Chapter 7: The Conservation of Terrestrial Habitat and Landscape

Question 1

Conservation is a geographic problem because one of the greatest threats to biodiversity is ___ and ___.

Answer 1

habitat loss & fragmentation

Question 2

can be defined as the physical and biological surroundings of an organism

Answer 2

Habitat

Question 3

can be defined as the amount, composition, and three-dimensional arrangement of biotic and abiotic elements where an animal lives as a specific time and location

Answer 3

Habitat Structure

Question 4

Our definition of habitat structure is important because it identifies the three fundamental aspects of any given habitat:

Answer 4

1. h
   - which refers to the amount of spatial area of the habitat in relation to the size of the reference landscape;
2. habitat complexity
   - which is the relationship of the scale to amount of physical components (for example, food resources) in the habitat; and
3. habitat heterogeneity
   - which is the relative abundance of different kinds of components in the habitat at a given spatial scale

Question 5

Habitats have traditionally been conceived as occurring in
____. ____ are contiguous regions of the same kind of habitat or sites where the habitat conditions
of a species are realized.

Answer 5

patches

Question 6

can be defined as large areas (measured at spatial scales of km2 or higher) that comprise more than one type of habitat distributed in numerous patches

Answer 6

Landscape

Question 7

Habitat and landscape considerations are fundamental to all forms of ___ to biodiversity conservation.This approach to biodiversity conservation, as opposed to a population-based approach, focuses less on the dynamics of a particular population and more on the qualities of habitat and landscape that sustain it and other populations.

Answer 7

geographic-based approaches

Question 8

Conservationists have long considered ___ one of the greatest threats to species and
ecosystems worldwide. This includes physical conversion
of habitat to unusable non-habitat (habitat loss), breaking
large, contiguous blocks of habitat into smaller patches (habitat fragmentation), increasing separation of blocks of habitat
from one another (habitat isolation), and changes in habitat
that affect composition, structure, or function (habitat degradation)

Answer 8

physical habitat alteration

Question 9

This guide decisions on which areas were most important to conserve. This approach and others like it are foundational
to creating HSMs that allow conservationists to evaluate
potential reserve areas in terms of value for individual
species. (e.i, Giant Pandas)

Answer 9

habitat suitability model” or HSM

Question 10

can be defined as “any form of variation in the environment, including physical and biotic
components. Such variation may appear as spatial or temporal patterns”

Answer 10

Habitat heterogeneity

Question 11

assume that heterogeneity exists because habitats occur in patches, which can be defined as an area, smaller than a landscape, that contains only one type of habitat

Answer 11

Patch models

Question 12

a description of habitat
arrangement, can be defined as a form of spatial heterogeneity in which boundaries may be discerned. Patchy heterogeneity appears as contrasting discrete states of physical or
biotic phenomena

Answer 12

Patchiness

Question 13

“patch model” of landscape heterogeneity is appropriate to describe the spatial structure of some ecological systems, especially those in which there are clearly defined boundaries or ___
between different kinds of habitat.

Answer 13

edges

Question 14

a ____, in which boundaries between different habitats are not clearly defined and environmental conditions (variables) change slowly and gradually at fine spatial scales, provides a more accurate
description of ecological reality. This model are often most applicable in environments where the distribution of organisms, particularly plants, is strongly affected by one or
more continuously varying environmental variables, such as
moisture, elevation, temperature, or the concentration of a
particular soil nutrient or soil type.

Answer 14

gradient model

Question 15

there are primarily
two types of habitat models that explain habitat patterns in
landscapes (differentiate)

Answer 15

Patch models see a landscape as made up of separate, distinct areas (like islands) with different habitats, while gradient models view the landscape as a smooth, continuous change in habitat conditions (like a slope) without clear boundaries.

Question 16

can be defined as habitat
lifespan relative to the generation time of the organism

Answer 16

temporal scale

Question 17

Changes in habitat predicted in the Markov model are often
expressions of ____, a pattern of continuous, directional, and non-seasonal change (replacement) of
plant populations on a site over time.

Answer 17

ecological succession

Question 18

can be defined as the gradual deterioration of habitat quality

Answer 18

habitat degradation

Question 19

Modification can be described in 4 categories: (explain)

Answer 19

1. Intact habitats and landscapes are characterized by contiguous natural vegetation covering more than 90% of their land surface area. In these environments, human modification may create
2. Variegated habitats and landscapes in which human alteration reduces the amount of natural habitat and introduces a
   greater degree of landscape heterogeneity and variety of
   vegetation. More intensive human modification can lead to
3. Fragmented habitats and landscapes in which most original vegetation cover is removed, and remaining natural vegetation exists in smaller, non-contiguous “pieces” or “fragments” separated by matrix habitat which differs, to
   varying degrees, from habitats characteristic of natural vegetation. The most extreme and extensive human modifications in which natural vegetation associations are reduced to
4. Relictual habitats in which only minimal (<10%) natural vegetation remains

Question 20

refers to physical destruction of habitat (which often accompanies fragmentation), such that, in a
given area, less habitat remains after a destructive event.

