Chapter 21 Landscape Ecology Flashcards
Landscape ecology is the study of the relationship between ______ and ______.
spatial pattern; ecological process
The spatial scale of landscape ecology can range from ______ to ______.
m; km
Which three of the following are considered to be distinct to landscape ecology relative to other subdisciplines of ecology?
includes human activity
highly interdisciplinary
spatial heterogeneity across scales
Which of the following characteristics of landscape elements would define landscape structure?
size
composition
position
shape
Within a landscape, ______ form the mosaic that is called landscape structure.
patches
The study of the relationships between spatial patterns and ecological processes is known as ______.
landscape ecology
Within a landscape mosaic, the element that is most spatially continuous is known as the ______.
matrix
Which of the following research projects would be considered to be within the field of landscape ecology?
foraging behavior of sheep on a hillslope
transmission of a pathogen along a river corridor
Which of the following are landscape characteristics that differed between sites in the Bowers and Burgess study?
number of forest patches
patch area
patch shapes
total forest cover
The role of humans and human disturbance has been incorporated into landscape ecology ______.
from the beginning
In Bowers and Burgess’ patch shape formula:
S = P/2ROOTπA
perimeter
The size, shape, composition, number, and position of landscape elements would be considered components of landscape ______.
structure
In Bower and Burgess’ patch shape formula, patches with a more elongated shape will have a value of S ______ 1.
>
greater than
Within landscape ecology, a homogeneous area that differs from surrounding areas is known as a ______.
patch
Ecotones are found ______ habitats.
along the edges of
The matrix is the element within a landscape mosaic that is considered to be the most spatially ______.
continuous
Which of the following describes the species found in ecotones?
Some are unique to the ecotone.
There are a mix of species from the adjacent habitats
True or false: Browers and Burgess identified average area of forest patches as one of the ways that these landscapes differ.
true
In Bowers and Burgess’ patch shape formula:
the “S” term represents patch ______
shape
The edge effect results in ______ species richness compared to the habitats on either side of an ecotone.
greater
In Bower and Burgess’ patch shape formula, when S = 1, the patch is ______ in shape.
circular
Benoit Mandelbrot developed fractal geometry as a method to ______ the structure of natural shapes.
quantify
Edges of habitats that are characterized by transitions of physical and biological characteristics with the adjacent habitat are known as ______.
ecotones
Milne’s study of Admiralty Island’s coastline found that length of the coast ______ as the length of the ruler ______.
decreased; increased
In general, you would expect species richness of ecotones to be ______ that of the adjacent habitats.
greater than
In his study of the Admiralty Island coastline, Milne based his small ruler on the distance between ______.
barnacles
The distinctive area of ecological conditions and higher species richness on either side of an ecotone is known as the ______.
edge effect
Based upon Milne’s fractal analysis, the coastline of Admiralty Island that an eagle “sees” is ______ that “seen” by a barnacle.
less than
The area of mathematics that is used to quantify the structure of complex natural shapes is known as ______ geometry.
fractal
Which of the following, within landscape structure, are the three most important properties of habitat patches that influence the movement of organisms between habitats?
isolation
size
number
True or false: Milne’s study of the coastline refuted Mandelbrot’s statement that “Coastline length depends on the scale at which it is measured!”
false
Correct. Milne’s study supported Mandelbrot’s conclusion that the estimated coastline length decreases as ruler length increases.
