Principles of Biogeography & Ecology

Question 1

What determines biome formation?

Answer 1

Combination of climatic, geographic, geological, and ecological factors

Climatic factors include temperature and precipitation; geographic factors include elevation and latitude; geological factors include soil type; ecological factors include fire regimes and species interactions.

Question 2

Give an example of a desert biome.

Answer 2

Very low rainfall, drought-tolerant flora like cacti and succulents

Question 3

What characterizes a tundra biome?

Answer 3

Cold, permafrost soil, limited tree growth, mosses and lichens dominate

Question 4

What defines a rainforest biome?

Answer 4

Equatorial, high rainfall, rich biodiversity, layered canopy

Question 5

What are important plant traits related to reproduction?

Answer 5

Seed dispersal mechanisms, stage structure, reproductive strategies

Seed dispersal mechanisms include wind, animal, and water; stage structure refers to size rather than age; reproductive strategies include vegetative propagation vs seed-based.

Question 6

What is the population formula?

Answer 6

ΔN = B + I - D - E

change in population = births + immigration - deaths - emigration

Question 7

Describe the exponential growth model.

Answer 7

Unlimited resources, rapid growth (J-shaped curve)

Question 8

What is the logistic growth model?

Answer 8

Growth slows as resources become limited, stabilises at carrying capacity K (S-shaped curve)

Question 9

Define r-selected species.

Answer 9

Rapid growth, many offspring, low parental care (e.g., insects, rabbits)

Question 10

Define K-selected species.

Answer 10

Stable populations, few offspring, high investment in survival (e.g., elephants, primates)

Question 11

What are the types of diversity in ecology?

Answer 11

Alpha, Beta, Gamma

Alpha: Number of species in a specific area; Beta: Change in species between habitats; Gamma: Overall diversity in a region.

Question 12

What is allopatric speciation?

Answer 12

Geographic isolation leads to new species (e.g., Galapagos finches)

Question 13

What is peripatric speciation?

Answer 13

Isolated small population evolves independently (e.g., Cocos Finch)

Question 14

What is parapatric speciation?

Answer 14

Speciation along environmental gradients (e.g., Ensatina salamanders)

Question 15

What is sympatric speciation?

Answer 15

Speciation without geographic separation, often due to genetic shifts (e.g., crater lake cichlids)

Question 16

What is jump dispersal?

Answer 16

Long-distance movement over unsuitable habitat

Question 17

Define diffusion in the context of dispersal mechanisms.

Answer 17

Gradual spread of species over generations

Question 18

What is secular migration?

Answer 18

Movement over evolutionary time, with adaptation

Question 19

List natural causes of extinction.

Answer 19

Climate change, competition, catastrophic events

Question 20

List anthropogenic causes of extinction.

Answer 20

Habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution

Question 21

What defines biomes?

Answer 21

Defined by climate, vegetation structure, and ecological processes (e.g., forests, grasslands, deserts)

Question 22

What are biogeographic realms?

Answer 22

Regions sharing evolutionary history and endemic taxa (e.g., Nearctic, Neotropical, Palearctic)

Question 23

What are marine zones divided by?

Answer 23

Ocean currents and landmasses (e.g., Indo-Pacific, Western Atlantic)

Question 24

What are floristic kingdoms based on?

Answer 24

Regions based on plant endemism and historical development (e.g., Boreal, Neotropical)

Question 25

What is the Minimum Viable Population (MVP)?

Answer 25

Minimum number of individuals needed to avoid extinction due to stochastic events

Question 26

List key threats to biodiversity.

Answer 26

Habitat fragmentation and loss, invasive species, climate change altering species ranges

Question 27

What are effective conservation strategies?

Answer 27

Conservation corridors, reserve design, captive breeding & reintroduction ## Footnote Conservation corridors link fragmented habitats; reserve design incorporates ecological and behavioural knowledge; captive breeding & reintroduction are used for species recovery.

Question 28

How can ecological and behavioural knowledge enhance conservation strategies?

Answer 28

Informs better habitat design, reserve placement, and restoration methods

Question 29

Fill in the blank: Darwin's Finches are an example of _______.

Answer 29

Adaptive radiation via natural selection

Question 30

Fill in the blank: The Wallace Line is a _______.

Answer 30

Biogeographic boundary

Question 31

True or False: Cheetah Avoidance refers to a behavioral response to predation risk.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

Fill in the blank: Japanese Knotweed is an example of an _______.

Answer 32

Invasive species

Question 33

What does the equilibrium theory of island biogeography state?

Answer 33

Species richness on islands is a balance between immigration and extinction

Question 34

How do extinction and dispersal shape global species distributions?

Answer 34

Extinction events remove species; dispersal introduces species to new regions

Question 35

What impact do historical events like glaciation have on species distributions?

Answer 35

They compound extinction and dispersal processes, explaining disjunct distributions