Environmental Conservation Flashcards
What are 3 forms of the species approach to conservation?
Indicator; umbrella; charismatic
Approach to conservation that focuses on areas of high biodiversity richness, endemism
Hotspot approach
What can the species approach to conservation focus on?
Indicator species; umbrella species; charismatic species
What does the hotspot approach to conservation focus on?
Areas of high biodiversity richness and endemism
What does the landscape approach to conservation focus on?
Gamma diversity; large-scale landscapes
This approach to conservation focuses on gamma diversity and large-scale landscapes
Landscape approach
How many areas globally (both terrestrial and aquatic) does the IUCN protect?
160,000
What percent of terrestrial surface does the IUCN protect?
13%
How does physiography work?
By dividing large regions or landscapes into subdivisions based on geologic features (terrain, soil texture, rock type, geologic structure, etc.)
What divides large regions/landscapes into smaller divisions based on physical features/geology?
Physiography
Who came up with a physiography map of Oklahoma in 1943?
Duck and Fletcher
What did Duck and Fletcher do in 1943?
Come up with a physiography map of Oklahoma
What does physiography roughly equate to?
Flora/fauna distribution
What does flora/fauna distribution roughly equate to?
Physiography
What did Blair and Hubbell do in 1938?
Come up with map of biotic districts in Oklahoma
Who came up with map of biotic districts in Oklahoma in 1938?
Blair and Hubbell
What is a biotic district?
A geographical unit distinguished by the presence of unique ecological associations
What is a unit of geography that is distinguished by its unique ecological associations?
Biotic district
What are the 5 biotic districts of Oklahoma?
Ozark; Ouachita; mixed-grass plains; short-grass plains; Mesa de Maya
What are the Ozark, Ouachita, mixed-grass plains, short-grass plains, and Mesa de Maya?
The 5 biotic districts of Oklahoma?
What characterizes the Ozark Biotic District?
Karst; areas of exposed limestone (Karst windows); oak-hickory forest; prairie pasture; white oak-hickory mesic forest; very few row crops
About what fraction of the Ozark Biotic District is oak-hickory forest?
1/3
About what fraction of the Ozark Biotic District is prairie/pasture?
1/4
About what percentage of the Ozark Biotic District is white oak-hickory mesic forest?
17%
Is there significant space dedicated to row crops in the Ozark Biotic District?
No
What types of rock dominate the Ozark Biotic District?
Karst and exposed limestone (karst windows)
What type of land represents the smallest amount of the Ozark Biotic District?
Row crops
What type of land represents the largest amount of the Ozark Biotic District?
Oak-hickory forest
What type of land represents about a quarter of land in the Ozark Biotic District?
Prairie/pasture
What is a lesser yet still significant type of forest in the Ozark Biotic District?
White oak-hickory mesic forest (17%)
What aquifer extends from Missouri and Arkansas into northeast Oklahoma?
Ozark Aquifer
What is the OK biotic district characterized by karst, karst windows, oak-hickory forest (dominant), prairie and pasture (next dominant), and white oak-hickory forest, with very few row crops?
Ozark Biotic District
What biotic district is characterized by having very few row crops?
Ozark Biotic District
What biotic district is characterized by over a third of its land as oak-hickory forest?
Ozark Biotic District
Which biotic district is characterized by being about a quarter prairie and pasture?
Ozark Biotic District
Which biotic district is characterized by a lot of karst/karst windows/exposed limestone?
Ozark Biotic District
What characterizes the Ozark Aquifer?
3000 feet thick; over-exploited by ag, industry, cities; increasingly polluted (coliform, nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals)
What is characterized as an underground system 3000 feet thick?
Ozark Aquifer
What is characterized by being over-exploited, and polluted in the Ozark Biotic District?
Ozark Aquifer
Where is the highest density of cave-producing habitat in the US?
Ozark Biotic District
Which biotic district has high endemism?
Ozark Biotic District
What is notable about biodiversity in the Ozark Biotic District?
Lots of caves and extreme endemism
What characterizes the Ouachita Biotic District?
Sandstone; oak/shortleaf pine woodland (1/3); pine/bluestem (historically)(1/4); bottomland hardwood mesic forest (18%); pine plantations (9%)
This biotic district is characterized by sandstone geology, and the following landscapes in descending order: oak/shortleaf pine; pine/bluestem; bottomland hardwood/mesic forest; and pine plantations
Ouachita Biotic District
What type of geology characterizes the Ouachita Biotic District?
Sandstone
This biotic district is characterized by sandstone
Ouachita Biotic District
This biotic district is nearly a third oak/shortleaf pine woodland
Ouachita Biotic District
The Ouachita Biotic District is nearly a third of what type of habitat?
Oak/shortleaf pine woodland
The Ouachita Biotic District was historically what type of habitat?
Pine/bluestem
Pine/bluestem was historically dominant in which biotic district?
Ouachita Biotic District
The Ouachita Biotic District is 18% which type of landscape?
Bottomland hardwood/mesic forest
Bottomland hardwood/mesic forest makes up 18% of which biotic district?
