Exam 3 Flashcards
what is a habitat?
an area with the combination of resources and environmental conditions where individuals of a given species settle, survive, and reproduce. habitats are distinguished by physical features, such as dominant plant type.
what is a niche?
the range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate. function and position of a species in the environment (includes all of its abiotic and biotic interactions)
can two species have the same niche?
no because each species has unique phenotypes that determine the conditions it can tolerate.
what is n-dimensional hypervolume?
sum of all the environmental factors acting on a species
what is a fundamental niche?
the range of abiotic conditions (temp, humidity, salinity) where a species can persist.
what is a realized niche?
the range of abiotic and biotic conditions where a species can persist (biotic interactions-competition, predation, and pathogens- may prevent a population from persisting in an area.
what is the geographic range?
total area inhabited by a population (temperature and drought define the geographic range of sugar maple)
variation in the environment can result in geographic ranges that are composed of disjunct _________ ________
habitat patches
(the geographic range of Fremont’s leather flower is 3 counties in Missouri where those plants are restricted to areas of dry, rocky soils on limestone outcroppings (glades).
what is scale?
plants further restricted by variation in soil structure and quality of glades
species distribution modeling, species habitat modeling, and climate envelope modeling all mean ___________ _____________ _________________
ecological niche modeling
ecological niche modeling can predict future _________ ____________ from limited information along with range _______________ and potential for ___________
species distribution
expansions
invasions
_________ changes can cause a shift in the geographic range of species
temperature
provide an example of how global warming can expand species’ range
average temps in the North Sea have increased 2 degrees C from 1977-2003, causing southern fish species to expand their ranges north. fish species richness in the North Sea has increased steadily over this time and is positively correlated with ocean temperature (due to increased energy production in warmer waters)
provide an example of emerging threats in thermoregulation
White nose syndrome in bats: WNS is a fungal infection that covers the muzzle of the bat and disrupts bats’ torpor (short term hibernation when they lower their metabolism) by waking them up during their torpor which causes them to starve to death. 11 species of North American bats are susceptible and more than 6 million bat deaths since 2006 when it was introduced.
what are the 5 important population distribution characteristics?
- geographic range
- abundance
- density
- dispersion
- dispersal
what is the definition of population?
all the members of a species in a given area at a given time (unit of evolution through natural selection)
research approach: variation in number, density, demographic, composition of individuals
individuals ________, populations __________
adapt, evolve
all populations must deal with what similar challenges?
- competition (limited resources, mates, and habitable space)
- predation
the absolute number of individuals is ____________
abundance (N)
the abundance per unit area is ___________
density (D)
-population dispersion-
__________ is when individuals are aggregated in discrete groups (social groups or clustering around resources)
clustered
________ ________ is when each individual maintains a uniform distance between itself and its neighbors (defended territories, croplands)
evenly spaced
_________ is when the position of each individual is independent of other individuals, not common due to non-random environmental heterogeneity.
random
what is the Baas Becking Hypothesis?
everything (every gene) is everywhere but the environment selects
_________: all species are limited at some scale
dispersal
what is dispersal limitation?
the absence of a population from suitable habitat because of barriers to dispersal. most dispersed species do not establish viable populations
why is dispersal important for populations?
-reduce intraspecific competition
-reduce inbreeding
-expand geographic range
what is a parameter?
the true value of some population attribute, which is almost always unknown
what is an estimate?
any quantity that is computed or estimated from sample observations, sometimes called statistics
explain how the great elephant survey (conducted in Africa) estimates abundance?
by creating strip transects and flying a prop plane over each transect strip and counting the number of elephants (and other species) within. surveyed 18 countries and found that there is a current decline of ~8% per year, primarily due to poaching and loss of habitat.
(Savanna elephant populations declined by 30% between 2007 and 2014)
what is the goal and challenge of estimating abundance?
goal: estimate abundance (parameter) with survey data.
challenge: gauge the portion of the population that we don’t observe during surveys
what is the Lincoln Peterson (mark recapture) method?
the simplest approach to estimate abundance. -two surveys-
1. mark a subset of animals
2. estimate the proportion of animals in the population that are marked
what do you need to know in order to use mark-recapture surveys?
-number of individuals captured and marked during survey 1 (M)
-number of marked individuals recaptured during survey 2 (R)
-total number of individuals captured during survey 2 (C)
what formula do you use to estimate abundance or population size using mark-recapture surveys?
N = M*C/R
dispersal can cause a geographic range to expand rapidly if…
a few individuals can disperse much farther than the average individual
what is a habitat corridor?
strip of favorable habitat located between two large patches of habitat that facilitates dispersal (a narrow band of trees that connects forests)
in an experiment where there were four plots cleared in a pine forest, there was a corridor that was connected to a central plot and then a “winged” and “rectangular” plot that were unconnected. what were the results?
-higher butterfly abundance
-greater plant pollination
-greater seed dispersal by birds
(overall connected plots had greater reproductive events in all species, hence resulting in more viable populations)
since 1979, state and national governments created a wildlife corridor on the _________-__________ border that has protected more than _____ _____ hectares of land along the Rio Grande that allows species to move easily among large patches of _________ land
Texas-Mexico
1.3 million
protected
what is ideal free distribution?
when individuals distubute themselves among different habitats in a way that allows them to have the same per capita benefit; assumes perfect knowledge of habitat variation, which is often not the case.