biodiversity exam Flashcards
what is biodiversity?
the range variation found among, micro organisms, plants, fungi and animals in a habitat or ecosystem. Also there richness of living organisms
what are the three levels of biodiversity?
Genetic diversity: all the different gene contained in a plant, animal, fungi or microorganism. (occurs within a species and different species
Species diversity: differences within and between populations of species as well as between different species
Ecosystem diversity: differences between habitats, biological communities and ecological processes, as well as variation between individual ecosystems
what are the major threats to biodiversity?
- Habitat loss and destruction: usually human activity and population growth
- Over exploitation: over fishing or hunting leads to population demise
- introduction of exotic (non-native animals): leads to alteration of ecosystems, through predation, competition and spreading virus/ disease
- global climate change:
- alterations in ecosystem composition: can lead to trophic cascades (e.g. culling coyotes of a pop. lead to increase in racoons, which feed on song bird eggs= predation on eggs and
what are the patterns of biodiversity and what explains these patterns? and what are there drivers?
- Global patterns of diversity:
- increased variation of species in tropic areas
- increased variation of species in mountainous areas (topographic diversity) - increased area
- productivity (resources)
- decreased variation of species in cold temperate, polar regions
examples of key features of each taxanomic group
Lecture 7
what methods (indirect vs. direct) can we use survey biodiversity?
Indirect:
- scats
- prints
Direct:
- capture, tag, release
-
Cause of extinction, and ways to conserve biodiversity
Causes of extinction:
Localized or small populations experience environmental change and are poorly adapted to environment
speciation into a new form or ‘forms’ and the ‘old’ form is lost
Ways to conserve it:
what methods (indirect vs. direct) can we use survey biodiversity?
Indirect:
- counts/ sampling of sign (fur, scats, feathers, tracks
- counts of activity ( device triggering, call monitoring): -remote sensing,
- thermal imaging
- camera traps
Direct:
- capture, tag, release (pitfall traps, misc nets)
-
what types of information can we collect (index, census etc.)?
index of activity = counts of sign (index of population that may be in area- not an estimate
DNA= Scat, hair
Census= a true number of population
what are they key considerations and limitations of these survey methods ?
Indirect: getting information without interfering with animal indirectly
Positives:
> cheap
> some species prone to a lot of stress
limitations :
> not as accurate as direct sampling
Direct:
Positives:
> can learn a lot about behavior, feeding & mating
>
limitations:
>can’t have births and deaths occurring during study
>can’t have immigration or emigration occurring
> trap shyness/ trap happiness
> expensive
> time consuming
>stress of animal may lead to mortality
- no technique universal
- ethical considerations when trapping and handling animals
- when you might use indirect techniques to reduce stress of animals.
what are the major threats to biodiversity?
- Habitat loss, fragmentation and destruction: usually human activity and population growth
- disease:
- introduction of exotic (non-native animals): leads to alteration of ecosystems, through predation, competition and spreading virus/ disease
- global climate change:
contemporary extinctions:
- Over exploitation: over fishing or hunting leads to population demise
- alterations in ecosystem composition: can lead to trophic cascades (e.g. culling coyotes of a pop. lead to increase in racoons, which feed on song bird eggs= predation on eggs and
what are ecosystem services?
Function provided by an ecosystem which is of benefit to humans.
e. g. swamps setup to breakdown toxic chemicals
- insects for pollination of crops
- nutrient storage and cycling
- ecotourism
What is the importance of human dimensions in biodiversity conservation?
how people value wildlife, how they manage wildlife and how their decisions impact wildlife.
- important to consider social dimensions and include these in research so that conservation plans stand up after they are implemented.
e. g. wolves being shot and run over by community after the introduction of conservation programs
vital to gather information on community values, opinions and include these in strategies for effective and lasting conservation solutions.
how might we conserve biodiversity?
> keystone species concept: species that have a disproportionate effect on the rest of species for relative abundance (not many individuals but have a high impact)
e.g. mistletoe- for birds in wooded environments
dingoes effect on mesopredators
> umbrella species: species that have a high influence on many species but umbrella species need a large geographic range. Protecting a single species, able to protect other species that co occur in this habitat.
e.g. gray wolf
> surrogate species: are representative of multiple species or acts of the environment.
e.g a
> flagship species: ambassador/ icon for habitat, issue or environmental cause.
e.g. orangutans to stop deforestation (palm oil)
> focal species:
what is the benefit of protecting an umbrella species?
By protecting a single umbrella species, you are able to indirectly protect a whole number of species by proxy
