Biological conservation Flashcards
What is the aim of biological conservation?
To maintain the quality of natural environments and their biological resources.
What is the difference between preservation and conservation?
Preservation tries to prevent human interference while conservation manages biotic and abiotic components.
What types of resources must a population have to survive?
- Biotic resources ( food and access to mates).
- Abiotic resources (space and shelter).
Which type of resources are food and access to mates?
Biotic.
Which type of resources are space and shelter?
Abiotic.
A permanent lack of a vital resource in a population leads to what?
Extinction.
How do biological conservationists manage the conflicts between humans and animals?
Sustainable development.
What is sustainable development?
Development that can continue indefinitely because it is based on exploiting renewable resources while minimising environmental damage.
What are mass extinctions?
When abnormally large numbers of species die out in a very short time.
How many mass extinctions have occured?
5.
What was the Cretaceous-Tertiary event?
A mass extinction where the dinosaurs became extinct.
How can genetic diversity conservation be measured?
By assessing differences in nucleotide sequences using DNA sequencing techniques.
What are DNA sequencing techniques?
DNA profiling and genetic markers.
What is a genetic marker?
A genetic variation unique to the individual or species that can be identified as a particular nucleotide sequence with a known location on a chromosome.
What is In Situ conservation?
The conservation of natural environment of individual species dependant of the conservation of their habitats.
What is habitat fragmentation?
The breakdown of a continuous habitat into smaller areas resulting in a partial loss of the original habitat.
What causes patch isolation?
Habitat fragmentation.
What can be caused by habitat fragmentation?
A partial loss of the original habitat, a reduction in habitat patch size and potential for patch isolation.
How can patch isolation be lessened?
Establishment of wildlife corridors such as hedges and grassy footpaths between patches.
Give examples of wildlife corridors:
hedges and grassy footpaths between patches.
What determines the extent of habitat fragmentation?
The size of habitat patches that are formed.
What is island biogeography?
An area of study which investigates the factors that effect the species richness of isolated natural communities.
What does CITES stand for and what does it do?
Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in wildlife and wildlife products do not threaten the survival of species.
What are the two types of biological conservation?
In Situ and Ex Situ.
What is Ex Situ conservation?
Conservation undertaken outside the natural environment.
What are examples of Ex Situ conservation?
- Breeding programmes.
- animal sperm banks.
- plant seed banks.
What are examples of In Situ conservation?
- Mowing, grazing or burning,
- Coppicing (pruning trees and bushes).
What is coppicing and which type of conservation is it?
Pruning trees and shrubs to ground level, it is In Situ conservation.
What are EIAs?
Environmental Impact Assessments form an important part of conservation, they are carried out before the development to ensure that the effects are considered before conservation work begins.
What is usually included in an EIA?
An audit of the wildlife and an assessment of the possible positive or negative impacts that the proposed development may have on the wildlife and their environment.
