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RNR 316 > Exam 3 > Flashcards

Exam 3 Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a habitat?

A

an area with the combination of resources and environmental conditions where individuals of a given species settle, survive, and reproduce. habitats are distinguished by physical features, such as dominant plant type.

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2
Q

what is a niche?

A

the range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate. function and position of a species in the environment (includes all of its abiotic and biotic interactions)

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3
Q

can two species have the same niche?

A

no because each species has unique phenotypes that determine the conditions it can tolerate.

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4
Q

what is n-dimensional hypervolume?

A

sum of all the environmental factors acting on a species

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5
Q

what is a fundamental niche?

A

the range of abiotic conditions (temp, humidity, salinity) where a species can persist.

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6
Q

what is a realized niche?

A

the range of abiotic and biotic conditions where a species can persist (biotic interactions-competition, predation, and pathogens- may prevent a population from persisting in an area.

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7
Q

what is the geographic range?

A

total area inhabited by a population (temperature and drought define the geographic range of sugar maple)

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8
Q

variation in the environment can result in geographic ranges that are composed of disjunct _________ ________

A

habitat patches
(the geographic range of Fremont’s leather flower is 3 counties in Missouri where those plants are restricted to areas of dry, rocky soils on limestone outcroppings (glades).

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9
Q

what is scale?

A

plants further restricted by variation in soil structure and quality of glades

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10
Q

species distribution modeling, species habitat modeling, and climate envelope modeling all mean ___________ _____________ _________________

A

ecological niche modeling

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11
Q

ecological niche modeling can predict future _________ ____________ from limited information along with range _______________ and potential for ___________

A

species distribution
expansions
invasions

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12
Q

_________ changes can cause a shift in the geographic range of species

A

temperature

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13
Q

provide an example of how global warming can expand species’ range

A

average temps in the North Sea have increased 2 degrees C from 1977-2003, causing southern fish species to expand their ranges north. fish species richness in the North Sea has increased steadily over this time and is positively correlated with ocean temperature (due to increased energy production in warmer waters)

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14
Q

provide an example of emerging threats in thermoregulation

A

White nose syndrome in bats: WNS is a fungal infection that covers the muzzle of the bat and disrupts bats’ torpor (short term hibernation when they lower their metabolism) by waking them up during their torpor which causes them to starve to death. 11 species of North American bats are susceptible and more than 6 million bat deaths since 2006 when it was introduced.

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15
Q

what are the 5 important population distribution characteristics?

A
  1. geographic range
  2. abundance
  3. density
  4. dispersion
  5. dispersal
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16
Q

what is the definition of population?

A

all the members of a species in a given area at a given time (unit of evolution through natural selection)
research approach: variation in number, density, demographic, composition of individuals

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17
Q

individuals ________, populations __________

A

adapt, evolve

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18
Q

all populations must deal with what similar challenges?

A
  1. competition (limited resources, mates, and habitable space)
  2. predation
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19
Q

the absolute number of individuals is ____________

A

abundance (N)

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20
Q

the abundance per unit area is ___________

A

density (D)

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21
Q

-population dispersion-
__________ is when individuals are aggregated in discrete groups (social groups or clustering around resources)

A

clustered

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22
Q

________ ________ is when each individual maintains a uniform distance between itself and its neighbors (defended territories, croplands)

A

evenly spaced

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23
Q

_________ is when the position of each individual is independent of other individuals, not common due to non-random environmental heterogeneity.

A

random

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24
Q

what is the Baas Becking Hypothesis?