Discontinuities in a habitat, often the result of disturbance, that can result in restricting the movement of organisms within habitats is known as ______.
fragmentation
In their study of fragmentation in prairie grasslands, Diffendorfer et al. used ______ to create habitat patches of differing sizes.
mowing
In his study of the Admiralty Island coastline, Milne based his big ruler on the distance between ______.
bald eagle nests
In fragmented habitats, organisms were predicted to move ______ distances in order to find mates, food, and cover.
longer
The difference in coast length “seen” by barnacles and eagles is a result of a difference in their ______.
rulers
For organisms living in desert oases, ______ is the patch characteristic that would have a significant effect on the movement of these organisms between habitats.
isolation
Overall, the results from the Diffendorfer et al. study were ______ with respect to their original hypotheses.
supportive
The restricted movement of organisms between habitats resulting from an increase in habitat fragmentation may result in local population ______.
extinction
The study of fragmentation by Hanski et al. studied butterflies in a landscape that contained which of the following habitats?
small farms
woods
pastures
cultivated fields
The focus of research by Diffendorfer et al. on prairie fragmentation was ______.
rodents
Hanski et al. found that the best measure of patch isolation was a combination of ______ and ______.
distance between patches; number of butterflies in a patch
Diffendorfer et al. predicted that the combined sum of all animal movement would ______ with increased fragmentation.
decrease
Hanski et al. found that butterfly populations ______ with habitat patch area.
increase
Of the three rodent species studied, only ______ showed no differences in movement patterns between the medium and large patch treatments.
cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus)
During the course of their study, Hanski et al. observed several populations go extinct. These occurred on ______ patches with ______ populations.
small; small
As observed in the Hanski study, the food plant used by the butterflies and patches generally occurs in only which of the following habitats?
meadows
pastures
The focus of the Haddad and Baum study on patches was to examine the role of ______ on organism movement.
corridors
Hanski et al. found that the best measure of patch isolation was a combination of which of the following factors?
Distance between patches
Number of butterflies in a patch
Hanski et al. found that ______ habitat patches supported butterfly populations with ______ densities.
larger; lower
Haddad and Baum found that corridors ______ the densities of butterflies on open habitats.
increased
During the course of their study, Hanski et al. observed several colonizations of new patches. These occurred on ______ patches with ______ populations.
small; small
Studies on patches and corridors found that corridors ______ rates of pollination in plants.
increased
Haddad and Baum created patches by ______ in order to study butterfly movement.
cutting forest
The location of a lake within a hydrologic flow system is known as its ______.
landscape position
During Webster’s study, the change in lake level during a drought period was related to ______.
landscape position
In Webster’s study, the concentrations of the individual cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ increased least in the lakes of which region of the hydrologic flow system?
middle
Haddad and Baum found that corridors ______ movement of butterflies between patches.
increased the frequency of
Webster et al. concluded that the increased mass of cations in the lakes at the ______ of the hydrologic system was the result of ______ ground and surface water flows.
lower end; increased
Studies on patches and corridors found that corridors ______ rates of seed dispersal by birds.
increased
Which of the following of the three geologic processes are the primary source of landscape structure?
volcanism
sedimentation
erosion
Webster defined a lake’s position within a hydrologic flow as the proportion of the total inflow that comes from ______.
groundwater flow
Which two of the following processes are most responsible for the distinctive landforms of the Sonoran Desert bajadas?
deposition
erosion
During Webster’s study, the change in lake level during a drought period depended upon where the lake was in the hydrologic flow.
Rank the following locations, from greatest to least, based upon the change in lake level that occurred during the drought.
middle
upper
lower
In general, McAuliffe found that in the bajadas, the oldest soils were found at the ______ end of the range.
(Hint: Think about the directions the glaciers most likely came from and which area most likely melted first.)
southern
In Webster’s study, the combined concentrations of the cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ increased most in the lakes of which region of the hydrologic flow system?
lower
The stability of the cations in Morgan Lake, Wisconsin, is the result of its ______ groundwater flow. This lake is in the middle of its hydrologic flow system.
isolation from
The clay layer found in the Pleistocene soils of the Sonoran Desert is known as the ______ horizon.
argillic
True or false: Geological processes such as volcanism, sedimentation, and erosion are the primary sources of landscape structure.
true
The perennial plant _______ deltoidea dominates the soils of the middle to late Pleistocene in the bajadas region.
ambrosia
The bajadas of the Sonoran Desert consist of ______ of distinctive landforms.
