Final

Question 1

Forest Coverage

Answer 1

Cover 30% of Earth’s land surface (before 1750 = 40-45%)

Store more carbon than atmosphere

Habitat for 80% land dwelling species

Question 2

Wildfire area burned in Colorado

Answer 2

Increase in drought-induced disturbances over the last 30 years

Also more “extreme years”

Increased temperatures (temperature + forest = fire)

Question 3

Post-Fire Recovery

Answer 3

Process of succession: burned sites often become forests again, but depends on # of trees survived, what species were there, heat of fire burned, weather in areas after the fire

Question 4

Interval Squeeze

Answer 4

Forest sometimes converted to non-forest state by fire
Returning to forest requires trees to produce seeds + seedlings able to establish/survive
If trees grow slower, it takes longer for them to get to a size that can tolerate fire (.’. depends on frequency of fires)

Question 5

Disturbance

Answer 5

Discrete event that disrupts the structure of an ecosystem/community/population, and changes resource availability/physical environment

Question 6

Disturbance regime

Answer 6

Spatial and temporal dynamics of disturbances over a longer time period

Question 7

Forest thinning positives and negatives

Answer 7

Forest thinning –> canopy reduction –> reduced avian diversity

OR

Forest thinning –> understory regeneration –> avian diversity (selectively harvested spruce-fir stands)

Question 8

James Balog

Answer 8

Photographer, founded EIS (Extreme Ice Study) = photographic study of glaciers

Question 9

Where did Chasing Ice go?

Answer 9

Greenland (Jakobshavn Glacier)
Iceland
Alaska

Question 10

What was Chasing Ice trying to capture

Answer 10

Climate change and glacier calving

Question 11

Ecosystem

Answer 11

Self sustaining association of living plants and animals and their nonliving physical environment

Question 12

Community

Answer 12

Habitat: type of environment
Niche: its job

Question 13

Plants

Answer 13

Staple foods: tons of species we rely on, but staple foods of rice, maize, wheat

Question 14

Photosynthesis and respiration

Answer 14

Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O + energy (light) –> 6O2 + C6H12O6

Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 –> 6CO2 + 6H20 + energy (heat)

Question 15

Net photosynthesis

Answer 15

Photosynthesis - respiration (plant growth)

Compensation point: when photosynthesis = respiration

Net primary productivity: net photosynthesis of an entire plant community measured in C/m^2/year)

Question 16

Fire ecology

Answer 16

Used to suppress every single fire, but led to fire accumulation, which led to catastrophic fires

1960’s = change in policy - need fires to flourish (giant sequoias), but do controlled burns to keep fire dependent ecosystems in good health

Question 17

Tropical rainforest

Answer 17

Most of the world’s total isolated/un-contacted tribe (shows how unexplored rainforest is)

Question 18

Tropical seasonal forest and scrub

Answer 18

Seasonal rainfall

Semideciduous forest –> lower biomass, some lose their leaves during winter

Question 19

Tropical savanna

Answer 19

Natural fire cycle to maintain the balance between forest and savanna, more important than rainfall/soil

Climate change –> drier conditions –> fires invading forest

Question 20

Arctic and alpine tundra

Answer 20

Extremely cold winters
No trees bc not enough insolation/rainfall
Global warming –> melting permafrost

Question 21

Population

Answer 21

The Population Bomb

Human population quadrupled during 20th century

Question 22

India: Emergency

Answer 22

8.3 million sterilizations
Thousands of deaths from botched operations
Sponsored by UN, World Bank, etc

Question 23

Population projections

Answer 23

Rander: peak of 8.1 billion in 2040’s
Gerland: peak unlikely to happen before 2100, 12 billion

Question 24

Overpopulation

Answer 24

Lowering birth rates = problem in some countries due to aging population, will peak in this century between 8-12 billion

Question 25

Ecological footprint

Answer 25

Amount of biologically productive land and sea needed for supplying the resources consumed

Question 26

Average hectares per capita

Answer 26

US: 8.00
India: 0.91
World average: 2.7
World capacity: 1.8

Question 27

Carbon emissions

Answer 27

7% from 50% poorest

50% from 7% wealthiest

Question 28

Overconsumption

Answer 28

the real problem, not overpopulation (lifestyle in developed countries consume resources in an unsustainable way)

Question 29

Why are insects important?

Answer 29

Ecological services: $3 billion in pollination services, $28 billion in fishing
Ecological functions: pollination, food webs, nutrient cycling

Question 30

Bioindicator

Answer 30

A species or group of species whose presence or status indicate other ecological and environmental conditions

Question 31

GLD

Answer 31

Global patterns of species richness: Latitudinal Diversity Gradient

1: tropics! high
2: temperate regions, medium
3: poles, low

Question 32

Fire and other disturbances in Brazilian Amazon

Answer 32

80% of territory is in Brazil
Agricultural practices
Local population growth and urbanization
Resource demands from urban centers
Climate Change
Deforestation and forest degradation