Conservation of biodiversity Flashcards
What is biodiversity?
The variety and abundance of life on earth
What resources does earth provide and what are they used for?
Wood- buildings, tools
Oils- vegetable oils, soaps
Food- commercial cultivation, animals, fungi
Fibres- cotton, paper, wool
Fuels- wood, charcoal, biofuels
What are some new plant species that have the potential for commercial cultivation?
The potato bean- high protein content
Yeheb Tree- drought resistant, grows in dry soils, produces edible nuts
Why is it important that biodiversity is conserved?
Medical discovery
Food species discovery
Habitats etc
What is biomimetics?
The copying of adaptations of species to improve manufactured items
How has vehicle design been improved with biomimetics?
Splayed wing tips of birds have been used in aircraft wing tips to increase fuel efficiency.
Shark skin scales have been copied for ship surfaces to increase fuel efficiency.
How has architecture been improved with biomimetics?
Termite mounds create a convection current where hot air is drawn out by air moving above the mound, this has been copied in office blocks for natural ventilation.
How has adhesion been improved with biomimetic?s?
Seeds of some plants have burrs with hooks that stick to the fur of passing animals, this was copied to create velcro
What are some medicines that have been created by plants?
Taxol extracted from Yew trees and is used to treat cancers.
Aspirin from willow tree bark, it is now manufactured synthetically.
What animals have been used in physiological research and how how they helped discoveries?
Dolphins/bats that use high frequency hearing to locate their food used to develop the ultrasound machine.
Squids have bigger nerves than humans and have been used to study the NA+/K pump, also allows a better understanding of strokes/cancer.
Armadillos used to study leprosy for new vaccines.
Marine sponges produce a protein to stop rejection of grafts, is being used in medicine.
How can species be used as pest control?
As pathogens, predators, parasites.
What is the prickly pear cactus and what species was introduced to control it?
Was introduced to Australia from south America and became a weed, the cactoblastis moth from south America introduced to control it.
What are CWR?
Crop wild relatives, they are used in research to find new characteristics of domesticated crops.
Why do domesticated crops have low genetic diversity?
Because they were produced from a limited number of original plants
What are some characteristics that have been introduced from CWR?
Disease resistance
Salt tolerance
Drought resistance
High yields
Improved taste/appearance
Nutrient uptake
What are centres of diversity/vavilov centres
Areas of the world that have high populations of CWR
Name some Vavilov centres
Middle eastern- wheat
Chinese- soya, sugarcane
Central Asian- wheat
Indian- Rice
What are vavilov centres threatened by?
Environmental degradation, like pollution, habitat destruction etc
What is a gene pool?
The total number of different genes in all individuals in a population
Why would a large population not always have a large gene pool?
Individuals came from a small original population,
What are some gene pool problems?
Small gene pool increases inbreeding chances
More genetically similar means similar adaptations so all are susceptible to the same changes, disease etc
What are the ecosystem services?
Biogeochemical cycles
Atmospheric composition
Inter-species relationships
Soil maintenance
How is atmospheric composition regulated?
Abiotic and biotic processes which create dynamic equilibrium, like photosynthesis and respiration
How is the hydrological cycle regulated?
Evapotranspiration
What do the biogeochemical cycles involve?
Nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus
How is soil produced
Decomposition of DOM by detritivores and decomposers.
Describe the advantages of pollination
Pollination of flowers by insects/wind allows them to have dispersed populations.
How is darwins orchid pollinated?
Its found in Madagascar, the only insect that can pollinate it is the Sphinx moth because it has a tongue long enough to reach the nectar.
Why is seed dispersal by animals good
Via animals seeds can be carried longer distances usually to where seeds have a higher chance of survival as they have the same habitat.
Seeds that pass through an animal and are excreted are provided with faecal fertiliser
4How do some species provide habitats for others?
Trees provide nesting sites for birds.
Hermit crabs live inside dead shells of molluscs
Trees control the biotic features under the canopy like temp, wind etc.
What are threats to biodiversity?
Exploitation for food, fashion, entertainment etc
What species have been overexploited for human food?
Tuna, turtles, swordfish, sharks.
Dodo and passenger pigeon have become extinct
What species have been exploited for fashion?
Fur coats: tiger, leopard, seals
Leather bags and shoes: crocodiles, snakes
What species have been exploited for entertainment?
