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Western > Environmental Biology Part 1 > Flashcards

Environmental Biology Part 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the current world population?

A

7.3 billion

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2
Q

Cows have __ times as much biomass as humans.

A

5

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3
Q

How many chickens are there compared to humans?

A

2.5x more chickens

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4
Q

What is the biomass of chickens compared to humans?

A

40 million tons of chicken vs. 350 million tons of humans (9x less)

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5
Q

When did population start increasing linearly (from baseline)?

A

5000 years ago

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6
Q

When has the majority of human population growth occurred in?

A

Last 200-300 years

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7
Q

What is the likely cause of steady increase in human population growth?

A

Agriculture

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8
Q

When was the most recent spike in human population growth?

A

1950-1960

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9
Q

If our human population growth continues at the same rate, when can we expect to double our current population?

A

2100

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10
Q

When did the majority of agriculture growth occur?

A

5000-10000 years ago

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11
Q

What is one of the main agriculture contributors to human population growth in 1950’s?

A

Green revolution

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12
Q

What is the green revolution?

A

Selection of semi dwarf varieties with reduced lodging and increased reproductive yield (e.x. wheat)

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13
Q

Why are semi dwarf plants better? (Why goal of green revolution?)

A

More protected from weather and use less resources towards plant shoot height so they can be directed to increasing reproductive yield.

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14
Q

Other than the green revolution, what other factor contributed to the large population growth in 1950?

A

Social policies

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15
Q

In what way did social policy effect population growth in 1950?

A

Retirement planning (pensions) Offspring didn’t have to care for old = able to use resources towards growing own family Increased life expectancy of older people Hope and assurance in future Free health care

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16
Q

Is living area an issue for human population growth?

A

NO

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17
Q

Where are the highest populations distributed around the world?

A

Close to equator, coast lines, big cities

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18
Q

Is food availability an issue for human population growth?

A

NO

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19
Q

What country has seen a steady increase in wheat yield in last 60 years?

A

CHina

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20
Q

What countries are near maximal wheat yield?

A

European countires

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21
Q

What countries have the potential to grow more wheat?

A

North American countries (Canada + USA) and China

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22
Q

Are mineral resources an issue for human population growth?

A

NO

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23
Q

What are the 3 countries that produce the most potash?

A

Canada, Russia, Belarus

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24
Q

When do scientists project we will run out of available oiL?

A

2050-2100

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25
Q

When did we see a large drop in crude oil price?

A

Very end of 2014

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26
Q

Is there an immediate shortage of oil (over next few hundred years)?

A

NO

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27
Q

Is fresh water availability an issue for human population growth?

A

YES

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28
Q

What two areas have the largest potential to house more human population based on water availability?

A

Australia, South America

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29
Q

What 3 continents are most at risk for water shortages?

A

Asia, Europe, Africa

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30
Q

What constitutes water scarcity?

A

Less than 1,000 m^3 water/person/year

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31
Q

What constitutes water stress?

A

1000-1700 m^3 water/person/year

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32
Q

What constitutes water vulnerability?

A

1700-2500 m3 water/person/year

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33
Q

What is the most (air) polluted country?

A

India

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34
Q

Can air pollution limit human population growth?

A

YES

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35
Q

How can you reduce air pollution?

A

Reduce the source

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36
Q

How much of air pollution is from human unregulated activity?

A

80%

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37
Q

What is the largest cause of air pollution? How much?

A

Industry 50%

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38
Q

How has the total fertility rate changed in Iraq and Iran in the last 50 years?

A

Decreased 33% in Iraq and 66% in Iran

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39
Q

What has a lower fertility rate: Iran or Iraq?

A

Iran

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40
Q

Why does Iran have a lower fertility rate than Iraq?

A

Stronger program to reduce fertility rates

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41
Q

In the last 50 years, how has the population changed in Iraq?

A

Increased by 150% (7-30)

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42
Q

In the last 50 years, how has the population changed in Iran?

A

Increased 80% (30-70)

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43
Q

What effect has the Gulf War and the Iraq War had on Iraq’s population?

A

No obvious effect.

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44
Q

How does the population pyramid in China shift from 2010 to 2050?

A

Increase in age

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45
Q

A lower GDP/capita relates to a ______ fertility rate per country?

A

Higher

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46
Q

How does the age pyramid in Canada differ from poor countries?

A

Canada = house shape Madagascar = Concave triangle

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47
Q

The ecological footprint is ______? (Increasing or decreasing)

A

Increasing

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48
Q

How much higher is the ecological footprint than what we can sustain?

A

40%

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49
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

Sum total of all organisms in an area

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50
Q

What is ecosystem diversity?

