Restoration Flashcards
(30 cards)
Define Restoration.
Returning a system to a close approximation of its condition prior to its disturbance, with both the structure and function of the system recreated.
Define Restoration ecology ?
The study of how to repair anthropogenic damage to the integrity of ecological systems
On what level does restoration occur ?
On a community level
What does restoration require ?
Restoration of key linkages and trophic levels
Removal of alien species
What is the most damaged and invaded ecosystem in the world ?
New Zealand
What are New Zealand world leaders in ?
Reintroduction
Occurs mainly on the offshore islands to begin with
What are the living dead ?
When the last few remaining individuals do not form a viable population, (2 males left)
No means of saving them.
What is Rewilding ?
Restoration of wilderness areas by protection or reintroduction of apex predators and keystone species.
What are the advantage of restoration ?
Restores ecosystem to working service
Improves water quality
Harvestable population (Fish or game)
Aesthetic Value
Restoration decisions are based on…
Economic, Social and political factors
List the 3 challenged of restoration ecology.
The fuzzy target problem
The moving target problem
The experimental design problem
What is the fuzzy target problem ?
We do not know the end target of the population, making it difficult to know when the population has been fully restored.
How can we find a solution to the fuzzy target population ?
Use of reference sites (nearby communities that we can aim for)
Nowadays we use food webs to quantify restoration
What is the moving target problem ?
Communities are dynamic, not static, They change even in the absence of manmade disturbances.
What is the experimental design problem ?
The lack of scientific control, statistics and replication in restoration
Give past problems with restoration ecology.
No development of general theory
No transfer or methodologies between restorers.
No measure of the persistence and resilience of the restored system
No monitoring of function in the restored system (hydraulics, rather than species)
What are ecosystem services ?
Goods and services provided for free by the environment
List the 4 broad groups of ecosystem service
Production- Food, water
Regulation- control of climate and disease
Supporting- Nutrient cycles
Cultural- Tourism
Why do we use a community approach to study ecosystem services ?
Enables us to see the links between species in a community
Focus on interactions can form the basis of sustainable practices (agriculture, pest control)
Enables measure of robustness and reliance of service.
Why do mutations in strawberries occur ?
They have been incorrectly pollinated
Seeds are unfertilised and the flesh has not swelled sufficiently.
Give the 2 means of rectifying incorrect pollination on a farm, Include pros and cons.
Pollinators brought in (bees in a box)
Expensive, not robust or reliable
Encourage natural pollinators
Free, Benefits environment, robust and reliable.
Where is the most biodiversity found in the UK ?
On farmland
What are indicator species ?
Species (birds, mammals, reptiles, insects) which are indicators of the state of the community
What are the issues with using indicator species ?
They do not provide the data needed
Do not show how species interact
