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Species and taxonomy

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Question 5

A marine biology team investigated the biodiversity of gastropod molluscs across three distinct intertidal zones: a rocky shore, a sandy beach, and an estuary salt marsh. During their sampling, they identified several species, including Littorina littorea\textit{Littorina littorea}Littorina littorea, Littorina saxatilis\textit{Littorina saxatilis}Littorina saxatilis, and Nucella lapillus\textit{Nucella lapillus}Nucella lapillus.

a.

State what is meant by the term 'species richness'.

[1]
b.

Explain what the scientific names of Littorina littorea\textit{Littorina littorea}Littorina littorea, Littorina saxatilis\textit{Littorina saxatilis}Littorina saxatilis, and Nucella lapillus\textit{Nucella lapillus}Nucella lapillus suggest about the evolutionary relationships between these three gastropod species.

[2]
c.

The biologists calculated the index of diversity for each intertidal zone. Explain why measuring the index of diversity is more useful than measuring species richness alone.

[2]

Species and taxonomy Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Biology
  3. /Species and taxonomy