Pets: parrots, tropical fish
Zoos and aquariums that hold dolphins, whales etc
Circus animals
What species have been exploited for furniture/ornaments?
Tropical timber: teak, ramin
Jewellery: shark teeth, shells, turtle shells
Coral as souvenirs
What species have been exploited for traditional medicines?
Tigers: tails for skin diseases, dung for alcoholism
Rhinos: Horn used for nosebleeds
Seahorses: used to make medicines that “treat” infertility, asthma etc
Why might animals be eradicated by humans?
They threaten humans
Pathogen vectors, mosquitoes
Predators of livestock, wolves
Agricultural pests, deer, birds, insects
What is a tullgren funnel used for?
to compare invertebrates in leaf litter of 2 areas
What abiotic factors can human activities change?
Water availability
Dissolved oxygen
Temperature
pH
Water turbidity
How do changing abiotic factors affect species?
It makes their environment more or less suitable for them, changing the range of tolerance
What human activities change water availability?
Land drainage which decreases wetland habitats
Over exploitation of aquifers
What human activities change the dissolved oxygen levels?
Levels can be reduced by hot water discharges from power stations, sewage or organic waste.
What human activities change the temperature?
Global climate change which will make habitats less or more suitable for species
Hot effluent water which increases growth of aquatic plants so more food but can also cause more deoxygenation
What human activities change the pH to acidic and what effect does it have on animals?
Acid mine drainage
Pollutant gases from burning of fossil fuels
Smelting metals
Can denature proteins in the cell membranes.
Fish eggs, gills etc will be damaged
What human activities change the turbidity of water and what is the effect?
Ploughing
Mining
Dredging
Can block gills of filter feeders and kill them, can smother photosynthesising plants.
How has the use of pesticides impacted pollinators?
The use kills insects which stops pollination so the flowers cannot reproduce and they die out.
How have food chains been impacted by over-exploitation by humans?
Over exploitation of sandeels has reduced puffin populations as they lack a food source.
Over-exploitation of one species may increase or decrease another species
What are some introduced competitors?
Grey-squirrel, outcompeted the red squirrel as it is better adapted to exploit food and is larger so competes for habitats.
Rhododendrons, invasive and evergreen so they shade native vegetation reducing photosynthesis. They also release toxins.
What are some introduced predators?
Escaped mink from fur farms reducing water vole populations.
Cane toads in Australia that have no predators by they themselves are a predator to many species.
Rats, cats and dogs on oceanic islands are a threat to ground nesting birds.
What are some introduced pathogens?
Grey squirrel bought the squirrel pox virus which kills the red squirrel.
Dutch elm disease, ash dieback and sudden oak death bought to the UK as pathogens from soil.
What are the roles of the IUCN?
Coordinating global data on biodiversity conservation
Increasing the understanding of the importance of biodiversity
Using nature based solutions
Categorising species based on their vulnerability to extinction
List the IUCN categories
Extinct
Extinct in the wild
Critically endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Near threatened
Least concern
Data deficient
What are some criteria’s for re-categorisation?
Population decline over 10 yrs
Area of habitat
Number of areas found
Number of mature adults
Probability of extinction
What are some species that have been recateorgised?
Zebra in 2016 from least concern to near threatened because of habitat loss.
Iberian lynx in 2015 from critically endangered to endangered due to captive breeding programmes.
Okapi in 2013 from near threatened to endangered due to habitat loss and hunting
What are EDGE species?
Evolutionary distinct and globally endangered.
Often have few close relatives, e.g. pygmy hippo
What are Endemic species?
A taxon that is only found in one area. Hawaii, Seychelles
e.g. Aldabra giant tortoise
What are keystone species?
Has an important role in maintaining the ecological structure of a community.
E.g. seed dispersal, creation of structural features.
African forest elephants, grey wolves
What are flagship species?
Species that have a high public profile, raising support for these species may help endangered species that share the same habitat.
What criteria’s are used to select a species for categorisation?
Species in habitats under threat
Flagship species
Keystone species
EDGE species
Endemic species
How much the population is dispersed.
List some legislations that protect habitats
Wildlife and countryside act which covers, SSSI, protection of dormouse, badgers and their setts, bluebells.
NNR
SAC
SPA
MNR
MCZ
Ramsar sites- wetlands
How does legislation protect areas?