Ouachita Biotic District
Pine plantations make up about a tenth of which biotic district?
Ouachita Biotic District
The Ouachita Biotic District is about a tenth of what type of landscape?
Pine plantations
This mountainous biotic district produces few caves due to its sandstone geography
Ouachita Biotic District
Highest rainfall in the state and high landscape heterogeneity contribute to high biodiversity in this biotic district
Ouachita Biotic District
Why does the Ouachita Biotic District have high biodiversity?
Highest rainfall in state and landscape heterogeneity
Were there fewer acres of pine in the US in 1952 or 2002?
1952
Are there more primary or secondary forests today?
Primary
Globally, which forest type has lost the most square kilometers?
Humid tropical
The Mesa de Maya Biotic District is characterized by what?
Sandstone and volcanic basalt geography; pinyon pine/juniper woodland; short grasses and cholla cactus
Sandstone/basalt geography, pinyon pine/juniper woodland, and short grass/cholla cactus characterize which biotic district?
Mesa de Maya Biotic District
What type of geography characterizes the Mesa de Maya Biotic District?
Sandstone/volcanic basalt
This biotic district is characterized by sandstone and basalt geography
Mesa de Maya Biotic District
What type of woodland characterizes the Mesa de Maya Biotic District?
Pinyon pine/juniper
This biotic district is characterized by pinyon pine/juniper woodland
Mesa de Maya Biotic District
What type of groundcover characterizes the Mesa de Maya Biotic District?
Short (grama) grasses and cholla cactus
This biotic district is characterized by short grasses and cholla
Mesa de Maya Biotic District
What gives the Mesa de Maya Biotic District relatively high biodiversity?
Its geography and landscape heterogeneity
The geography and landscape heterogeneity contribute to the high biodiversity of which three major taxa in the Mesa de Maya Biotic District?
Mammals, birds, and reptiles
What characterizes the Short-grass Plains Biotic District?
Sandy loam soils, high salinity, gypsum, grama grasses
Which biotic district is characterized by sandy loam, salinity, gypsum, and grama grasses?
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
What type of geology characterizes both the Short-grass Plains Biotic District and the Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District?
Sandy loam soil, high salinity, and gypsum
These biotic districts are characterized by sandy loam soil, gypsum and highly saline geography
Short-grass Plains Biotic District and Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
This biotic district is dominated mainly by grama grasses
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains Biotic District has mainly what type of flora?
Grama grasses
Row crops make up a quarter of this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains Biotic District is made up of a quarter of this type of landscape
Row crops
Shortgrass prairie makes up about a third of this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains BIotic District is made up of a third of this type of landscape
Shortgrass prairie
Planted grasslands make up a fifth of this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains Biotic District is made up of a fifth of this type of landscape
Planted grasslands
Shrublands only make up about 3.5% of this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains Biotic District is made up of 3.5% of this type of landscape
Shrublands
Open water makes up a tiny fraction of land area in this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
The Short-grass Plains Biotic District has less than 800 acres of this
Open water
These six species of greatest conservation need are found in the Short-grass Plains Biotic District
Swift fox; Texas horned lizard; lesser prairie chicken; loggerhead shrike; golden eagle; massasauga
Swift fox, Texas horned lizard, lesser prairie chicken, loggerhead shrike, golden eagle, and massasauga are six species at risk in this biotic district
Short-grass Plains Biotic District
What are the characteristics of the Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District?
Sandy loam soils, high salinity, gypsum, bluestems, and grama grasses
Sandy loam soils, high salinity, gypsum, bluestems, and grama grasses make up this biotic district
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
What flora characterizes the Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District?
Bluestems and grama grasses
Bluestems and grama grasses characterize which biotic district?
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
What is Oklahoma’s largest ecoregion?
Mixed-grass Plains
Mixed-grasses/pasture make up a third of this biotic district
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
The Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District is made up of about a third each of what two types of landscape?
Mixed-grasses/pasture and row crops
Which biotic district has the most row crop coverage?
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
A tenth of this biotic district is tallgrass prairie/pasture
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
The Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District is made up of a tenth of this type of landscape
Tallgrass prairie/pasture
7% of this biotic district is sagebrush/shrubland
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
The Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District is 7% this type of foliage
Sagebrush/shrubland
This biotic district has the largest amount of urban landscape in Oklahoma
Mixed-grass Plains Biotic District
These are common characteristics of grassland climates
Low/erratic rainfall; evaporation > rainfall; wide temperature fluctuations
Low rainfall, erratic spring and fall rainfall, high evaporation rates, and wide seasonal temperature fluctuations are characteristic of what type of landscape?
Grasslands
These types of vegetation characterize grasslands
Grammonoids (Family Poaceae) (C4 Plants)
Grammonoids from Family Poaceae characterize what type of landscape?
Grasslands
What are forbs?
Non-grass grassland plants
These are plants that are found in grasslands but are not grasses
Forbs
This is a characteristic of grassland plants to grow in round clumps
Cespitose
How do cespitose plants tend to grow?
In rounded clumps
What are anemophiles?
Wind-dispersing plants
Wind-dispersing plants are called this
Anemophiles