Lec 30 (Landscapes)

Question 1

What is a landscape?

Answer 1

A heterogeneous (diverse, mixed, varied) area consisting of distinct patches.

These patches are known as landscape
elements, and are organized in a mosaiclike pattern.

Question 2

what is landscape ecology?

Answer 2

Landscape ecology: the study of the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes
over a range of scales

Question 3

Why is landscape ecology different?

Answer 3

1. Involves researchers from multiple disciplines.
2. Included humans and human influence from
   beginning.
3. Uses multiple scales

Question 4

What Makes Landscapes?

Answer 4

• Geological processes (Volcanism, Sedimentation and Erosion)
• Climate (Ice Ages and Global Warming)
• Organisms (Humans and beavers)
• Fire (Lightning-caused or Fire suppression)

Question 5

Glacial ages?

Glaciations?

Answer 5

Glacial ages: periods of variable cool and warm
global temperatures that can last for millions of
years

Glaciations: cold periods lasting about 60,000-
90,000 years within a glacial age

Question 6

Interglacial period?

Glacier?

Answer 6

relatively short warm periods (10,000-40,000 years) that occur between glaciations in a glacial age (US NOW)
Glacier= a body of dense ice that can move
under its own weight

Question 7

U-shaped valley=?

V-shaped valley=?

Answer 7

U-shaped valley=Glacier

V-shaped valley =Stream

Question 8

Talus?

Glacial till?

Answer 8

Talus: large rock piles pushed aside and left behind by glaciers

Glacial till: mixed (boulders, clay, rocks) material left by glaciers

Question 9

Moraine?

Drumlin?

Answer 9

Moraine: piles of till either pushed aside or left behind by glaciers

Drumlin: hills created when glaciers pass over moraines

Question 10

Eskers?

Kettle?

Answer 10

Eskers: narrow ridges of debris left behind by glacial streams

Kettle: lake created by a piece of detached glacier melting into a depression

Question 11

Glacial retreat leads to __________.

Answer 11

primary succession

Question 12

Glacial refugia?

Nunatak?

Answer 12

Glacial refugia: areas that occur within the
extent of the glacial landscape that remained
uncovered by glaciers

Nunatak: a type of glacial refugia, in which a
mountain peak was surrounded but not covered
by continental glaciers

Question 13

Origins of Landscapes: Humans… In the Netherlands

Answer 13

Pre-human was forest, middle ages was sand, now back to forest

The biggest change was from heathland to forest

Question 14

Origins of Landscapes: Beavers…Kabetogama Peninsula, Minnesota USA

Answer 14

Beavers transformed the landscape from one dominated by forest to a diverse patchwork of several ecosystems. (Beaver pond, wet meadow, moist meadow, and forest)

Question 15

Origins of Landscapes: Fire and Fire Suppression… Southern California and Baja California

Answer 15

• Frequent fires from lightning
• Dry summers, oil-rich vegetation

• Fire suppression in SoCal, but allowed to burn in
Baja

-Though fires burned equally in southern and Baja California, the median fire area was two times higher in southern California

Question 16

Landscape structures…

Patch?

Matrix?

Answer 16

Patch: a relatively homogenous area that differs from it’s surroundings

Matrix: element within the landscape that is the
most spatially continuous

Question 17

Landscape structure influences processes such

as?

Answer 17

Landscape structure influences processes such
as the flow of energy, materials, and species
distributions across a landscape.

Question 18

How would you measure which landscape is best for forest-dwelling wildlife?

Answer 18

of forest patches?
Avg. patch size?
% cover of forest?
Avg patch shape?

Question 19

Edge effects?

Answer 19

Impacts to the adjacent ecosystem
caused by changes in the physical environment
along its edge, reduced habitat area, and by
isolation.

Question 20

Edge Effects: Amazon Rainforest

Answer 20

•Environment along forest edges hotter and drier,
with higher intensity of solar radiation.

• Tree mortality higher at edges and overstory decreases while understory vegetation increases.
• Decreased diversity of many animal groups.

Question 21

Landscape structure, especially the size,
number, and distance between patches,
can influence the movement of organisms
between potentially suitable habitats.

True or False

Answer 21

True

Question 22

Habitat fragmentation?

Answer 22

Habitat fragmentation: the division of previously
intact habitat into several isolated patches, typically
due to human development and resource extraction

Question 23

What is a solution for habitat fragmentation caused by humans?

Answer 23

Corridors…

some sort of strip of habitat connecting similar
habitat types patches across a landscape. Such corridors can help mitigate the effects of habitat fragmentation. (An example are the “animal overpasses” in Banff)

Question 24

Do habitat corridors work?

Answer 24

Literature reviews have found evidence that not
all corridors work, beyond simply providing more habitat.

Good corridors must be developed in areas that the targeted organisms
naturally use.

Question 25

What is an example of a habitat corridor? (other than the animal overpasses)

Answer 25

Fish Ladders

Question 26

What is a Fish Ladder?

Answer 26

a structure designed to allow fish the opportunity to migrate upstream over or through a barrier to fish

Question 27

Habitat Corridors Can Help Plants Too

True Or False

Answer 27

True… helps isolated plants