3.

1 Intro to Biodiversity
Terminologies:
1. Biotic: Living
2. Abiotic: Nonliving
3. Spores: Reproduction cells released from fungi into the air till land on something they
can feed off of
4. Pathogens: cause infections/diseases
5. Cordyceps: a type of fungi

Living things 10 characteristics:

1. Exhibit movement: Act of changing physical location or position or of having this
changed.
2. Respond to the environment: React to stimuli.
a. Light
b. Temperature
c. Odor
d. Sound
e. Gravity
f. Heat
g. Water
h. Pressure

3. Growth: Mitosis/Meiosis
(Microscopic level)
4. Lifespan: Aging
5. Have a metabolism: Obtain and use energy. (anabolic & catabolic)
6. Adapt and evolve: Adapt to an environment based on food/resources, evolve based on
that. (structural)
7. Reproduce: Asexual reproduction &
sexual reproduction
8. Balance with the external
environment: Maintain balance.
(Homeostasis) Autonomous system, you
can’t control this action.
9. Contain hereditary material: Contain
DNA
10. Cellular organization: Unicellular
organisms & multicellular organisms
3.2 Types of Biodiversity

Genetic Diversity:
- Individuals of a species that reproduce
sexually and inherit uniques
combinations of traits from their parents
- I.e. Hair, eye and skin color in
humans

Species Diversity:
- Variety of species in an area and the total
population of each of these species
- I.e. An area with 10 species each with 500 individuals is more biodiverse than an
area with 10 species each with only 50 individuals
- Density of species matters.
- Amazon rainforest is one of the most species diverse place on earth

Structural (ecosystem) Diversity:

- Range of physical features of habitat/ecosystem (shapes & sizes)
- Ex. aquatic ecosystems: rocks, logs, sunken ships, reefs

Human impact on Biodiversity:

- How humans are negatively impacting biodiversity:
1. Pollution
a. Toxic discharge on aquatic species
i. Acid rain
1. Cause freshwater place to become more
ii. Reproduction issues
b. Phosphorus
c.
2. Exploitation
a. I.e. Fishing and lodging
b. Demand outweighs the supplies, cod, tuna, etc all need help but theres not
enough
3. Introductions to invasive species
4. Climate change
a. Burning Fossil fuels causes climate change
b. Change rain patterns, temperature, long term change on climate.
5. Fragmentation of habitats, degradation
a. Fishing, hunting, over-harvesting etc.
i. Causing habitat loss
3.3 Classification of Species
Taxonomy:
- Is the science of identifying and classifying all organisms (Both living and fossilized)
- Some ways to classify:
1. Morphology (physical traits: how stuff are set up on the inside)
2. Behavior
3. Geographic location
- Carl Linnaeus is the “father” of taxonomy
- Established the classification and naming system still used today based mostly
on morphological characteristics (1700s)
- Binomial nomenclature
- Means”two names”
1. Both names are in italics or underline
2. First word starts with capital letter
- I.e.
a. Homo sapiens or Homo sapien (humans)
b. Crocodylus acutus or
Crocodylus acutus
(crocodile)
- Taxonomic Levels (each level is
called a taxon)
1. Dear (domain)
2. King (kingdom)
3. Philip (phylum)

4. Came (class)
5. Over (order):
6. For (family):
7. Good (genus):
a. Group of organisms that are closely related and ave similar
characteristics. Ex. Rosa, Homo
8. Soup (species):
a. Refers to a group of organisms that look alike and that are so
similar that they can interbreed and produce fertile offspring (ex.
Rosa canina, Homo sapien)

Dichotomous Keys:
- Another tool used to classify and identify organisms!
- Consist of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item (similar to 21
questions)
- “Dichotomous” means “divided into two parts” Therefore, dichotomous keys always give
two choices in each step.
3.4 Bacteria
(ez lesson
3.5 Phylogeny
Terms:
1. Evolution: the scientific theory that describes changes in species over time and their
shared ancestry
2. Phylogeny: The study of the evolutionary relatedness between and among specie
3. Phylogenetic tree: a diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships between different
species or groups
a. The “tips” represent
current species
b. The “nodes” indicate a
common ancestor
4. Calde: a taxonomic group that
includes a single common
ancestor and all its descendants
3.6 Archaea
3.7 Viruses
Why do we care:
1. Some human diseases caused by viruses include:
a. Common cold
b. Chicken pox
c. HIV
d. Rabies
e. Influenza
f. HPV
g. Covid-19
2. A small number of viruses also play a role in certain types of cancers (ie.HPV)

What are viruses:

1. Has DNA or RNA that is protected by a protein coat called a CAPSID
a. RNA:
i. Single stranded
ii. Cytosine, guanine, adenine, Uracil
iii. Uracil instead of thymine
2. Only living when in another cell
a. Hijacks information in cells
3. Types/Structures:
a. Viruses come in many different shapes and
specific viruses invade specific cells

Classification:
1. Classified mainly by their phenotypic characteristics:
a. Morphology (shape)
b. Nucleic acid type (DNA or RNA)
c. Method of replication (i.e.Lytic vs. lysogenic
d. Host organism
e. Type of disease caused (i.e. Influenza, HIV)
Spread of viral infection:
1. Insect spread viruses
- An organism that carries/spreads a disease is called a vector
- I.e. Yellow fever is spread by specific species of mosquitoes
- If the mosquito population is reduces, the spread of these diseases is reduced
2. Animals spread viruses
- Some viruses in hosts, such as rats, can also infect the animals
- I.e. Rabies is spread by biting
3. Water and the spread of viruses:
- Sewage treatment does not kill all viruses
- Some still end up in the water of lakes and rivers (i.e.Polo)
4. Global spread of disease
- With advances in travel, spread speed is increasing
- Worldwide epidemics can occur at any time

Epidemic Pandemic

Large scale outbreak but is limited to a Over a widespread geographic area and
specific geographic location sometimes over the entire world

Viruses are helpful??

1. Gene therapy!
a. Scientists have used viruses to deliver drugs or genes to targeted cells. This
could include the introduction of a normal gene into an individual's genome in
order to repair a mutation that causes a genetic disorder.
3.8 Lytic and lysogenic cycles
Virus First:
- Viruses came before any living organisms
Escape hypothesis:
- A genome of the strand of DNA/RNA of an organism broke out and formed its own
protein and left the organism and became the first viruses
Giant Viruses (mimivirus)
Lyse- destruction of cells

Lytic Cycle:
Can be less than 1 hour
1. Virus attaches to the surface of
bacterium (bacteriophage
2. The virus injects its genetic material
into the bacterium
3. The virus's genetic material takes
over the cell functions of the
bacteria The cell starts to produce
the virus’s proteins and genetic
material
4. The proteins and genetic material
assemble into new viruses that fill fil
the bacterium
5. The bacterium bursts open, releasing new

Lysogenic cycle:
1. Virus attaches to the surface of a bacterium
2. The virus injects its genetic material into the bacterium
3. The virus’s genetic material becomes part of the genetic material becomes art of the
genetic material of the bacterium
4. After some time, the virus’s genetic material removes itself and becomes active
5. The cell begins to produce the virus’s proteins and genetic material, which assemble into
new viruses
6. New viruses crowd the bacterium. Finally, the cell bursts open and releases the new
viruses.