A

The number and variety of the ecosystem Variance in the ecosystem itself

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51
Q

What is species diversity?

A

Number and variety of species in the world or a particular ecosystem

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52
Q

What are the 2 components of species diversity?

A

Species richness and relative abundance/evenness

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53
Q

What is species richness?

A

Number of species in an ecosystem

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54
Q

What is relative abundance/evenness?

A

Extent to which numbers of individuals or different species are equal or skewed

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55
Q

What is genetic diversity?

A

Varieties in DNA among individuals within species and populations

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56
Q

How does genetic diversity cause changes in the plant Stellaria long pipes?

A

Prairie habitat: hotter, lower altitude, more shade = taller stalk Alpine habitat: colder, higher altitude, more sun = shorter stalk

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57
Q

What is a species?

A

Population whose members SHARE CHARACTERISTICS and can freely breed with one another and PRODUCE FERTILE OFFSPRING

58
Q

What is a population?

A

A group of individuals of a species that live in the same area

59
Q

What is speciation?

A

Generates new species and adds to species richness

60
Q

Is it possible to generate new species and increase species richness in ecosystems?

A

YES

61
Q

What effect does extinction have on species diversity?

A

Reduces species richness

62
Q

Why did golden toads go extinct?

A

Global warming drying effect on the forest reducing species richness

63
Q

What is immigration?

A

INmigration of a species to a local area

64
Q

What is emigration?

A

OUTmigration of a species to a local area

65
Q

What is extripation?

A

Local extinction of a species

66
Q

What is the order of taxa?

A

Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

67
Q

What is the scientific name made up of?

A

Genus species

68
Q

What are subspecies?

A

Populations of a species that occur in DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS and differ from one another in some CHARACTERISTICS but are still ABLE TO INTERBREED

69
Q

What are the two ways to have reductions in genetic diversity?

A

Inbreeding depression Genetic bottleneck

70
Q

What is inbreeding depression?

A

Genetically similar parents mate and produce infertile offspring

71
Q

When does inbreeding depression often occur?

A

Plants and small animals that occupy small areas

72
Q

What is genetic bottleneck?

A

Limited variety of genetic material is available to be passed along by the small number of surviving individuals to their descendants

73
Q

When does genetic bottleneck occur?

A

Community of a particular species is very small Problem for larger animals or plants that occupy resisted ecosystems - that have trouble moving from one ecosystem to another

74
Q

What is one animal that we looked at for being vulnerable for having low genetic diversity and live in restricted ecosystems for a very long time?

A

Koalas

75
Q

Precise quantitative measurements of biodiversity are ___ difficult.

A

NOT

76
Q

How many known species are there?

A

1.8 million

77
Q

What precent of the known species is animals?

A

75%

78
Q

What percent species are bacteria?

A

0.2%

79
Q

Of animals, how many of them are mammals?

A

0.003% (9% mammals of 4% vertebrates)

80
Q

What is the largest component of the animal kingdom?

A

Insects = 75%

81
Q

Biodiversity of vertebrate is ______ distributed on the planet?

A

UNEVENLY

82
Q

What is latitudinal gradient?

A

Species richness increases towards the equator

83
Q

How does the bird species population change with latitudinal gradient?

A

400-600 species per area in central America vs. 50-100 species per area in northern Canada

84
Q

Smaller size organisms will have ___ species?

A

MORE

85
Q

What are the two factors that play key roles in latitudinal gradient?

A

Plant productivity Climate stability

86
Q

Temperate and polar latitudes: the variable climate favours ____ species, and it has ____ species richness.

A

FEWER species, HIGH species richness

87
Q

Tropical latitudes: the steady climate favours ____ species, and it has ____ species richness.

A

MORE species, LOW species richness

88
Q

What is extinction?

A

Occurs when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist

89
Q

What is extirpation?

A

The disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally

90
Q

What species did we look at in class as being extirpated?

A

Siberian tiger

91
Q

What is an endangered species?

A

Species in imminent danger of becoming extirpated or extinct

92
Q

What is a threatened species?

A

Species likely to become endangered in the near future

93
Q

Palaeontologists estimate __% of all species that ever lived are now extinct.

A

99%

94
Q

What is the background rate of extinction: definition and values?

A

DEFINITION: Natural extinction for a variety of reasons VALUES: 1 species out of 1000 mammal/marine species will go extinct every 1,000-10,000 years

95
Q

How many previous mass extinction events has Earth had?

A

5

96
Q

After a mass extinction event, does the species diversity come back stronger or weaker?

A

STRONGER

97
Q

What mass extinction number are we in right now?