Protects species
Protects habitats
Restricts activities within and outside the area
international cooperation
restricted access
What is CITIES?
An agreement that regulates international wildlife trade.
What does CITIES stand for?
Convention on international trade in endangered species
What is the grouping system of CITIES?
Appendix 1: Includes species threatened with extinction, all trade is banned except for breeding programmes.
All big cats, Rhinos etc
Appendix 2: Includes species threatened with extinction if trade is not controlled, so trade is allowed in regions where the species is well protected.
Great white shark, green iguana etc
What is the aim of the IWC?
Regulate and manage whaling by:
Total protection for certain species
Whale sanctuaries
Limits on whales taken from wild
Protection of mothers and young
When is whaling allowed?
Aboriginal subsistence: Cultural groups that hunt whales for food as its too cold for vegetation, e.g. Eskimos.
Scientific whaling: Killing whales for scientific research
Commercial Whaling: Iceland and Norway set their own quota for whaling.
What is the EU CFP and what do they do?
Common fisheries policy of the European union
Controls fishing within European waters by:
Catch quotas
Size limits
Net mesh size regulations
Limits on fishing effort like engine size which limits boat size
What is the ITTO and what do they do?
International Tropical Timber Organisation, they encourage sustainable management of tropical forests by trading timber without unsustainable exploitation.
Little evidence that this has worked though
What are the three methods to conserve biodiversity?
Legislation
Captive breeding and release programmes
Habitat conservation
What does in-situ mean?
Breeding programmes etc within that animals habitat
What does ex-situ mean?
Breeding programmes etc outside of that animals habitat
Why is it difficult to keep species in captivty?
Habitat size
Food requirements
Species interrelationships, e.g. symbiotic relationships
Financial constraints
What factors may stop the success of a captive breeding programme?
Conditions for breeding: breeding is trigged by stimuli like day length, if this is not met breeding wont happen.
Population interactions: mixing of breeding and non-breeding populations causing conflict.
Breeding habitat: e.g. flamingos breed in big populations so mirrors are used.
Gene pool size: captive breeding increases the risk of inbreeding, a stud book should be kept.
What are the methods to increase breeding success?
Cryopreservation
Artificial insemination
Embryo transfer
Micropropagation of plants
Cloning
What is cryopreservation?
The storage of eggs, semen and embryos by freezing for future use.
They can be transported long distances, and can be used many years after freezing.
What is Artificial insemination?
Insertion of semen into a female to produce offspring.
Avoids the problems of potential harm from breeding in the wild
Avoids the expensive of transporting animals to the same zoo
Avoids the risk of the pairs not getting along and harming eachother
Why would embryo transfer be used?
Used when there is very few breeding females so a closely related species in captivity with many breeding females is used.
What are the stages in embryo transfer?
Endangered female treated with hormones so she ovulates and releases a large no of eggs.
Eggs washed out the uterus and fertilised with sperm.
Embryos produced are inserted into closely related species, and gives birth to the endangered offspring.
Produces more offspring than one female could
What is micro-propagation?
Clusters of cells are produced from a single plant or tissue samples.
Each cluster can be cultivated to produce a plant, all plants produced are genetically identical
What is Cloning?
Involves the production of embryos by transferring the nucleus from a cell of the endangered species to an egg of a closely related species.
Uses stem cells so animals are genetically identical.
What are the features of successful captive breeding release programmes?
Large and suitable habitat
Reliable food supplies
Low predation risk
Suitable breeding sites
Water
Local support
Official support, legislation
What is hard release?
No post release support, e.g. reptiles or fish
What is soft release?
Involves post release support e.g.
food provisions
bringing back to captivity if weather changes
monitoring the animal
What are some problems animals face when released into the wild?
Finding and recognising food
Developing hunting skills
Avoiding predators
Being accepted into the wild population
How does land ownership conserve habitats?
Wildlife organisations buying land that the species lives in to protect them
What are voluntary argi-environmental schemes?
Governmental schemes that provide financial support to people so that they can afford to manage wildlife
What are some argi-environmental schemes?
ESA- environmentally sensitive areas
CSS- country stewardship scheme
ESS- environmental stewardship scheme
CS- countryside stewardship
What are the aims of agri-environmental schemes?
Conserve biodiversity
Maintain landscapes
Protect historic environment
Promote public understanding
What are some extra features farmers can add to their farms to get more funding?