A

everything (every gene) is everywhere but the environment selects

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25
_________: all species are limited at some scale
dispersal
26
what is dispersal limitation?
the absence of a population from suitable habitat because of barriers to dispersal. most dispersed species do not establish viable populations
27
why is dispersal important for populations?
-reduce intraspecific competition -reduce inbreeding -expand geographic range
28
what is a parameter?
the true value of some population attribute, which is almost always unknown
29
what is an estimate?
any quantity that is computed or estimated from sample observations, sometimes called statistics
30
explain how the great elephant survey (conducted in Africa) estimates abundance?
by creating strip transects and flying a prop plane over each transect strip and counting the number of elephants (and other species) within. surveyed 18 countries and found that there is a current decline of ~8% per year, primarily due to poaching and loss of habitat. (Savanna elephant populations declined by 30% between 2007 and 2014)
31
what is the goal and challenge of estimating abundance?
goal: estimate abundance (parameter) with survey data. challenge: gauge the portion of the population that we don't observe during surveys
32
what is the Lincoln Peterson (mark recapture) method?
the simplest approach to estimate abundance. -two surveys- 1. mark a subset of animals 2. estimate the proportion of animals in the population that are marked
33
what do you need to know in order to use mark-recapture surveys?
-number of individuals captured and marked during survey 1 (M) -number of marked individuals recaptured during survey 2 (R) -total number of individuals captured during survey 2 (C)
34
what formula do you use to estimate abundance or population size using mark-recapture surveys?
N = M*C/R
35
dispersal can cause a geographic range to expand rapidly if...
a few individuals can disperse much farther than the average individual
36
what is a habitat corridor?
strip of favorable habitat located between two large patches of habitat that facilitates dispersal (a narrow band of trees that connects forests)
37
in an experiment where there were four plots cleared in a pine forest, there was a corridor that was connected to a central plot and then a "winged" and "rectangular" plot that were unconnected. what were the results?
-higher butterfly abundance -greater plant pollination -greater seed dispersal by birds (overall connected plots had greater reproductive events in all species, hence resulting in more viable populations)
38
since 1979, state and national governments created a wildlife corridor on the _________-__________ border that has protected more than _____ _____ hectares of land along the Rio Grande that allows species to move easily among large patches of _________ land
Texas-Mexico 1.3 million protected
39
what is ideal free distribution?
when individuals distubute themselves among different habitats in a way that allows them to have the same per capita benefit; assumes perfect knowledge of habitat variation, which is often not the case.
40
what is an experimental example of ideal free distribution?
researchers manipulated the abundance of prey (water fleas) on each side of an aquarium with stickleback fish in it. one side of the aquarium had one fifth of the abundance of prey as the other side. after only 5 minutes, the stickleback fish distributed themselves across the aquarium in a ratio ~4:1. hence, the fish had a sense of their habitat, prey availability and moved to the side that would provide them with more benefits.
41
what are metapopulations?
the ideal free distribution can allow populations in low-quality habitats to persist over time
42
what are subpopulations?
when a large population is broken up into smaller groups that live in isolated patches
43
patches of suitable habitat support ___________ embedded within a matrix of ________ habitat
subpopulations unsuitable
44
what is landscape metapopulation model?
a population model that considers both differences in the quality of the suitable patches and the quality of the surrounding matrix (habitat corridors) (represents the most realistic and most complex spatial structure of populations)
45
patch size and isolation of patch influence probability of __________ _________
population occupancy
46
demography is the study of _________. changes in _________ reflect changes in population processes over time (birth, death, immigration and emigration)
populations abundance
47
a population's intrinsic ___________ for _________ depends on rates of birth and death
capacity for increase
48
you can predict future population abundance (N) if we have estimates of what?
-birth (B, Natality) -death (D, mortality) -immigration (I) -emigration (E)
49
what is the equation for estimating population abundance?
Nt = No + (B - D) + (I - E)
50
what does the change in abundance between time periods equal?
Nt = No + B - D
51
what is the exponential growth model?
a model of population growth in which the population increases continuously at an exponential rate (no limitations to growth). (j shaped curve on a graph)
52
what is the exponential growth (r) equation?
Nt = No*e^rt Nt = future population size No = current population size r = intrinsic growth rate t = time over which a population grows e = base of natural log (2.72)
53
dN/dt = rN, meaning that change in _____________ ______per unit time is equal to the population's ____________ ________ rate and the population's size at that point in time
population size intrinsic growth
54
what is the geometric growth model?
a model of population growth that compares population sizes at regular time intervals. most species have discrete breeding seasons (California quail breeds only during the spring).
55
what is the geometric growth (λ) equation?
Nt = No λ^t
56
the geometric growth model is expressed as a ratio of a population's ________ in one year to its size in the __________ _________ (λ)
size preceding years
57
(r) exponential growth rate is an _______________ rate and (λ) geometric growth rate is a ___________ or _________ rate
instantaneous discrete or finite
58
__________ _________ is density dependent (limited resources regulate growth)
logistic growth
59
what does the logistic growth model equal?
dN/dt = rN (1-N/K) K = carrying capacity (the maximum population size that the environment can support)
60
what shaped curve does the logistic growth model look like?
S-shaped, there is an inflection point
61
what is an inflection point?
the point on a sigmoidal growth curve at which the population has its highest growth rate, then after growth begins to slow
62
describe a lab experiment of logistic growth
Georgyi Gause raised two species of protists in test tubes and added a fixed amount of food each day, he observed that populations initially grew in size but eventually they stabilized at different carrying capacities. Then, he doubled the amount of food in each test tube and saw that with twice as much food available, their populations grew to sizes that were twice as large as those in the first experiment. This confirmed that the protists carrying capacities were determined by the amount of resources provided.
