Biogeography Flashcards

1
Q

What is Biogeography

A

Geography of life, Science of understanding spatial patterns of Biology

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2
Q

Organism distribution causes

A

Geographic template and when they change, Biota response, species interaction

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3
Q

Why is Biogeography important

A

Organisms’ importance, understanding uneven spatial distribution, adapting to environmental change

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4
Q

What percent of species face extinction due to climate change

A

15-37%

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5
Q

Whakapapa-
Kaitiakitanga-
Mauri-
Taonga-

A

Whakapapa - Understanding the total environment
Kaitiakitanga - guardianship of the environment
Mauri - energy, the life force of all things
Taonga - treasure, iconic species

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6
Q

Linnean system

A

Order-Family-Genus-Species

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7
Q

Terrestrial biomes

A

Areas of similar climates and vegetation

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8
Q

Environmental gradient

A

Change in abiotic (non living) factors through space (e.g moisture, altitude)

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9
Q

Species response function

A

Measure of the performance of a species along an environmental gradient

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10
Q

Environmental gradient conditions

A

Temperature, moisture, salinity etc

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11
Q

Environmental gradient resources

A

Food, water, space, soil, breeding, something competed for

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12
Q

Niche

A

The set of environmental conditions in which a species can survive in

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13
Q

Fundamental Niche

A

The set of environmental conditions in which a species can survive in the absence of other organisms

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14
Q

Realized Niche

A

The set of environmental conditions in which a species can survive with organisms present (geographic range)

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15
Q

Is realized niche or fundamental niche smaller

A

Realized niche

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16
Q

What can we see from an observed distribution of a species

A

Realised and environmental niche models, as well as predict potential distribution

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17
Q

IUCN red list criteria

A

Population reduction, restricted geographic range and extinction probability

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18
Q

What does IUCN red list criteria result in

A

The species being endangered or vulnerable

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19
Q

Species distribution types

A

Cosmopolitan, Disjunct, Endemic

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20
Q

Invasion Biogeography
Alien-
Naturalised-
Invasive-
Weed-
Introduced-

A

Alien - A species whose precense in an area is due to human activity
Naturalised - Alien species that manage to sustain viable populations
Invasive - Naturalised species dispersing far away from site of introduction
Weed - Any species that does harm
Introduced - Any species that has been transported by humans across a major geographical barrier

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21
Q

Species richness

A

Overlapping species ranges in a location

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22
Q

Cosmopolitan species traits

A

Wide niche range (large environmantal tolerance), Generalist, Rapid breeding, Short generation time (quicker evolution), Good disperser, Transported by people

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23
Q

Disjunct species traits

A

Relict features, Range contraction, Long-distance dispersal, Plate tectonics/sea level rise, Human habitat fragmentation (anthropogenic)

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24
Q

Endemism species traits

A

Relict features, Range contraction, Land patterns, Mountain tops/oceanic islands (isolation)

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25
Q

Biodiversity

A

Variety of life; includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems

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26
Q

How is biodiversity measured

A

Number of species and genetic diversity

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27
Q

Global species richness
Total known-
Total estimated-
Vertebrates-
Invertebrates-
Vascular plants-

A

Total known - 1.7 million
Total estimated - 9 million
Vertebrates - 70,000
Invertebrates - 1.3 million
Vascular plants - 390,000

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28
Q

Nz species richness
Total known-
Vertebrates-
Invertebrates-
Vascular plants-
Native and exotic vascular plants-
Percentage alien and endemic

A

Total known - 56,000
Vertebrates - 1,700
Invertebrates - 20,000
Vascular plants - 4,700
Native and exotic vascular plants - 2,200 and 2,500
50% alien 80% Endemic

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29
Q

Region hotspot criteria

A

> 1500 species of endemic vascular plants, lost >70% of original habitat

30
Q

NZ Endemism in terms of taxonomic level and why

A

High endemism at species level
Low endemism at family/order level
Due to geographic isolation following gondwana connection (species derived from common ancestor)

31
Q

Nz Endemism in terms of plant type

A

High rate of endemism in woody species (poor dispersers)
Low rate of endemism in ferns/orchids (good dispersed)

32
Q

Drivers of Biodiversity

A

Biological processes: speciation and extinction
Environmental factors: Energy, climate, geography/area, time

