Challenge 2 - Environmental change and climate change

Question 1

what are the effects of climate change?

Answer 1

> each 1 deg. C of temperature change moves ecological zones on Earth by about 160km
the most significant influence on the distribution of land and marine organisms is climate
geographical and seasonal distribution of precipitation will change

Question 2

what limits the distribution of species?

Answer 2

the interactions between organisms and the environment

Question 3

what are some examples of species distribution dependent on the climate?

Answer 3

> red kangaroos - they move to where the water is, therefore, less water = shifting biome.

Question 4

what controls the structure and distribution of terrestrial biomes?

Answer 4

climate and disturbance

>impacts by removing organisms, altering resource availability, changing microclimates and more.

Question 5

what affects species ability to cope with environmental change?

Answer 5

> ability to colonise new territory, modify their physiology and seasonal behaviour.
rate of change is crucial to determining which response is successful.

Question 6

what does colonise mean?

Answer 6

> establish wild population in a new location
depends on ability and speed of movement (dispersal)
may lead to a positive or negative change to population size and/or distribution

Question 7

what are some of the environmental cues that tell an organism to move?

Answer 7

temp, life cycle

Question 8

do climate change and other factors interact?

Answer 8

Invasive species:
> change in climate can trigger change in biodiversity by creating opportunities for previously innocuous alien species by enhancing their reproductive capacity, their survival and their competitive power against the native flora and fauna.
Dispersal of many species:
> including microorganisms, has been immeasurably increased by the globalisation of human economic activity and trade
Biotic Homogenisation in Biodiversity Hotspots
> a combination of climate change, species invasions and reduced areas of natural habitat is likely to promote this. in particular, foster unpredictable interactions between plants, animals and microorganisms.

Question 9

what are the options for organisms when they stay in the changing environment?

Answer 9

TOLERATE:
>no change
EVOLVE (slow):
> change in DNA of population over time
>happens over many generations
MODIFY PHYSIOLOGY OR BEHAVIOUR (fast):
>do not require changes to DNA
>may involve activation of inactive instructions (or not)
> happens to individuals
> happens within the lifetime of an individual.

Question 10

what is the success of the organisms response influenced by?

Answer 10

> by the organisms fitness.

>fitness= ability to survive + ability to reproduce

Question 11

what is the definition of physiology?

Answer 11

the functions and activities of living organisms and their parts, including all physical and chemical processes. (within body + physical + chemical, neuro activity muscles)

Question 12

define behaviour

Answer 12

observable action/activity of an organism

Question 13

define phenology

Answer 13

influence of climate on annual phenomena of animal and plant life such as reproduction and bird migrations.

Question 14

what is leibig’s law of minimum?

Answer 14

growth is determined by the scarcest resource (limiting factor): nutrients, water, light, oxygen

Question 15

how are body processes reliant one liebig’s law?

Answer 15

> movement and reproduction relies on resources
wildflowers only appear after rain
frogs come up out of the ground after it rains

Question 16

what is the difference between a funamental niche and a realised niche?

Answer 16

fundamental is where the organism lives

realised is where it actually lives, due to limiting resources, space, competition , food etc.

Question 17

what are the four categories of response to modifying physiology and seasonal behaviour?

Answer 17

> acclimation = individual response = a gradual process by which an organism adjusts its physiology or morphology to changes in its external environment to maintain performance/fitness = example: changes fur density with seasons
behavioural change = altering use of microhabitat = spending more time in shade = becoming active at a different time of day = deeper burrows
phenotypic plasticity = the ability of a genotype to produce more than one phenotype in response to a different environmental conditions = reproductive size of fish = flowering timing, dispersal
genetic adaptation = evolution

Question 18

what are the five drivers of biodiversity loss?

Answer 18

Direct change to environment:
>habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation
>climate change
>excessive nutrient loading and other forms of pollution
Non-direct change:
>over-exploitation and unsustainable use
>invasive alien species

Question 19

what are the key principles relating to the consequences for ecosystems due to environmntal change?

Answer 19

> species interact
-no species exists in isolation and interactions can be difficult to predict
some species affect ecological structures and processes more than others
- e.g., ecological engineers and keystone species
multiple drivers of change can interact
- ecosystems respond to drivers in different ways, and when more than one driver is present, responses can be complex an unpredictable.

Question 20

what are some of the goals for maintaining Australia’s biodiversity in the face f climate change?

Answer 20

> manage to maintain historical distributions and ecosystem compositions
manage with understanding of current species life histories/phenology
manage with understanding of current species interactions and remove new species.

Question 21

what are the three distinct gut bacterial communities called?

Answer 21

> bacteroides - good at breaking down carbohydrates
Prevotella - degrades slimy muscus in the gut - may lead to increased gut pain
Ruminococcus - helps cells to absorb sugars

Question 22

what does the symbiotic realtionship between gut bcteria and humans do?

Answer 22

>mutualistic
>train the immune system
>prevent growth of harmful species
>regulate gut development
>produce vitamins for the host
> produce hormones to direct the host to store fats
>ferment unused energy substrates

Question 23

what is the srain of bacteria people with clear skin have ?

Answer 23

RT6 for clear skin, RT4 and RT5 for pimples

Question 24

what can quickly alter the gut biome?

Answer 24

extreme changes in diet can very quickly alter the gut biome