63
negative density dependence is when the rate of __________ _______ decreases as _________ _______ increases.
population growth population density (as a population's size increases, resources are divided among more individuals and per capita resources decline to a level at which individuals find it difficult to grow and reproduce)
64
what is the difference between positive and negative density-dependent limitations?
positive: increased densities provide more individuals for breeding negative: above some density, resources become limiting and negative density dependence begins to play a role.
65
what are the three types of survivorship curves?
Type I: population that experiences low mortality early in life and high mortality later in life (elephants) Type II: population that experiences constant mortality throughout its life span (squirrels) Type III: population with high mortality early in life and high survival later in life (weeds)
66
most populations exhibit survivorship curve that combines features of ______ __ and ___ curves with high mortality early and late in life
type I and III
67
what are life tables?
contain age class-specific survival and fecundity data (number of offspring per reproductive episode). tables are typically based on the number of female offspring per female because paternity can be difficult to determine.
68
what is a cohort life table?
a life table that follows a group of individuals born at the same time from birth to the death of the last individual
69
what is one challenge with cohort life tables?
it is impossible to distinguish if the mortality rate of one year was due to the effects of age or because of environmental conditions (environmental conditions can affect survival and fecundity of a cohort)
70
what type of animals would cohort life tables be best suited for?
best used for sessile organisms that can be tracked over the course of their life (plants or animals that don’t migrate)
71
what is a static life table?
table that quantifies the survival and fecundity of all individuals in a population during a single time interval. age is not confounded with time/environmental conditions.
72
what type of animals would static life tables be best suited for?
best for highly mobile creatures and species with long life spans. (trees)
73
what is one challenge of static life tables?
tables may not be representative of years with different environmental conditions so these tables should be constructed over multiple years
74
what 2 general factors cause population fluctuations?
-intrinsic dynamic (cyclic) qualities of biological systems (resource limitations) -random environmental fluctuations cause oscillations
75
what specific factors causes population fluctuations?
availability of resources, predation, competition, disease, parasites and climate
76
in ____ ___________ species, the population size remains relatively stable and in ____ ___________ species, the population size exhibits wide fluctuations
k-selected r-selected
77
how does the age structure affect population fluctuations?
when an age group contains a high or low number of individuals, the population likely experienced high birth or death rates in the past.
78
long term fluctuations in age structure can be determined for a forest by examining _____ _____
tree rings, which can indicate year established and age by cross-dating.
79
what are population cycles?
regular oscillation of a population over a longer period of time.
80
population cycles are similar among _________ _________ and across large ___________ ______
related species geographic areas
81
populations _________ ________ growing at their carrying capacity, this is called __________ and results in some die-off
rarely stop overshoot
82
as the time delay (τ (tau)) increases, density dependence is _________ and the population is ______ prone to both overshooting and undershooting K (carrying capacity)
delayed more
83
what is damped oscillations?
occurs when population initially oscillates but the magnitude of the oscillations declines over time.
84
what is stable limit cycle?
population continues to exhibit large oscillations over time
85
when 0.37 < rt < 1.57 (intermediate value), the population exhibits _________ __________
damped oscillations
86
when rt > 1.57 (high value), the population will exhibit _______ ________ ________
stable limit cycle
87
delayed density dependence may occur because the organism can ________ _________ and _________ __________
store energy and nutrient reserves.
88
provide an example of a species that can store energy
Daphnia stores surplus energy as lipid droplets and when resources are less abundant, adults use this stored energy to reproduce. Eventually, lipid reserves are used up and the population declines to very low numbers.
89
the _________ ________ cycle also affect population size oscillations because as a _______ population increases, ___________ are provided with more food resources and their population increases which causes the _______ population to decrease
predator prey prey predators prey
90
_________ events can cause small populations to go extinct because small populations are more vulnerable to extinction than larger populations due to ________ chance
chance random (stochastic)
91
___________ probability is inversely correlated with population ________ (non-linear)
extinction size
92
what experiment did Professor Hanski do?
Hanski studied the metapopulation dynamics of Glanville fritillary butterflies on the Aland islands in Finland. He introduced those butterflies to 10 different meadows on an island containing 20 meadows in total. those occupied patches varied over time. at the end of the experiment, all original patches went extinct, but 11 patches were newly colonized.
93
over a 9-year period, _______ patches experiences extinction and ______ patches experienced colonization. the metapopulation persisted because _________ were offset by ___________
~100 ~100 extinctions colonization
94
habitat patches are rarely ______ in _________; some patches are larger or contain a higher density of resources
equal in quality
95
__________ _____________ are likely to experience higher rates of extinction and are less likely to be occupied than _______ __________
small patches larger patches
96
dispersal success is ___________ related to the distance of dispersal, hence more distant patches will have a lower probability of being occupied than closer patches
inversely
97
what is the rescue effect?
when dispersers supplement a declining subpopulation and thereby prevent it from going extinct.
98
unoccupied patches that are close to occupied patches are _______ _________ to be colonized. less isolated patches are ______ _______ to be rescued and are also more likely to be colonized
more likely more likely
99

RNR 316 (5 decks)

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