Exam prep Flashcards
(i)What is Population Viability Analysis (PVA)?
(ii) What steps are included in PVA? (iii) What are the three most important measures in PVA?
(i) PVA= Quantification of extinction risks,
(ii) A. Collect empirical data on key processes that determine popuation performance (i.e. reproduction and mortality, immigration and emigration & all influencing biotic and abiotic fctors) B. Develop a stochastic population model (i.e. including unpredictable, variable factors such as weather) C. Simulate population dynamics under different environmental scenarios (2simulation experiments”) D. Quantify extinction risk under these scenarios.
(iii). Extinction risk for given time span (e.g. Probability/ risk of extinction in 30 years, P0(t)); Mean population viability => i.e. Mean time to extinction (Tm); MVP= Minimum viable population => i.e. Minimal population size that guarantees a popualtion survival for a given timespan with a defined probability
What is IPBS and what are its tasks
Intergovernmental science policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services: the intergovernmental body which asseses the state of biodiversity and of the ecosystm sevices it provides to society, in response to request from decision makers
Name three historical forms of forest use which were widespread in European forest until the 20th century!
What effects did they have on the forest communities and what does this mean for today`s nature conservation startegies?
Coppice forest: Change of tree species composition (oak, hornbeam), higher availibility of light on the forest floor -> species-rich, open land andforest edge species
Coppice-with-standards: similar to Coppice forest
Forest pastures: change of tree species composition (oak), park-like structure with areas of high light availiability -> species-rich, open land and forest edge species, heterogeneity due to trampling
Use of litter: massive deprivation of nutrients -> indicators of nutreint-poor habitats
Nature conservation strategy: total reserves/ conserving nature protection: together with N depoitions, decline in many endangered species -> selective projects in which historical land use is implemented/ simulated.
Large herbivores and megaherbivores have impacts on ecosystems. State shortly what their major impact is.
By consuming a notable amount of plants large herbivores and megaherbivores shape the vegetation on a landscape scale.
What is the difference between large and megaherbivores? Explain shortly what consequences this hs for their impact on ecosystems?
Megaherbivores are very heavy (>1000kg). With their massive bodies they are able to open landscape by destroying the woody vegetation. Large herbivores weigh 49kg to 999kg and sometimes form large herds. Although they are less able to destroy woody vegetation, these herds can keep a landscape open by preventing woody plants to establish on a large scale.
Imagine you are a wildlife manager and are repsonisble for a grazed area. What resources, which larg herbivores provide, would you not remove to increase biodiversity? Describe briefly (!) how these resources contribute to sustain biodiversity. Thereby focuse on two different resources.
Large herbivores provide a lot of dung. This is an important resource for many species such as dung beetles and other invertebrates which depend on this resource as a forage and to fullfill their life cycle. When larger herbivores die the carcass itself is another resource from which many species benefit. Despite many specialized invertebrates, vertebrates such as bird and snall mammals also use this resource either directly or by feeding on the invertebrate… and many more different aspects.
Which animal classes/ orders are mostly affected by wind turbines and how? Expalin how certain behaviours, life history traits, or morphological adaptions make certain functional types within these taxa especially vulnerable to wind turbines.
- Taxa that are mostly killed by wind turbines by direct struck by the rotos blades or the pressure they create are: bird, bats and insects.
- Migratory species get killed by wind turbines because they pass large wind fields on their bi-anual routes betwen summer and winter grounds.
- Soaring birds/ raptors are often killed since they wind up to wind turbine opertang altitudes usind thermals
- High flying tree-roosting bats get killed because they are adapted to flight in the open airspace and thus use the operational altitudes of turbines.
- Bats might be attracted to wind turbines as they may inspected them as potential roosts, hunt insects that accumulatr at turbines, or might use the turbines structure or aviation lighting for orientation.
- Color, light or heat might attract insects. Insects might show hill toppig behaviour at wind turbines.
The need for additional cropland is increasing worldwide. (i) Briefly outline the main reasons for this additional need. (ii) Which biomes/ ecosystems are mostly affected by the additiona need? (iii) give 4 relevant measures to reduce future cropland eypansion.
(i) increasing need for food, fibers and fuels PLUS compensation for degraded and built-up areas, (ii) grasslands, savannahs, forests; (iii) reduce meat consumption, support more healthy diet, reduce food waste, reduce fuel consumption, reduce bio fuel, reduce use of wood, regenerate degraded soils…
What is coral bleaching, why does it occur, and what process may help corals survive bleaching events?
Coral bleaching is th process when corals eject their photosynthetic algae symbionts and occurs when the water temperature rises. Coral florescence may reduce mortality by shielding their inner tissue from excess sunlight caused by the loss of photosynthetic algae.
Please list two major land-use factors that contributed to the failure of the “good status” of German water bodies during the latest status assessment of the water framework directive.
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Mining
- Municipalities
- Flood protection
- Shipping
