Bio Terms Flashcards
What is sustainable use?
Using resources without compromising future generations’ needs.
How does species biology factor into sustainability?
Species with slower reproduction (K-selected) are more vulnerable to overexploitation.
What are r-selected species?
Short-lived, early reproduction, many offspring (e.g., insects, sardines).
What are K-selected species?
Long-lived, fewer offspring, more care (e.g., elephants, whales).
Example of aquatic overexploitation?
Overfishing, coral collection, whale hunting before moratorium.
What’s the whaling moratorium?
A 1986 ban on commercial whaling; led to some species’ recovery.
Why are parrots and reptiles common in pet trade?
They are colorful, exotic, and often illegally collected.
What plants are targeted for poaching?
Orchids, cacti, succulents.
Examples of trade in animal parts?
Ivory, rhino horn, tiger bones, lion trophies.
What species cause cascading effects when overexploited?
Keystone species and top predators.
What shared abiotic resource’s exploitation harms ecosystems?
Freshwater.
What is an herbarium?
A collection of preserved plant specimens for study.
How are herbarium specimens collected?
Pressed and dried in the field, then mounted with data.
Uses of herbarium specimens?
Taxonomy, climate studies, education, conservation planning.
What is a seed bank?
A facility storing seeds to preserve genetic diversity.
What’s special about California flora?
High endemism and biodiversity; many species found nowhere else.
What is a protected area?
A designated region for conserving biodiversity and ecosystems.
What determines which areas are protected?
Species richness, endemism, threat levels, uniqueness.
Species richness definition?
Number of species in a community.
Relative abundance definition?
How common a species is relative to others.
What is species diversity?
Combines richness and relative abundance.
What does the Shannon Diversity Index measure?
Community diversity considering richness and evenness.
What explains latitudinal species richness?
Time, productivity, and area hypotheses.
What are megadiversity countries?
Nations with extremely high biodiversity (e.g., Brazil, Indonesia).
What are biodiversity hotspots?
Areas with high endemism and high habitat loss.
What are representative habitats?
Typical or unique ecosystems chosen for protection.
What is the “Last of the Wild”?
Least human-impacted ecosystems on Earth.
Diversity-Stability Hypothesis?
More diverse ecosystems are more stable and resilient.
What is an indicator taxon?
A group used as a proxy for overall biodiversity.
What is taxonomic distinctiveness?
Uniqueness of a species in the evolutionary tree.
Strength of protected areas?
Long-term habitat and species protection.
Weakness of protected areas?
Often small, poorly located, or under-enforced.
Ideal reserve shape?
Large and round to reduce edge effects.
Why do reserves not match the ideal shape?
Political boundaries, land use, human activity.
Why is active management needed?
To maintain habitat, control threats, or assist species (e.g., butterfly example).
What is a flagship species?
Charismatic species used for conservation campaigns.
What is a sentinel species?
Species sensitive to environmental changes.
What is a keystone species?
Species with disproportionate ecosystem impact.
What is an umbrella species?
Protecting it benefits many others due to large range.
Can a species be in multiple categories?
Yes (e.g., elephants = flagship, keystone, umbrella).
What is the 30 by 30 project?
Goal to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
First national park?
Yellowstone (1872).
What’s happening with US public lands now?
Underfunding, climate stress, development pressure.
Three parameters of rarity?
Geographic range, habitat specificity, local population size.
What is MVP (Minimum Viable Population)?
Smallest size needed for long-term survival.
Challenge with estimating MVP?
Requires long-term data and depends on many variables.
What is masked decline?
Stable adult population hides lack of reproduction.
What is the 6th mass extinction?
Current extinction crisis caused by humans.
What is the Living Planet Index?
Measures changes in global wildlife populations.
What is Ne (Effective Population Size)?
Individuals contributing to next generation’s gene pool.
What is a genetic bottleneck?
Population crash reducing genetic diversity.
How does genetic diversity help conservation?
Supports adaptability, reduces inbreeding risk.
Why is gene flow important?
Introduces diversity, strengthens populations.
How does hybridization affect conservation?
Can threaten species integrity or increase adaptability.
What is ex situ conservation?
Preserving species outside their natural habitat.
When is ex situ needed?
When in situ fails or extinction risk is extreme.
Ex situ vs in situ?
Ex situ is backup; in situ preserves ecosystems.
Plant material conserved ex situ?
Seeds, cuttings, tissue culture, whole plants.
Advantages of captive breeding?
Prevents extinction, supports reintroduction.
Challenges of captive breeding?
Costly, genetic issues, survival skill loss.
What is reintroduction?
Releasing species into their former range.
What is translocation?
Moving species to safer or new suitable habitats.
What is population reinforcement?
Adding individuals to boost a struggling population.
Example of reintroduction?
California condor, black-footed ferret.
Why mixed results in ex situ programs?
Habitat loss, genetic problems, failure to address root threats.
