Evolution and Conservation Flashcards
What are the consequences of a changing environment?
Reduced population sizes
Extinction of populations
Extinction of a species
Loss of ecosystems
What was the major cause of extinction through history vs current day?
Historic cause - Introduced species
Current cause - Habitat loss
What is phylogenetic niche conservatism?
Species dont inherit a new niche as soon as the said species evolves - it inherits it from its ancestor
Therefore certain share similar life-histories and so changing environment effects all closely related species
What are the consequences of phylogenetic niche conservatism?
Closely related species share similar levels of threat - as they are ecologically similar
Low rates of adaptability
Low rates of evolution
What are the IUCN categories?
Least concern
Not threatened
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct in the wild
Extinct
What factors can correlate with extinction threat?
Geographic range size
Body size
Gestation time
Age at sexual maturity
Trophic level
Population density
Human footprint
Human density
Can you predict the range size of a species based on its ancestor?
No
Where is evolution and niche conservatism the greatest?
Evolution is faster outside of the tropics
Niche conservatism is greater in the tropics
What is phylogenetic diversity?
The total amount of history shared by a group of species
How do you calculate the phylogenetic diversity?
Add up the branch lengths on a phylogeny
Why is phylogeny important?
It is an important consideration when deciding which species to conserve
