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Ecology & Evolution Final Exam > Unit IV: Conservation Ecology > Flashcards

Unit IV: Conservation Ecology Flashcards

(63 cards)

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1
Q

Biodiversity

A

general term for the number of species present in the biosphere, by taking into account both the number of species and their relative abundance to each other

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2
Q

Genetic diversity

A

variety of genes in a species or other taxonomic group or ecosystem, the term can refer to allelic diversity or genome-wide diversity
- aka Genetic Variation

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3
Q

Groups with low genetic diversity have _____ potential to respond to selection pressures (recall natural selection)

A

lower

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4
Q

Small populations size typically have low genetic diversity due to what?

A

bottleneck/genetic drift

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5
Q

Chemical diversity

A

variety of metabolic compounds in an ecosystem; different species produce a variety of chemicals in their cells, both proteins as well as products and byproducts of metabolism

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6
Q

What does Chemical diversity collect?

A

proteins or RNA sequence data

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7
Q

Ecosystem diversity

A

variety of ecosystems, which is useful for larger areas (more diversity = better conservation)

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8
Q

Endemic Species

A

Species native to and found only in a specific geographic location

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9
Q

Where are high values of species endemism found?

A

small and/or isolated habitat patches
(eg. islands, mountains, isolated forests)

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10
Q

Phylogenetic diversity

A

variation of species of a branch in a phenology tree; incorporates information from the tree of life

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11
Q

What does conserving species poor clades do?

A

increase taxonomic diversity, including phylogenetic distance between species

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12
Q

What diversity is most important for prioritizing conservation efforts?

A

Genetic Diversity

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13
Q

What is one of the strongest patterns in ecology?

A

latitudinal diversity gradient: there are more species at low latitudes (closer to equator) than high latitudes (closer to poles)

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14
Q

Tropics have greater:

A
  • Habitat stability over long periods of time
  • Habitat heterogeneity (= more niches/specialization)
  • Energy input from direct sun (greater npp, positive correlation between temp and rates of evolution)
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15
Q

Who pioneered the study of biodiversity hotspots?

A

Norman Myers

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16
Q

Biodiversity hotspots

A

areas with exceptional concentrations of endemic species and high levels of habitat loss

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17
Q

List criteria for a Biodiversity hotspots

A
  1. At least 1500 (0.5%) of world’s 300,000 plant species as endemics
  2. Lost 70% or more of its historic (traditional) vegetation
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18
Q

List Criticisms on Myer’s hotspots

A
  • Focus on endemism
  • Focus on historic, rather than current loss
  • What about boreal and tundra biomes?
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19
Q

What is the Atlantic Forest? And does it classify as a Biodiversity Hotspot?

A
  • Variety of tropical forest ecosystems in SE Brazil
  • High levels of endemism
  • Estimated 15% of historic range
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20
Q

Mass Extinction

A

event of environmental condition that wipes out the majority of species within a relatively short geographical time period

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21
Q

How many mass extinctions have there been? Which are most important?

A

5: end-Permian & end-Cretaceous

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22
Q

What results from mass extinction besides the extinction of a species?

A
  1. Leave empty niches
  2. Opportunties for adaptive radiations
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23
Q

When was the End-Permian mass extinction?

A

252 mya

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24
Q

Describe the End-Permian.

