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Ecology & Evolution Final Exam > Unit IV: Conservation Ecology > Flashcards

Unit IV: Conservation Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Biodiversity

A

general term for the number of species present in the biosphere, by taking into account both the number of species and their relative abundance to each other

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2
Q

Genetic diversity

A

variety of genes in a species or other taxonomic group or ecosystem, the term can refer to allelic diversity or genome-wide diversity
- aka Genetic Variation

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3
Q

Groups with low genetic diversity have _____ potential to respond to selection pressures (recall natural selection)

A

lower

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4
Q

Small populations size typically have low genetic diversity due to what?

A

bottleneck/genetic drift

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5
Q

Chemical diversity

A

variety of metabolic compounds in an ecosystem; different species produce a variety of chemicals in their cells, both proteins as well as products and byproducts of metabolism

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6
Q

What does Chemical diversity collect?

A

proteins or RNA sequence data

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7
Q

Ecosystem diversity

A

variety of ecosystems, which is useful for larger areas (more diversity = better conservation)

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8
Q

Endemic Species

A

Species native to and found only in a specific geographic location

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9
Q

Where are high values of species endemism found?

A

small and/or isolated habitat patches
(eg. islands, mountains, isolated forests)

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10
Q

Phylogenetic diversity

A

variation of species of a branch in a phenology tree; incorporates information from the tree of life

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11
Q

What does conserving species poor clades do?

A

increase taxonomic diversity, including phylogenetic distance between species

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12
Q

What diversity is most important for prioritizing conservation efforts?

A

Genetic Diversity

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13
Q

What is one of the strongest patterns in ecology?

A

latitudinal diversity gradient: there are more species at low latitudes (closer to equator) than high latitudes (closer to poles)

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14
Q

Tropics have greater:

A
  • Habitat stability over long periods of time
  • Habitat heterogeneity (= more niches/specialization)
  • Energy input from direct sun (greater npp, positive correlation between temp and rates of evolution)
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15
Q

Who pioneered the study of biodiversity hotspots?

A

Norman Myers

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16
Q

Biodiversity hotspots

A

areas with exceptional concentrations of endemic species and high levels of habitat loss

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17
Q

List criteria for a Biodiversity hotspots

A
  1. At least 1500 (0.5%) of world’s 300,000 plant species as endemics
  2. Lost 70% or more of its historic (traditional) vegetation
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18
Q

List Criticisms on Myer’s hotspots

A
  • Focus on endemism
  • Focus on historic, rather than current loss
  • What about boreal and tundra biomes?
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19
Q

What is the Atlantic Forest? And does it classify as a Biodiversity Hotspot?

A
  • Variety of tropical forest ecosystems in SE Brazil
  • High levels of endemism
  • Estimated 15% of historic range
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20
Q

Mass Extinction

A

event of environmental condition that wipes out the majority of species within a relatively short geographical time period

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21
Q

How many mass extinctions have there been? Which are most important?

A

5: end-Permian & end-Cretaceous

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22
Q

What results from mass extinction besides the extinction of a species?

A
  1. Leave empty niches
  2. Opportunties for adaptive radiations
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23
Q

When was the End-Permian mass extinction?

A

252 mya

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24
Q

Describe the End-Permian.

A
  • Largest mass extinction
    ( >50% of all families and >80% of all genera
    Up to 96% of all marine species, 70% of terrestrial species)
  • Causes unclear
    (Events leading to massive changes in temperature, atmosphere, and oceans
    Flood basalts - added heat, CO2, and sulfur dioxide)
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25
Q

How long ago was the End-Cretaceous mass extinction?

A

76 mya

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26
Q

What is the Impact Hypothesis regarding the End-Cretaceous mass extinction?

A

caused by impact of 10 km wide asteroid off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

  • crater at impact site
  • rocks from time period rich in rare minerals known from meteorites
27
Q

When was there an increase in extinction rates? And why?

A

the end of the Pleistocene (~40,00-10,000 years ago), suspected to be correlated with dispersal of paleo-humans across the globe

28
Q

What highlighted the increase in rates of extinction towards the end of the Pleistocene?

A

the extinctions of megafauna

29
Q

Megafauna

A

large vertebrate animals (eg. saber-toothed cats, ground sloths)

30
Q

Background extinction

A

normal extinction rate of various species as a result of changes in local environmental conditions; typically estimated at 1-2 extinctions per million species per year

31
Q

Estimates of current extinction rates are often 10-100x ____ than the background rate

A

greater

32
Q

What are the 2 leading factors in Background extinction?