A

6

98
Q

What is the cause of the current mass extinction?

A

Humans

99
Q

What is a vulnerable species?

A

Species that are of particular concern because of characteristic that make them particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events

100
Q

The global extinction rate is ___x greater than background rate?

A

100 - 1000

101
Q

What is the Red List?

A

An updated list of species facing high risks of extinction used to conserve species and prevent mass extinction

102
Q

How many of mammal species are on the red list?

A

23%

103
Q

How many bird species are on the red list?

A

12%

104
Q

About __% of living population was lost between 1970-2000.

A

30%

105
Q

True or false: the living planet index for population loss follows the same trend as the terrestrial index, freshwater index, and marine index?

A

TRUE

106
Q

What are the causes population decline?

A

Habitat alteration Invasive species Pollution Overharvesting Climate change

107
Q

Of the causes of population decline, what is the greatest cause of biodiversity loss?

A

Habitat alteration

108
Q

Farming, grazing, and clearcutting are examples of what type of cause of population decline?

A

Habitat alteration

109
Q

How do hydroelectric dams alter habitats?

A

Turn rivers into reservoirs upstream

110
Q

What species can benefit from urbanization?

A

Rats Pigeons

111
Q

What is an invasive species?

A

Introduction of a non-native species into a new environment that has no natural predicts, competition, or parasites.

112
Q

How does climate change effect population loss?

A

Increases stress on population and forces organisms to shift their geographic ranges; most animals and plants cannot cope

113
Q

How can biodiversity provide ecosystem services?

A

Stabilizes and moderates Earth’s climate Generates and renews soil fertility and cycles nutrients Pollinates plants/crops Provides cultural and aesthetic benefits

114
Q

True or false: biodiversity helps maintain ecosystem integrity

A

TRUE

115
Q

True or false: biodiversity decreases food security.

A

FALSE

116
Q

True or false: biodiversity provides drugs and medicine

A

TRUE

117
Q

What is conservation biology?

A

Understanding the doctors, forces, and process that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity

118
Q

Conservation biology arose in response to ____.

A

BIODIVERSITY LOSS

119
Q

Island biogeography can help address _____.

A

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION

120
Q

What is the equilibrium theory of island biogeography?

A

Explains how species come to be distributed among oceanic islands

121
Q

What is the distance effect for island biogeography?

A

Islands located close to a continent receive more immigrants than islands that are distant, so that near islands end ups with more species.

122
Q

What is the target size effect for island biogeography?

A

Large islands present fatter targets for dispersing organisms to encounter, so that more species immigrate to large islands than to small islands.

123
Q

What is the differential extinction effect in island biogeography?

A

Large islands have LOWER extinction rates, because the larger area can support larger populations

124
Q

If you had a large island far away, and a small island close to the continent, which island would have more species?

A

Large island

125
Q

What are three ways to protect biodiversity?

A

Captive breeding Cloning Protective communities

126
Q

What is captive breeding?

A

Individuals are bred and raised in zoo or botanical garden with the intent of reintroducing them into the wild

127
Q

What is cloning?

A

A technique to create more individuals and save species from extinction

128
Q

True or false: Most biologists agree that cloning efforts are adequate in the ability to recreate the lost biodiversity.

A

FALSE (because no genetic diversity)

129
Q

What are protective communities?

A

Conservation biologists use umbrella species as tools to conserve communities and ecosystems

130
Q

What are flagship species?

A

Large and charismatic species used as spearheads for biodiversity conservation

131
Q

What is a biodiversity hotspot?

A

Prioritizes regions most important for biodiversity

132
Q

What is an endermic species?

A

Species found nowhere else in the world

133
Q

Where are endermic species normally found?

A

Biodiversity hotspots

134
Q

To be classified as a biological hotspot, how many endermic plant species must it have?

A

1500 endermic plant species

135
Q

To be classified as a biological hotspot, how much (%) of its habitat is lost to human population?

A

70%

136
Q

What is community based conservation?

A

Conservation biologists actively engage local people in protecting land and wildlife

137
Q

What is a ‘debt for nature swap’?

A

A conservation organization pays off a portion of developing country’s international debt in exchange for a promise by the country to set aside reserves

138
Q

What is conservation concession?

A

Conservation organizations pay nations to conserve (not sell) resources

139
Q

There are __ national parks in Canada.

A

43

140
Q

The amount of parks and reserves are ____ internationally.

A

INCREASING

141
Q

What are world heritage sites?

A

Under national sovereignty but are designed or partly managed internally by the United Nations

142
Q

What are biosphere reserves?

A

Tracts of land with exceptional biodiversity that couple reservation with sustainable development to benefit local people

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