a complex mosaic
The red color of argillic soils is the result of iron being deposited during periods of ______.
intermittent wetting
In general, McAuliffe found that in the bajadas, the age of the soils decreased when moving ______. (Hint: Think about the directions the glaciers most likely came from.)
south to north
Organisms that change the physical environment and influence landscape structure are known as ecosystem ______.
engineers
During the period between 1831 and 1950, forested areas within Cadiz, Wisconsin, ______.
decreased
A hardpan desert soil layer formed by the precipitation of CaCO3 is known as ______.
caliche
Match the plant type with the soils where they are most abundant in the bajadas region of the Sonora Desert.
Larrea = Holocene and early Pleistocene soils
Ambrosia = Middle to late Pleistocene soils
Other perennials = Eroded Pleistocene soils
The Veluwe, in the central Netherlands, was originally dominated by ______.
mixed forests
The red color of the argillic soils is the result of a buildup of ______.
oxidized iron
The landscape changes in both Cadiz, Wisconsin, and Veluwe, Netherlands, were driven by which factor?
economics
Ecosystem engineers are organisms that can alter the physical environments sufficiently to influence changes in which of the following?
ecosystems
communities
landscapes
Which of the following are environmental changes resulting from kangaroo rat burrows?
modification of soil structure
alteration of soil nutrients
alteration of the distribution of plants
True or false: During the period between 1831 and 1950, the area of forest increased due to regrowth on abandoned farms in Cadiz, Wisconsin.
false
Which of the following are the result of beaver activity on the landscape?
nutrient trapping
increased wetlands
forest patchiness
altered hydrology
From the beginning of the beavers’ reintroduction until 1988, the landscape of the Kabetogama Peninsula changed from being dominated by ______ to ______.
boreal forests; complex habitat mosaic
As a result of early human activity, the Veluwe, in central Netherlands, became dominated by ______.
heathlands
In the Kabetogama Peninsula, beaver activity resulted in ______ nutrient entrapment in impoundments.
an increase of
The changes in land cover in Veluwe Netherlands are most similar to those of ______, resulting in ______ of forest cover.
northeastern United States; an increase
Which of the following did Naiman propose for the increased nutrient storage in beaver impoundments?
entrapment of eroded materials
alteration of biogeochemical cycles
capture of nutrients formerly used by plants
Match the organism to its environmental engineering effect.
alligators = Drought refuges
kangaroo rats and termites = Soil development
elephants = Grassland conversion
Minnich used ______ to study fire history on the landscapes of southern and Baja California.
satellite images
The activities of beaver ______ the extent of wetlands in the landscape.
increase
Minnich hypothesized that the difference in landscape structure between southern California and Baja California is the result of a difference in ______.
fire history
Beaver reinvaded the Kabetogama Peninsula around 1925. This resulted in an increase in pond density from ______ per square kilometer between 1927 and 1988.
0.2 to 3.0
Minnich found that between 1972 and 1980 the total burned area in southern California was ______ that in Baja California.
similar to
In the Kabetogama Peninsula, beaver activity resulted in ______ nitrogen in impoundments.
an increase of
What is a heat wave?
a period of abnormally hot and usually humid weather
According to Naiman, the loss of forest vegetation near beaver impoundments would result in ______ in nutrient capture.
an increase
Urban areas often experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas; this phenomenon is known as an urban ______ ________
heat
island
Fire suppression in southern California ______ as a result of urbanization.
increased
What color for roofs would be best to reduce the urban heat island effect?
white
Minnich hypothesized that ______ resulted in ______ fires in southern California, as compared to Baja California.
fire suppression; larger
Minnich found that between 1972 and 1980 the number of large burns in southern California was ______ that in Baja California.
greater than
A period of abnormally hot and humid weather lasting for a few days or more is known as a ______.
heat wave
What is the phenomenon known as an urban heat island?
Urban areas have higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas.
Identify ways to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
increase the number of trees
adopt more energy-efficient transportation systems
encourage green roofs
