Living organisms
● Competition for resources.  Abiotic- Non-living organisms
 Aquatic environment- Water
● Amount of disease  Selection pressure- survival and reproduction of and individual
● Availability of food.

Abiotic Factors
● non-living factor that affects another organism.
● Climate- long-term patterns of temp, humidity and precipitation
● Geology- rock type, soil composition, topography, nutrient availability
● Water- presence and availability → habitat (aquatic), plant growth, nutrients
● Soil- texture, pH, nutrient content, organic matter → what type plants grow in
an area, abundance and diversity
● Light- availability and intensity photosynthesis rate basic energy flow → affect
migration, reproduction and behaviour
● Disturbances- natural: fires, storms, volcanic eruptions human-induced: deforestation,
pollution disrupt food chains, affect overall ecosystem health, alter species composition.

Types of ecosystems
Biotic and Abiotic factors affect the ability of an organism:-

Impact
Physical conditions - eg. temp, rainfall
E.g Increased aridity in Aus → decrease in rainforests → increase in open woodland
and grasslands. Resulted in change in species.
Chemical conditions - e.g insecticides, antibiotics salinity.

7.1 Check Ur Understanding

1. Biotics are all the living things in an ecosystem and Abiotics are all the non living things
in an ecosystem.
2. Ecosystems are all the biotic and abiotic factors combined and environments only
consist of all the abiotic factors.
3. 2 abiotic factors are- water, table
4. Terrestrial ecosystems consist of all the biotic and abiotic factors on the land whereas,
aquatic ecosystems consist of all the biotic and abiotic factors in the water. 1*
5. An increase in rainfall leads to an increase in frog population.

Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things; the different plants, animals, fungi and
microorganisms, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form.

Selection Pressures
Selection pressure is an agent which causes a genetic change in a population, either by
increasing mortality of certain groups, or increasing fertility of others.

Selection pressures
- influence biodiversity
- drive natural selection
- categorised as abiotic(non-living) or biotic (living)
abiotic- gas availability, pH of soil, access to sunlight
biotic- presence of predators, diseases, competition within a specieis.
Extra Question
Why do some organisms survive when there is change in the environment?
Natural selection comes into play when organisms are subjected to selection pressures. Limited
resources make individuals compete for these resources. Selection pressures drive natural
selection. Individuals with random variations are better suited to survive in the changed
environment and more likely to survive. If it is genetic, the changes are passed onto the
offspring. The surviving population is described as ‘adapted’ to suit their environment.
Biodiversity (variation in the species due to natural selection pressures) is essential otherwise
few or no individuals would have survived the selection pressures.

Evolution of Cane Toad (Bufo marinus)

● Native species of South and middle America successfully introduced to Hawaii,
increasing sugarcane production.
● In 1935 they were introduced to northern Queensland by the bureau of sugar experiment
Stations to control of native beetles eating sugarcane crops.

Structural and behavioral characteristics

Australian environment is favorable:

- Feeding mainly at night
- Ground dwellers
- Feed on insects, snails or any pet food that fits in their mouth
- Females lay 30000 eggs at a time which can hatch in 2-3 days.
- Absorb water through their skin.

Cane toads are a selection pressure for its predators as they contain toxin on the toad's
shoulder.

Spread
- 1835-136 in Northern Queensland, NSW border in 1978 Northern Territory inn 1984
- Rise in population from 102 to over 200 million.
- Resulted in ecological effects, including the spread of diseases and loss of local
biodiversity.
Evolution of Cane Toads
- The Cane toad population changed over the past 70 years.

Spatial Sorting- Toads born with longer legs or faster hopping style move longer distances and
breed with other long legged cane toads, being passed rapidly into offspring.

Initially the Cane toads can spread at a rate of 10 km/yr and now 55 km/yr.

Population Change
- Longer legs, enabling them to be more agile, hence found at the invasion frontline.
- Reduced immune system function
- Spinal arthritis is due to the increase in pressure of the spine.
- Able to rapidly acclimate to colder climates by behavioral adaptation and rapid
physiological shifts.

Red Bellied Snake

- Selection pressure- cane toads
- Head size is smaller to prevent themselves from eating cane toads
- The population of smaller head and longer body snakes increased.

Decline in Native Species

- Large goannas in Kakadu National Park
- Tadpoles from Roth’s frog often die from eating toxic and poisonous eggs of cane toads.

Prickly Pear
- Prickly pear plants (most likely Opuntia monacanthid) were introduced to Australia by the
colonists of the First Fleet in 1788. It was used as a die in the industrial works.
- It was first introduced in Queensland and then NSW.
- Prickly Pears belong to the genus Opuntia, and most species are considered weeds or
potential weeds in most states of Australia.
- Cactoblastis Cantorum moths were released into Australia in 1926 to fight it.

Biological control
- Cactoblastis Cantorum moths acted as selection pressure and were released into
Australia in 1926 to fight the rapid increase of the prickly pears.
Measuring Population

Ecology
- It is the study of interrelationship between different types of organisms and between
organisms and their environment.

- These relationships determine the flora and fauna of an ecosystem.

- Ecologists study the distribution and abundance of organisms and how these properties
are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment.

Impact of selection pressures on species

Selection pressures affect the distribution of species and abundance of organisms in an
ecosystem causing fluctuations or changes in population numbers and movement.

Abundance and distribution of a species

Distribution of a species- determine where it is found
Abundance of a species- determine how many individuals live throughout the system.

Line Transects
A transect is a straight line that cuts through a natural landscape so that standardized
observations and measurements can be made.

Adaptation
The development of specific features of an organism that enable them to survive and reproduce
in a specific environment.

Structural adaptation
The physical features of an organism allow it to be better suited to its environment.

Exam Tips
1. Identify what the adaptation is.
 2. Describe what adaptation allows the organisms to do.
3. How adaptation increases the chance of survival.

Physiological adaptations
An organism's internal bodily function helps it3 be better suited to its environment.

Behavioral adaptations
The actions that an organism makes to improve its ability to survive in its environment.

Distribution
Describes where an organism is found.

Abundance
Means how many members of a species live throughout the ecosystem.

Calculating Abundance
Plant- using quadrants to estimate plant numbers (using several small areas, count or estimate
plant amounts then use an average to estimate total abundance).
Animal- capture-recapture.

Factors affecting distribution and abundance

 Struggle between organisms for the same resources.
 Competition between the same species or different species
 Ecosystems can only support a few organisms.
 Short term- reduces chance of survival and restricts abundance.
 Long term- one organism often becomes most successful
 Organisms produce younger ones that need to replace old ones.
 Competitive exclusion principle- strongest one survives.

Ecological Niche
An ecological niche describes how an individual organism "fits" Into an ecosystem

What does the organism include?

An organism's niche includes where it gets its food, where it finds shelter, who it mates with, etc.

Checkpoint Questions
1. Identify the type of cell that specialized plant and animal cells form from.
Ans- Eukaryotic cells
2. Outline the relationship between cell differentiation and cell specialization.
Ans- Cell differentiation is the process, while cell specialization is the result.
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cell becoming specialized ?
Ans-
4. Explain how the 2 named examples of cells are structurally suited to the function they
perform.