33
Q

Speciation

A

Process by which populations of same species evolve into two distinct species

34
Q

Speciation types

A

Allopatric and Sympatric

35
Q

Allopatric speciation

A

Vicariance, geographic separation of population into disjunct populations

36
Q

Sympatric speciation

A

Speciation in Geographically unchanged areas

37
Q

Types of extinction

A

local and global

38
Q

5 mass extinctions

A

End ordovician, late devonian, end permian/guadaloupen, end triassic, end cretacous

39
Q

Species go extinct because

A

Small fragmentated populations, reduced fitness and offspring success

40
Q

Drivers of biodiversity - Energy

A

Solar input higher at mid than polar latitudes

41
Q

There is more biodiversity in polar or mid latitudes

A

Mid latitudes

42
Q

Drivers of biodiversity - Climate

A

Tropical climates are more stable and have no glaciations and low seasonality.

43
Q

Drivers of biodiversity - time

A

Evolutionary (long term) - the world has been tropical longer than nontropical giving species time to evolve to tropical climate.
Ecological (short term) - higher environmental, climatic and geological stability in tropics giving species more time to disperse

44
Q

Drivers of biodiversity - Geography/Area

A

Larger areas in equatorial areas meaning higher diversity of environment, more diverse species and therefore higher species richness

45
Q

Patterns of extinction and immigration on islands

A

Island area and distance to mainland

46
Q

Equillibrium species richness

A

We can expect smallest number of species on a small island far away from the mainland and vice versa

47
Q

Species richness at equillibrium (Macarthur and wilsons theory on island biogeography)

A

Point at which species richness remains the same through equal rates of extinction and immigration, explains how spatial habitat arrangement can determine an area’s biodiversity.

48
Q

Ecological community

A

Assemblage of several co existing and interacting individuals of different species in a location or habitat at a given time

49
Q

Ecological interactions

A

Biotic (organism on organism), Abiotic (use of resources)

50
Q

Community structure

A

Measure of biodiversity (how many species and to what abundance)

51
Q

Measures of community structure

A

Species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index

52
Q

Realised niche of a species determines its

A

Geographic range

53
Q

The traits of a species in a community determines

A

How the species respond to the environment and what functional role they have in the ecosystem

54
Q

Community composition

A

Species make up

55
Q

Functional composition

A

Species traits of the different species, what role they play in the ecosysytem

56
Q

Measures of community composition

A

Classification, ordination

57
Q

Ordination methods

A

Principal component analysis (PCA), Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS)

58
Q

Convergent evolution (convergence)

A

When organisms that aren’t closely related evolve similar traits due to similar abiotic/biotic factors.

59
Q

Ecosystem services

A

Functional and physical properties of ecosystems that are of use to people

60
Q

Ecosystem services types

A

Provisioning, regulating, cultural recreation, supporting

61
Q

How does biodiversity benefit ecosystem functionality

A

Complementary, Insurance effect, Sampling effect, Response effect

62
Q

Four main processes of environmental change

A

Tectonics (separation from Gondwana), Tectonics (Oligocene drowning), Land uplift/mountain formation, Climate change

63
Q

How have tectonics resulted in environmental change in Nz

A

Nz tectonic events have shaped Nz Biota with vicariance e.g Ratites

64
Q

How has land uplift resulted in environmental change in Nz

A

Nz was originally a low lying archipelago well separated from the rest of the world, resulting in 93% of Alpine species in Nzs’ young mountains being Endemic.

65
Q

How has climate change resulted in environmental change in Nz

A

At last glacial maximum, Nz had larger land area, lots of ice and mostly open grass/shrubland, restricting the forests to the warm Northern tip of Nz

66
Q

When was the:
Nz seperation from Gondwana -
Nz Oligocene drowning -
Last glacial maximum in Nz -

A

Gondwana seperation - 60 mya
Oligocene drwoning - 23 mya
Last glacial maximum - 21,000 ya

67
Q

Five main processes of anthropogenic environmental change

A

Land use, climate change, Nitrogen deposition, biotic exchange, Atmospheric CO2

68
Q

Is Anthropogenic or natural environmental change faster

A

Anthropogenic

69
Q

Species responses to environmental change

A

Adapt, move, die

70
Q

Species processes to environmental change

A

Functional change (Phenology, change in species interactions), Range shifts

71
Q

Phenology

A

Timing of a key life cycle stage