EE33

Question 1

Where are the biodiversity hot spots?

Answer 1

at the equator

Question 2

What is the r/k selection theory?

Answer 2

relates to the selection of a combination of traits in organisms that trade off between quantity and quality.

Question 3

what is mutational meltdown?

Answer 3

accumulation of harmful mutations in a small population.

leads to loss of fittness and population size.

Question 4

What 3 main problems do small populations face?

Answer 4

1. demographic stochasticity - random component to birth and death
2. environmental stochasticity - if variance in r>2x the mean then extinction is likely
3. genetic problems - small populations lose genetic variation by drift and interbreeding

Question 5

What is the extinction vortex?

Answer 5

small populations, interbreeding and random genetic drift. loss of genetic variability
reduction in individual fittness and pop adaptability
lower reproduction and higher mortality - smaller population

Question 6

What is the declining population paradigm?

Answer 6

seeks to discover why a population is declinging and how to prevent further declines.

Question 7

What are guaranteed to lead a population to extinction in a short amount of time?

Answer 7

deterministic froces
-overexploitation
development
deforestation 
disease