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Biogeography Flashcards

1
Q

What is biogeography?

A

This is the study of patterns of species composition and diversity across space and time

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2
Q

What can maps show?

A

Species ranges

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3
Q

How can patchiness be explained?

A

Organisms have physiological tolerances and are also influenced by biotic interactions

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4
Q

How can species ranges vary?

A

Through space and time

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5
Q

Why can one species increase and another decline?

A

Competition for resources

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6
Q

What are physiological tolerances?

A

Tolerances for certain abiotic factors

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7
Q

How can history explain patchiness?

A

Distribution related to contingent events in the past such as chance dispersal and evolution

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8
Q

Why are there more grey squirrels than red squirrels?

A

Grey ones carry a pathogen that they are resistant to but red squirrels aren’t

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9
Q

Why is biogeography important?

A

Species composition influences ecosystem function

We need to understand the response of organisms to environmental change

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10
Q

What do biogeographers look for?

A

Patterns in the biosphere and underlying casual mechanisms

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11
Q

How are floral and faunal realms categorized?

A

They are now separately defined

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12
Q

What is Wallace’s line?

A

A recognised boundary between biogeographic provences

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13
Q

Why can there be a blurred line?

A

Because of species identity

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14
Q

What is Weber’s line?

A

This is the boundary of faunal balance

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15
Q

What is a good example of chance dispersion?

A

Islands

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16
Q

What can cause spatial variation?

A

Competition

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17
Q

Define biomes?

A

Large-scale ecological units distinguished by similar biological communities and climates

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18
Q

What do biomes act as?

A

Arbitrary boundaries

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19
Q

What is similar and different in biomes?

A

Species identities are not the same but vegetation types are

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20
Q

Where is the highest species richness?

A

In equatorial regions

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21
Q

What is the trend for diversity?

A

It declines with increasing latitude

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22
Q

Why is there regional variation?

A

This is because of altitudinal gradients
Ecotones between vegetation types
Elevations vary with latitude and aspect

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23
Q

What can lead to less biodiversity?

A

Aridity

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24
Q

Why does biodiversity decline at higher latitudes?

A

Because temperatures decline

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25
How can plants adapt to aridity?
By having extensive root systems
26
Why can there be small-scale patterns?
Landscape-scale variation Micro-environmental factors Ecological processes Anthropogenic disturbance
27
Give an example of an ecological process?
Competitive exclusion
28
What is an issue with plants having extensive root systems?
They draw moisture away from a larger area and there is no biodiversity in these areas with no moisture
29
Which level of diversity has the smallest spatial scale?
Alpha
30
Which level of diversity has the most diversity?
Alpha
31
What are 4 temporal scales?
Geological Evolutionary Long-term ecological Short-term ecological
32
Give an example of an influence in a geological timescale
Plate tectonics
33
Give an example of an influence in an evolutionary time scale
Speciation
34
Give an example of an influence in a long-term ecological time scale
Succession
35
Give an example of an influence in a short-term ecological time scale
Seasonal changes | Species interactions
36
What is the biome approach not driven by?
Taxonomy
37
Where can similar types of vegetation be found?
In areas with certain types of climate
38
Why is temporal scale important?
Ecosystems vary across a range of timescales | The most relevant process depends upon the scale of reference
39
Give an example of a range shift
Migration
40
What can occur as a result of seasonal change?
Changes in biomass/ relative abundance | Range shifts
41
What type of organisms have faster evolutionary changes?
Organisms that have more offspring quickly will have faster evolutionary changes than those that reproduce slower
42
What do seasons have an impact on?
Growth
43
How long does succession occur?
Decadal-centennial change
44
What are the 6 stages of succession?
``` Nudation Migration Ecesis Competition Reaction Stabilisation ```
45
Briefly explain succession
Facilitation-based Holistic: community has clear developmental stages Convergence towards the climatic climax
46
Explain primary succession
Succession on terrain with no biological legacy Natural and anthropogenic substrates Predictable changes in key parameters
47
Explain what happens at glacier bays
Primary succession on glacial forelands | Predictable changes in species composition and soil propoerties
48
Explain secondary succession
Some organisms persist post-disturbance Reforestation Qualitatively different from primary succession
49
What is another term for lakes?
Hydrsere
50
Explain lake succession
Changes in vegetation type as lake is infilled | Allogenic succession
51
What is meant by allogenic succession?
It is driven by abiotic compoments
52
When did the quaternary begin?
2.6 Ma
53
What are some changes that occurred in the quaternary?
Expansion/ contraction of ranges to track climate | Fluctuations in population size, as well as distribution
54
What happened during glacial periods?
Temperate taxa ride out glacial periods in refugia
55
What is refugia?
This is an area in which a population can survive in unfavourable conditions
56
What happened post-glacial period?
Expansion
57
Explain post glacial colonisation of the UK
Broad leaf species replace pioneer colonists and herbs
58
What record provides evidence of post glaciation?
Pollen record
59
Who are two founders of evolutionary theory?
Darwin and Wallace
60
When do populations stop expanding?
When there is limited resources
61
What does the number of descendants partly rely on?
Interactions between the characteristics of individuals and the environment (fitness)
62
What can explain similarities in widely-separated locations?
Continental drifting
63
Explain the link between the ratites and tectonics
Contemporary species descended from a common Gondwanan ancestor
64
What is the equilibrium model of island biogeography?
Seminal work of ecological theory Revolutionary in terms of mathematical treatment Highly influential in conservation biology
65
What is nudation?
A disturbance
66
How predictable are primary processions?
Relatively predictable
67
What is the empirical basis for the theory of island biogeography?
Species richness appears to be correlated with: - island area (big islands have more species) - distance from source area (remote islands have fewer species)
68
What are the essential features of the island biogeography model?
Species richness determined by: 1- rate of immigration of new species 2- rate of extinction of existing species
69
What does the theory of island biogeography say about the impact of size and distance to mainland?
Big, close islands have high equilibrium diversity | Small, far islands have low equilibrium diversity
70
What are 3 advantages of the island biogeography theory?
Provides a general explanatory framework Island habitats come in many forms Same principle; predictive
71
What are the 3 weaknesses of the theory of island biogeography?
No evolutionary/ historical dimension Does not explicitly acknowledge habitat diversity Single metric of diversity (richness)
72
What happens as glaciers move?
More terrain is uncovered which can then be colonised
73
What can large scale temperature variation lead to?
Species changes and sea level rise
74
What does the quaternary record show?
How organisms responded to large scale climate change
75
Why can species be forced south?
Because of glaciers and ice sheets (refugia)
76
What can climatic change cause?
An abrupt transition in species
77
What does the rate of immigration and extinction depend upon?
The species present
78
What happens to the rate of immigration as the island fills up?
It decreases
79
What happens to the rate of extinction as the island fills up?
It increases

GEO1005 (8 decks)

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