A
  • Largest mass extinction
    ( >50% of all families and >80% of all genera
    Up to 96% of all marine species, 70% of terrestrial species)
  • Causes unclear
    (Events leading to massive changes in temperature, atmosphere, and oceans
    Flood basalts - added heat, CO2, and sulfur dioxide)
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25
How long ago was the End-Cretaceous mass extinction?
76 mya
26
What is the Impact Hypothesis regarding the End-Cretaceous mass extinction?
caused by impact of 10 km wide asteroid off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico - crater at impact site - rocks from time period rich in rare minerals known from meteorites
27
When was there an increase in extinction rates? And why?
the end of the Pleistocene (~40,00-10,000 years ago), suspected to be correlated with dispersal of paleo-humans across the globe
28
What highlighted the increase in rates of extinction towards the end of the Pleistocene?
the extinctions of megafauna
29
Megafauna
large vertebrate animals (eg. saber-toothed cats, ground sloths)
30
Background extinction
normal extinction rate of various species as a result of changes in local environmental conditions; typically estimated at 1-2 extinctions per million species per year
31
Estimates of current extinction rates are often 10-100x ____ than the background rate
greater
32
What are the 2 leading factors in Background extinction?
habitat loss and degradation
33
Who are most at risk for extinction?
Amphibians, seen to be vulnerable because of semi-permeable skin and aqueous habitats (pollutants)
34
What is the leading factor in the extinction of Terrestrial organisms?
Habitat loss
35
What is the leading factor in the extinction of Freshwater organisms?
Habitat loss
36
What is the leading factor in the extinction of Marine organisms?
Overexploitation
37
As habitat degradation changes metapopulation dynamic, connection between patches _______
decreases; increasing the likelihood of local extinctions (particularly for top predators)
38
Species-area Relationship
relationship between area surveyed and number of species encountered
39
Overharvesting
unsustainable removal of wildlife from the environment for use by humans; major threat for marine species
40
Bush meat
wild-caught animal used as food (typically mammals, birds, and reptiles); generic term used for wild animals killed for food
41
Tragedy of the commons
economic principle that resources held in common will inevitably be overexploited
42
Exotic species
species that has been introduce to an ecosystem in which it did not evolve
43
Invasive species
exotic species that grows to a large population size and competes successfully with native species; introduction of species that can be pathogens to others
44
How did Invasive come about? And what was the affect from them in the past 500 years?
- Mediated by global trade and travel - Estimated 58% of extinctions
45
Chytridiomycosis
disease of amphibians caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; thought to be a major cause of the global amphibian decline
46
White-nose syndrome
disease of cave-hibernating bats in the eastern United States and Canada associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans
47
General characteristics of Atrazine
- Herbicide used in agriculture since 1958 - 2nd most common used herbicide in USA - One of the most commonly detected pesticides in drinking water
48
Atrazine
endocrine disruptor that affects amphibian and fish larval development eg. "feminization" of male frogs - lowered testosterone - hermaphroditism - feminized laryngeal development - suppressed mating behavior - reduced spermatogenesis - decreased fertility
49
Ecosystem Services
Direct and indirect behaviors that humans derive from ecosystems 1. Supporting 2. Regulation 3. Provisioning 4. Cultural
50
Supporting service
vital functions that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystems services eg. - primary productivity - nutrient recycling - soil formation
51
Regulating services
benefits from the regulation of ecosystem processes eg. - eater purification - flood and erosion control - water control - pollination - disease and pest control
52
Increased Biodiversity leads to __________ and ____________.
higher productivity, greater resilience eg. - more efficient use of resources - facilitations - increases abundance
53
Resilience
a measure of how quickly a community recovers from a disturbance
54
Provisioning services
products obtained from ecosystems eg. - food - raw materials - energy - genetic resources - medicines (secondary plant compounds)
55
Secondary Plant Compounds
produced as byproducts of plant metabolic processes that are usually toxic, but is sequestered by the plant to defend against herbivores
56
Cultural services
referred to as nonmaterial benefits eg. - recreation and tourism - aesthetic value - spiritual and cultural - mental health
57
Endangered Species Act
(1973) - Aims to protect and recover imperiled species and ecosystems - Successful: caused population sizes of many species to increase (38 species) - Criticisms: May encourage preemptive habitat destruction (to keep away animals) & low success rate (not really tho)
58
Biomagnification
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.
59
Rachel Carson
Wrote "Silent Spring," which highlights the danger of pesticides to wildlife and humans
60
Nature preserve
a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest; can be viewed as "islands" in "oceans" of unsuitable habitat
61
Given equal area, typically better to have one _______ preserve rather than several small preserves
large (species-area-relationship)
62
Buffer zone
area of suboptimal habitat around preserve (help connectivity???)
63
Wildlife corridor
strip of habitat connecting preserve (allows connectivity between sub-populations)

Ecology & Evolution Final Exam (15 decks)

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