Answer 20

habitat loss

Question 21

refers to a single block of contiguous
habitat being broken up into small “pieces” that are no longer
directly connected or adjacent to one another. It is possible
for habitat loss to occur without habitat fragmentation, but it
is not possible for habitat fragmentation to occur without
habitat loss

Answer 21

habitat fragmentation

Question 22

which often follows fragmentation, refers to a condition where remaining fragments
become separated from one another by increasing distance
or by increasing resistance of matrix habitat between them to
movement of individuals from one fragment to another.

Answer 22

habitat isolation

Question 23

which can co-occur with habitat loss, fragmentation, or isolation, refers to habitat which has lost
critical resources or structures needed by individual species,
and therefore affects the amount of available habitat

Answer 23

habitat degradation

Question 24

the physical spatial arrangement of habitat and the proximity and relatedness of different parcels of habitat to one another in the same
landscape.

Answer 24

habitat configuration

Question 25

are complex and vary according to time, variables studied, edge orientation, management history, and other factors. Despite the great diversity of form and effect that characterize edges, all edges create: (1) exchange or flow of energy, material, and organisms across the boundary and (2) alterations in biophysical processes and ecosystem composition and structure.

Answer 25

Edge effects

Question 26

Analytically, the degree of edge influence (EI) will be determined by three things. (explain)

Answer 26

1. Patch contrast - refers to the difference in characteristics (e.g., vegetation, light, or temperature) between a patch and its surrounding environment, influencing how strong the edge effects are. 2. Distance effect - indicates that the degree of edge influence decreases as you move farther from the edge into the interior of the patch. 3. Decay value - describes the rate at which the edge influence weakens or "decays" as the distance from the edge increases.

Question 27

the dominant or surrounding habitat type in a landscape that connects, surrounds, or intersperses with patches of different habitats. It acts as the "background" environment, influencing the movement, survival, and interactions of species within the landscape. The matrix can vary in how hospitable or hostile it is for different organisms, affecting how well they can move between habitat patches.

Answer 27

Matrix habitat

Question 28

One approach to modeling the problem of habitat loss, fragmentation, isolation, and degradation is through ____ in which arrangement of habitats is independent of (i.e., “neutral” toward) biophysical processes that shape landscapes. Thislandscape models are attractive because they can serve as “null” models or statistical baselines for exploring the effects of various spatial patterns of habitat in landscapes on population persistence and growth, and because they can be easily created

Answer 28

Neutral landscape models

Question 29

Aneutral model can be used to provide input to a _____. In the particular case of ____, the dispersal model assesses the ___ between the model’s habitats, or, ___ of the model, determined by the model’s___ or ____, which specify the distance across which sites are accessible to organisms (the “agents” of the model) by virtue of their dispersal or gap-crossing abilities

Answer 29

dispersal model agent-based dispersal models connectedness habitat connectivity neighborhood or movement rules

Question 30

____is the analysis of connectivity in spatially structured landscape systems.

Answer 30

Percolation theory

Question 31

If dispersive abilities of the organisms and integrity of ecological processes remain high relative to separation distances between habitats, the system remains “connected.” For example, in a model depicting an undisturbed area, a single group of connected habitat patches, or “cluster,” might span the entire system (i.e., there would be connectedness or “flow” between all habitat cells). Here there is overall connectivity because flows can percolate across the entire system, and the spanning cluster is therefore called the

Answer 31

Percolation cluster

Question 32

The level of disturbance (e.g., the proportion of sites destroyed) at which the transition from a connected to a disconnected system occurs is called the

Answer 32

critical or percolation threshold

Question 33

is one of the world’s most influential non-governmental organizations in conservation, administering the largest system of private nature reserves in the world with holdings on six continents What are their criterias?

Answer 33

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) 1. Ecological uniqueness 2. Viability 3. Threats 4. Feasibility

Question 34

One of the most comprehensive efforts in reserve design and conservation planning. This analysis determines, through the use of such computer overlay maps, whether populations of species targeted for conservation fall within the boundaries of currently protected areas (Opdam 2002) and which elements of landscape biodiversity are underrepresented in reserve systems

Answer 34

GAP Analysis

Question 35

What is GAP for?

Answer 35

GAP is designed to provide an information base enabling managers and planners to make the best and most efficient use of land in establishing reserves by showing where conservation efforts should be focused to achieve maximum biodiversity or protection for endangered species.