Introduction to Biodiversity | A-level Biology | OCR, AQA, Edexcel

Introduction to Biodiversity in a Snap! Unlock the full A-level Biology course at http://bit.ly/2Zk8PIL created by Adam Tildesley, Biology expert at SnapRevise and graduate of Cambridge University. SnapRevise is the UK’s leading A-level and GCSE revision & exam preparation resource offering comprehensive video courses created by A* Oxbridge tutors. Our courses are designed around the OCR, AQA, SNAB, Edexcel B, WJEC, CIE and IAL exam boards, concisely covering all the important concepts required by each specification. In addition to all the content videos, our courses include hundreds of exam question videos, where we show you how to tackle questions and walk you through step by step how to score full marks. Sign up today and together, let’s make A-level Biology a walk in the park! The key points covered of this video include: 1. Species Diversity 2. Genetic Diversity 3. Ecosystem Diversity Species Diversity Rather than spreading out evenly across the world, different groups of organisms live in specific habitats. A habitat is the place where an organism lives. An individual species will tend to live in the same habitat wherever it is found. A species is a group of organisms that are capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring. Within an ecosystem there will be many different species co-existing - they form an area’s biodiversity. Biodiversity is a measure of the variety of life in an area. Coral reefs and rainforests are examples of ecosystems with high species diversity. Species diversity refers to the number of species and the number of individuals within each species in a specified area. Genetic Diversity Individuals within a species are genetically quite similar which allows them to produce fertile offspring. Small genetic differences can have relatively large effects on the phenotype of an organism. Populations with high genetic diversity tend to be healthier than a highly inbred population with low genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is a measure of all the genes possessed by the individuals in a population or whole species. Ecosystem Diversity Habitats tend to be small. Ecosystems contain many habitats. Genetic diversity and species diversity usually measure small areas. Analysing larger areas requires looking at the ecosystem diversity of the area. Ecosystem diversity is a measure of the range of habitats on a range of scales from a small ecosystem to the whole world. Summary Biodiversity is a measure of the variety of life in an area Biodiversity can be measured in a variety of ways and on a variety of different scales Species diversity is a measure of the number of species and number of individuals within each species in an area Genetic diversity is a measure of the variation between individuals in a population Ecosystem diversity is a measure of the number of different habitats in an ecosystem or larger area