Beetle banks to provide habitats for predators and reduce pesticide use.
Hedgerows for habitats
Protecting trees in fields for habitats
Managing soil erosion
Growing wildflower meadows
Unharvested fields for winter bird seed
Restoring wetlands for habitats
Maintaining, moorland, woodland, saltmarsh etc
When does unintentional habitat creation happen?
Building reservoirs- wetlands
Flooded sand and gravel pits
hedgerows
ornamental gardens
Name two intentional habitats created
Wallasea island
Lakenheath
How do intentional habitats that are man made become colonised?
Mobile insects and birds will easily colonise
Species will be introduced by humans if the area is isolated
What must the habitat area be like in an intentional habitat?
Large enough to support populations depending on species, e.g. frogs breed in small ponds that don’t support their predators, Rainforest monkeys live in a large area of the rainforest where different fruits are available at different times of the year so there is always a food source.
Large gene pool
What is the advantage of biological corridors?
Links isolated habitats allowing the dispersal of species
Reduces the risk of inbreeding
Allow recolonisation
Reduces the risk of animals being harmed when moving between habitats
How does the habitat differ at the edge compared to the middle?
High light levels at the edge of a woodland
Why do newly planted woodlands have a low biodiversity?
There is fewer clearings as less trees are dying, so the canopy becomes dense, light levels decrease causing biodiversity to decline.
Selective felling can be done to create clearings and increase light levels, the dead trees provide habitats
What abiotic features in a habitat increase biodiversity?
Water: Aquatic habitat, drinking water, breeding site
Narrow rivers: Faster flow rate, higher dissolved O2 so habitat for trout
Temp: Shallow water warms faster so faster growth of fish eggs, clearings on soil or sand provide warmth for lizard eggs
Light levels: Clearings for ground plants, dense canopy for shaded plants
pH
Minerals
Salinity
How does pH increase or decrease biodiversity?
Acidic soils have a low biodiversity because there is a lack of NF bacteria.
Plants that can survive have few competitors so small plants will survive.
High/low pHs can denature cell membranes in root hairs.
Acidic conditions also damages calcium exoskeletons
How can controlling the salinity of seawater increase biodiversity?
Some species have certain salinity’s they will survive in, e.g. Opossum shrimp survive in water more saline than freshwater but less than seawater, providing this habitat provides more food for birds
What biotic factors can be controlled to increase biodiversity?
Providing conditions for food species
Controlling predation
Controlling competitors
Controlling pathogens
Providing flowers for pollinators
Controlling population
How is predation controlled?
Providing island breeding sites for water birds that cannot be reached by land predators
Culling predators
Removing predators
Eradication, e.g. rats
How are competitors controlled?
Removing competitors e.g. invasive rhododendrons
How are pathogens controlled?
Monitoring diseases
Introduced diseases can wipe out whole populations
Disease can control populations by killing the weakest individuals
Briefly describe the re-wilding in Scotland
Removal of grazers and afforestation will allow Capercaillie to recover.
Beavers have been reintroduced
Briefly describe the re-wilding in yellowstone
Wolves reintroduced, deer populations declined which allowed growth of trees so beaver populations increased.
Beaver dams created wetlands
Biodiversity increased
How does a forest provide a habitat?
Tree canopy and foliage reducing light levels, providing a suitable temperature
Transpiration increases humidity
Vegetation acting as a wind break reducing wind velocity
Decomposition of DOM increases soil nutrients
How does grazing manage plagioclimaxes?
Prevents establishment of taller plants, maintains chalk grassland and flower rich meadows.
Trampling by livestock produces clearings for lizards.
Animal dung provides nutrients
How does mowing manage plaigoclimaxes?
Removes the same vegetation that would be removed by grazers but it also removes the plants they may avoid like thorns
How does burning manage plagioclimaxes?
Burning older heather creates open unshaded areas for new growth.
Younger heather is more nutritious
How does coppicing manage plagioclimaxes?
Trees cut to ground level 3-30 yrs, to be used for furniture or handles
How does pollarding manage plagioclimaxes?
Branches cut above where deers could eat, similar to coppicing
How does population control increase or decrease a population?
Releasing captive bred species will boost the wild population, and will support the population if breeding rate is slow or morality is high.
Unwanted animal population may be controlled by culling or removal.
