Reptiles Function in Ecosystem (lecture 6)

Question 1

species and function

Answer 1

-the more species you have the more ecological function

Question 2

functional aspects of biodiversity

Answer 2

-depicts how species and diversity influence ecosystem and resources

• species interaction
  
  • predation, parasitism, competition
• alter function of the way species are in the environment
• increase in abundance of species and traits increases biodiversity
• increase traits increase biodiversity

Question 3

ecosystem processes

Answer 3

-key outputs in ecosystem functions

ex. pollination
-birds
predation
-dingo
seed dispersal
-casuary
dispersal (key-genes moving among different population)

Question 4

function diversity + specie traits

Answer 4

traits of how animals live (dictate how they persist in the environment

Question 5

functional diversity

Answer 5

• trait diversity among species
• more species means more variation in traits
• life history

Question 6

biodiversity from a functional perspective*

Answer 6

• traits allow species to consume or transform resources
• modify the biophysical and biochemical habitat; creating different resources
  
  • alter or partly destroy part of the environment

Question 7

sea turtle functional perspective*

Answer 7

green turtle grazing on sea grass

functional perspective:
-sea grass pull substrate down
grazing-destabilize the environment
-plants respond by building defense chemical making it less nutritious of nitrogen
-nitrogen allows things to grown faster

Question 8

box turtle and crocodile

Answer 8

-transfer of energy up the food chain

Question 9

sea turtle eggshells

Answer 9

• made of calcium
• provide subsidy of mineral through biointeraction
• effects how plants grown on the beach

Question 10

function case studies of reptiles

Answer 10

-disturbance

Question 11

disturbance

Answer 11

• change abundance and potentially the diversity of reptile

- effects traits and function

Question 12

abundance knock down lead to consequence

Answer 12

changes in traits and role of reptiles in the environment

Question 13

reptiles respond differently to disturbance

Answer 13

strong recent disturbance or lots of ongoing disturbance

• more species able to persist in environment as the father the disturbance has occurred
• decrease in diversity as the environment becomes more stable due to specie dominance

mosaic forest from disturbance from history
-shows the ages of the forest

multidisturbance-multilayer disturbance
-animals deal with it, with change in diversity and abundance

Question 14

years since disturbance and various levels of biodiversity in skinks -fire and logging

Answer 14

• animals behave differently to the disturbances

- yrs, since logging decrease in diversity, then increase, then decrease due to specie dominance

Question 15

change in specie diversity and abundance

Answer 15

don’t know what it means from an ecological perspective

• cannot measure function
• lizards vary in physical characteristics, life history, and behavior
• lizards all have changes in functional traits
• all lizards are small predators

Question 16

disturb lizards and change in functional trait

Answer 16

• most abundant species due to very productive systems
• know what they do and assign them to traits
• look at body size
  
  • different effects on the food that they eat

Question 17

functional diversity on disturbed

Answer 17

• metric of biodiversity that scientist use
• rely on diversity of traits and not the diversity of species
• little change in functional richness with logging
• as specie diversity is low post logging, drop off of species mean that only a few species are persisting
• using human fires to maximize biodiversity

Question 18

cascade effect system

Answer 18

• knock down predation to see effect

- effects minerals and plants

Question 19

season for lizard interaction in Southern Australia

Answer 19

• is very short
• look at change in abundance and diversity
• functional consequences
• effects the rate of insect diversity and abundance
• seed dispersal rate
• measure biochemical from leaf litter
• strong effects of lizards influencing insect species functional attributes
  
  • lizards alter function due to trait abundance and diversity

Question 20

top down predation

Answer 20

• knock out apex predators really effect the environment
• take dingo from the environment and system is completely effected
• herbivores are getting complete control
  
  • which in turns destroys the plants and habitat for other speices

Question 21

reptiles

Answer 21

• many systems around the world are the apex predator
• capacity to regulate other species
• invasive reptiles can lead to specie extinction
• Burmese python need to consume a lot of prey for maximum size

Question 22

Komodo Dragon

Answer 22

• big apex predator killing large mammalian prey (even water buffalo)
• high enough density of Komodo dragon can change prey density but not as much as a carnivore

Question 23

UNcoupling between lifehistory

Answer 23

• a predator can only knock down prey that have an equivalent abundance
• no effect on production
• slow development of prey can effect predation to a downward decline
• equivalent development of prey effect predation at a neutral climb