Final Exam Flashcards
Approximately what % of all species have ever existed on plant earth have gone extinct?
> 90%
List 3 wildlife species that have been exploited by wildlife trade. Indicate whether this was legal or illegal trade.
Rhinos = Illegal
Elephants = Illegal
Beavers = Legal
The three types of biodiversity are
- Genetic
- Species
- Ecological
Briefly, what are the two take-home message of Chapter 7 (the engineering rodent) of Shugart’s book?
- Beavers are a keystone species
- There are significant impacts of a removal of a keystone species (soil erosion, loss of other species)
List two species that are ecological equivalents in separate countries (ecological convergence)
Penguins and auks
List things that biodiversity hotspots have in common
1) Found in tropics
2) Close to the equator
3) Lots of sun
4) Rainforests
5) Warm temperatures
6) No glaciers/permafrost
List three species that have been helped through listing on CITIES, or the endangered species act
1) Giraffes
2) Rhinos
3) Gorillas
List the reasons why biodiversity is in decline. Which one is most important?
1) Increase in humans
2) Habitat loss
3) Habitat fragmentation
4) Pollution
5) Over exploitation
6) Global warming
7) Invasive species
8) Diseases
What does MVP stand for?
Minimum viable population
Plants may change the timing of “greening up” in the spring related to ____________. Bird’s time of migration is, instead tied to ________________.
Temperature (plants)
Seasons/sunlight (birds)
What is the difference between a deterministic model and a stochastic model? Which one is more realistic?
Deterministic = simple variables and assumes complete predictability
Stochastic = unexpected variables to estimate a species growth or decline.
Stochastic =more realistic
List the three types of niche described by Shugart? Which one is is most advanced or realistic?
1) Niche focuses on habitat preferences and environmental requirements
2) Niche emphasizes the interactions and ecological role of a species within a community
3) Niche provides a statistical representation of how species are distributed across environmental gradients.
Preference
Interactions
Distribution
Tell the story of the passenger pigeon
The passenger pigeon was a bird species that was abundant in North America. They would say the skies would darken with a passing flock. Due to mass hunting, their populations decreased. People would shoot their shotguns in the air. Species population got so small they stopped breeding with one another because this species was a “communal breeder”, meaning it needed countless individuals to breed.
What is inbreeding? Why is it a threat to biodiversity? List two species that were subject to inbreeding and why?
Inbreeding = species mate with a similarly genetic species within the same population.
Threat = not allow genetic variation with a population -> vulnerability to diseases and lack of adaptability to invasive species or habitat loss
Yew trees and Florida Panther because of habitat loss and fragmentation.
What three things have to happen when a species is listed on Endangered Species List? Explain what each means and how each are implemented.
1) Protection Measures - gains legal protections
2) Critical habitat designation - identify specific areas that are essential - additional regulatory measures on activity that might harm species
3) Recovery planning - develop outline actions - involve habitat restoration and monitoring
What is eutrophication? How might it affect biodiversity? In a CO2 enriched atmosphere what types of plants will thrive and out-compete what other types of plants? Why?
water body = overly enriched with nutrients
1) excessive growth of algaes (algal bloom)
2) Oxygen depletion (killing fish and other organisms)
- C3 plants (oak trees) more efficient carbon-fixation processes
- C4 plants (corn) not
What are some factors that make species vulnerable to extinction? List three threatened or endangered species and why they are low in numbers?
Some factors that make species vulnerable to extinction are habitat loss, pollution, and global warming. Endangered species include:
1) beavers - hunted for the their fur in large amounts
2) seahorses - were hunted to make seahorse dust, which many Asian countries think have healing properties
3) rhinos - hunted for their horns in the ivory trade
What is trophic mismatch. Give an example of how this is happening today?
Trophic mismatch is when two species are not in sync in the ecosystem. An example today is birds and worms. The worms have started to be born sooner because of global warming. The adult birds take this back to their nests but the eggs have not hatched yet. The worms have a trophic mismatch with the eggs hatching.
List and explain three pieces of equipment we have used in habitat measurements in our labs. What are each used to measure?
1) Clinometer: measure the angle of elevation from the ground
2) Densitometer: estimate density of forest canopy
3) Compass: used to indicate direction
4) Diameter Tape: Used to measure the diameter of a tree (at breast height)
5) Wedge Prism: measurement of basal area
What is the difference between top-down and a bottom-up trophic cascade? Give an example of a top-down trophic cascade. Give all the effects of the introduction of a species at the top of top of top trophic level.
Top-down: when a species at the top of the food chain affect the species under them
Bottom-up: when a species at the bottom of the food chain affects the species above them
An example of top-down trophic cascade is when wolves were removed from Yellowstone. There was a boom of deer who overgrazed the woody plants leading to soil erosion. An example of bottom up trophic cascade is a pollinator dying off, reducing the amount of vegetation resulting in a decline of deer which lowers the amount of wolves food supply.
List the three types of stochasticity. What do each of these mean and which affects populations the most?
1) Environmental: random fluctuations in environmental conditions
2) Demographic: random variation in birth and death rates within a population
3) Genetic: random changes in the frequency of alleles in a population
Environmental stochasticity affects populations the most. Unless small, then demographic and genetic.
Draw a species area diagram with two curves with % species on one axis and area on a second axis. Why are there two curves? What does each curve refer too?
Vertical axis: % of species (0% - 100%)
Horizontal axis: Area or Hectares (0-10,000)
Two curves because one is the mainland and other is island. Mainland is greater because species have space to move. Island they have limited space and resources. Each curve is saying there is an exponential decline in species as their habitat is made smaller. We do not see large species decline until almost removing all hectares. This ties into the concept of lag effects, we do not see all the environmental impacts when we alter the ecosystem.
S=c(sub)A(super)z
Why are global amphibian populations declining?
- Consumption by humans
- Acid rain
- Increased UV radiation
- Habitat destruction
How specifically does UV radiation affect amphibians? What is the “UVB factor” more important for some species than others? What kinds of impact does UVB have on individual amphibians? Give an example of how UVB can act synergistically with 2-3 factors to cause declines in amphibian populations.
Since amphibians have thinner skin, they are more prone to UV damage. It creates abnormalities in the DNA, leading to the growing of extra limbs. UVB can act synergistically with habitat destruction (leading to less shade) and pollution like chemical pollutants (weakening their immune system = less protection from UVB radiation)
What are the two biggest take-home messages Shugart’s chapter “The big woodpecker that was too picky” (on Ivory billed woodpeckers)? What is the current status of these woodpeckers?
Current status of these woodpeckers is extinct. Two biggest take-home messages were the mosaic cycle and a reason for a species extinction can be the need for large areas of forest. For example, the ivory billed woodpecker ran out of food sources because there were not enough dead trees.
