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Ecology > Assignments > Flashcards

Assignments Flashcards

1
Q

What are 5 characteristics of bogs?

A
  • little to no water flow
  • water is acidic and nutrient poor
  • dominated by sphagnum moss
  • sphagnum moss forms peat which builds up when growth is faster than decomposition
  • often a floating mat of vegetation over the surface of open water
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2
Q

What are 2 characteristics of marshes?

A
  • shallow water with seasonal fluctuations in water level

- vegetation is soft stemmed herbaceous plants

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3
Q

What are 2 characteristics of swamps?

A
  • area is dominated by water tolerant trees

- water supply is from ground water

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4
Q

What are 3 characteristics of fens?

A
  • dominated by sedges, grass, moss
  • nutrient rich with high pH
  • some water flow
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5
Q

How does a kettle bog form?

A
  1. Glaciers retreat, kettle lakes with poor drainage forms
  2. Spagnum moss moves in
  3. Spagnum moss needs cations like Ca and Mg so it releases H+ to balance the charges…acidifying effect
  4. Mosses extend, floating mat develops
  5. Organic matter accumulates due to acidic conditions
  6. Eventually fills with peat (undecomposed sphagnum moss)
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6
Q

What type of trees live in bogs and why?

A

Evergreens, they don’t drop their leaves, so they don’t lose the nutrients every year, and don’t have to regrow leaves with limited nutrients in a bog

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7
Q

Why are wetlands important for migrating birds?

A

Resting place

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8
Q

What are 3 animals that you would find in a bog?

A
  • moose
  • spruce grouse
  • bald eagle
  • dragonfly
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9
Q

Name 3 sources of pollution

A
  • agriculture
  • municipal
  • industrial
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10
Q

How do wetlands deal with pollution?

A
  • It works as a natural filter

- cleans contaminated water

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11
Q

At what pH is rain considered acidic?

A

under 5.3

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12
Q

What are the 2 common air pollutants that make rain acidic?

A

sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide form sulphuric acid and nitric acid

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13
Q

What is the main source of sulfur dioxide emissions?

A

industrial sources. Non ferrous metal smelters and coal fired generators

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14
Q

What is the main source of nitrogen oxide emissions?

A

fuel combustion from motor vehicles, coal fired generators

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15
Q

What type of areas are more susceptible to acid rain damage and why?

A

Hard rock areas (granite). It lacks natural alkalinity so it is unable to neutralize the acid naturally.

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16
Q

What is the difference between a critical load and a target load?

A
  • critical load is how much pollution that the ecosystem can tolerate
  • target load is the politically accepted amount of pollution in a ecosystem
17
Q

How does acid rain effect fish?

A

there is an increase in aluminium and acidity, both which are bad for the fish. It may not kill them, but it will stress them causing lower body weight. Youth fish are particularly susceptible

18
Q

What is the buffering capacity of a lake determined by?

A

thickness and composition of the soil, type/composition of bedrock

19
Q

List 5 ways that acid rain damages trees

A
  • damages leaves
  • limits nutrient uptake
  • solubility changes means aluminium can become toxic
  • possible loss of nutrients from leaves
  • increased susceptibility to cold
20
Q

What is the best way to save endangered species?

A

Preserve habitat by preserving large regions and being aware of what goes on adjacent to the reserve

21
Q

Why are small reserves not enough to save species?

A
  • restricts the number of species and genetic diversity
  • prevents migration and recolonization
  • large bodied animals need larger space than small bodied animals
22
Q

What is connectivity?

A
  • corridors that connect small reserves and increases reserve sizes by linking them.
  • allows movement of individuals and genetic material
23
Q

How does connectivity improve biodiversity?

A
  • increases size of reserve areas
  • connects populations, allows flow of genes
  • escape routes from disturbances or change
  • allows recolonization of disturbed areas
24
Q

Give 5 ways that roads negatively impact forest areas

A
  • increased edge effects (increased wind, sunlight, weedy/invasive species)
  • increased siltation
  • danger to animals
  • greater human access
  • habitat fragmentation
25
Q

What are edge effects?

A

Partly disturbed transition areas between forest and disturbed areas. Weedy and invasive species are present

26
Q

Name 5 reasons habitat fragmentation has a negative impact

A
  • reduces habitat and interior space due to increased edges and more island
  • loss of reclusive species
  • loss of genetic diversity (less movement)
  • increased invasive species
  • general ecological decline
27
Q

How does agriculture have a negative impact on habitat?

A
  • reduced wetland areas, interference with natural water movement
  • increased people and pets
  • increased domestic grazers
  • predators that prey on domestic grazers are killed
  • cattle negatively impact riparian areas
  • overgrazing allows invasive species access
28
Q

How does urbanization negatively impact habitat?

A
  • loss of productive land
  • habitat fragmentation
  • changes natural drainage patterns
29
Q

What is the difference between a weed and a invasive plant?

A
  • invasive plants can establish and spread to new habitats following introduction without human help
  • all invasive plants are weeds but not all weeds are invasive plants
  • invasive plants are associated with natural habitats, while weeds are associated with managed habitats
30
Q

How does resource availability effect invasion?

A
  • increased resource availability helps invasion
  • climax or late seral stages with lots of large dominants can be invaded by smaller plant species that can make use of unused resources
31
Q

How does species richness effect invasion?

A

-lower species diversity during early successional stages. This means increased vulnerability to invasion

32
Q

How does habitat fragmentation effect invasion?

A
  • increased edge effects increases vulnerability to invasion

- edges have increased leak due to less internal cycling and greater losses of water and nutrients

33
Q

Why do invasive plants have an advantage over native plants?

A

they lack natural enemies. They grow larger, reproduce more, and live longer, because they spend fewer resources on defence mechanisms.

34
Q

What do the invasive plant’s life history look like?

A

perennials or biennials

35
Q

What are the 3 steps of invasion?

A
  • introduction
  • naturalization
  • invasion
36
Q

Explain the introduction stage in invasion

A

plants are transported to an area outside of their natural geographic range

37
Q

Explain the naturalization stage in invasion

A
  • plants establish themselves to a point where they are self reproducing
  • population is large enough to avoid local extinction, but does not spread
  • may need habitat fragmentation to spread more
38
Q

Explain the invasion stage in invasion

A
  • naturalized plant is able to produce reproductive offspring in areas away from the site of introduction
  • population grows exponentially
  • may still be able to eliminate them in early lag phase due to the bottleneck effect
  • bottleneck may be due to low genetic diversity or presence of only a few plants

Ecology (7 decks)

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