A

habitat loss and degradation

33
Q

Who are most at risk for extinction?

A

Amphibians, seen to be vulnerable because of semi-permeable skin and aqueous habitats (pollutants)

34
Q

What is the leading factor in the extinction of Terrestrial organisms?

A

Habitat loss

35
Q

What is the leading factor in the extinction of Freshwater organisms?

A

Habitat loss

36
Q

What is the leading factor in the extinction of Marine organisms?

A

Overexploitation

37
Q

As habitat degradation changes metapopulation dynamic, connection between patches _______

A

decreases; increasing the likelihood of local extinctions (particularly for top predators)

38
Q

Species-area Relationship

A

relationship between area surveyed and number of species encountered

39
Q

Overharvesting

A

unsustainable removal of wildlife from the environment for use by humans; major threat for marine species

40
Q

Bush meat

A

wild-caught animal used as food (typically mammals, birds, and reptiles); generic term used for wild animals killed for food

41
Q

Tragedy of the commons

A

economic principle that resources held in common will inevitably be overexploited

42
Q

Exotic species

A

species that has been introduce to an ecosystem in which it did not evolve

43
Q

Invasive species

A

exotic species that grows to a large population size and competes successfully with native species; introduction of species that can be pathogens to others

44
Q

How did Invasive come about? And what was the affect from them in the past 500 years?

A
  • Mediated by global trade and travel
  • Estimated 58% of extinctions
45
Q

Chytridiomycosis

A

disease of amphibians caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; thought to be a major cause of the global amphibian decline

46
Q

White-nose syndrome

A

disease of cave-hibernating bats in the eastern United States and Canada associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans

47
Q

General characteristics of Atrazine

A
  • Herbicide used in agriculture since 1958
  • 2nd most common used herbicide in USA
  • One of the most commonly detected pesticides in drinking water
48
Q

Atrazine

A

endocrine disruptor that affects amphibian and fish larval development

eg. “feminization” of male frogs
- lowered testosterone
- hermaphroditism
- feminized laryngeal development
- suppressed mating behavior
- reduced spermatogenesis
- decreased fertility

49
Q

Ecosystem Services

A

Direct and indirect behaviors that humans derive from ecosystems

  1. Supporting
  2. Regulation
  3. Provisioning
  4. Cultural
50
Q

Supporting service

A

vital functions that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystems services

eg.
- primary productivity
- nutrient recycling
- soil formation

51
Q

Regulating services

A

benefits from the regulation of ecosystem processes

eg.
- eater purification
- flood and erosion control
- water control
- pollination
- disease and pest control

52
Q

Increased Biodiversity leads to __________ and ____________.

A

higher productivity, greater resilience

eg.
- more efficient use of resources
- facilitations
- increases abundance

53
Q

Resilience

A

a measure of how quickly a community recovers from a disturbance

54
Q

Provisioning services

A

products obtained from ecosystems

eg.
- food
- raw materials
- energy
- genetic resources
- medicines (secondary plant compounds)

55
Q

Secondary Plant Compounds

A

produced as byproducts of plant metabolic processes that are usually toxic, but is sequestered by the plant to defend against herbivores

56
Q

Cultural services

A

referred to as nonmaterial benefits

eg.
- recreation and tourism
- aesthetic value
- spiritual and cultural
- mental health

57
Q

Endangered Species Act

A

(1973)
- Aims to protect and recover imperiled species and ecosystems
- Successful: caused population sizes of many species to increase (38 species)
- Criticisms: May encourage preemptive habitat destruction (to keep away animals) & low success rate (not really tho)

58
Q

Biomagnification

A

the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.

59
Q

Rachel Carson

A

Wrote “Silent Spring,” which highlights the danger of pesticides to wildlife and humans

60
Q

Nature preserve

A

a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest; can be viewed as “islands” in “oceans” of unsuitable habitat

61
Q

Given equal area, typically better to have one _______ preserve rather than several small preserves

A

large (species-area-relationship)

62
Q

Buffer zone

A

area of suboptimal habitat around preserve (help connectivity???)

63
Q

Wildlife corridor

A

strip of habitat connecting preserve (allows connectivity between sub-populations)

Ecology & Evolution Final Exam (15 decks)

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