Habitat Flashcards
Habitat
A habitat includes all the abiotic and biotic factors (i.e., resources) that allow an organism to survive and/or reproduce in an area at some point in its life.
(Hall et al., 1997; Kirk et al., 2018; Krausman & Morrison, 2016; Mathewson & Morrison, 2015)
Habitat Quality
Habitat quality refers to how well a habitat allows an individual or population to survive, reproduce, and persist, in other words, how well a habitat contributes to fitness.
This also takes into account anything that might impact that habitat’s use (e.g., competition, predation, connectivity, niche).
(Garshelis, 2000; Hall et al., 1997; Kirk et al., 2018; Krausman & Morrison, 2016; Mathewson & Morrison, 2015; M. D. Johnson, 2007)
What is the habitat quality gradient?
Low - allows survival
Medium - allows for survival and reproduction
High - allows for survival, reproduction, and population persistence
(Hall et al., 1997; Krausman & Morrison, 2016).
Perceptual Trap
Good quality habitat that animals avoid because sensory cues they need to recognize it are not present.
(Hale & Swearer, 2017)
What are the effects of habitat loss on biodiversity?
Reduced species richness, abundance, distribution, number of specialist, large-bodied species.
Reduces population growth, alters species interactions, impacts breeding success, dispersal success, predation rate, and aspects of animal behaviour that affect foraging success rate.
(Fahrig, 2003)
Extinction Threshold
Habitat level below which a population cannot survive.
(Fahrig, 2003)
Landscape Complementation
The degree to which landscape structure facilitates movement among different required habitats.
(Fahrig, 2003)
What is the difference between habitat and niche?
A habitat is the place where an organism lives while a niche is that organism’s role within that environment. Habitat focuses on how the environment impacts the organism while niche focuses on how the organism impacts the environment.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/habitat-niche#:~:text=Description,the%20organism%20impacts%20the%20environment.
Sympatry
Occurring within the same geographical area; overlapping in distribution.
(Mac Dictionary)
Niche
The role an organism plays in a community. A species’ niche encompasses both the physical and environmental conditions it requires (like temperature or terrain) and the interactions it has with other species (like predation or competition).
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/niche/
Habitat Loss
The outright conversion of an ecosystem to another use by human activities.
(BIOL 2600 Notes)
Habitat Degradation
Anthropogenic change that reduces the quality of habitat for many, but not all, species.
(BIOL 2600 Notes)
Bathymetric Map
A map depicting the depth contours of a water body.
(Zale et al, 2012)
Habitat Type
Refers only to the type of vegetation in an area.
(Hall et al, 1997)
Habitat Use
The way an animal uses (or “consumes,” in a generic sense) a collection of physical and biological components (i.e., resources) in a habitat.
Habitat use refers to organisms occurring in an area, not necessarily by choice.
(Hall et al, 1997; Montgomery & Roloff, 2013)
Habitat Selection
The act of choosing the combination of available abiotic and biotic elements for the purpose of fulfilling the life history events of the organism (e.g., mating, raising young, and avoiding death). An organism’s selection of habitat varies across space and time as certain needs are fulfilled and others pursued.
(Montgomery & Roloff, 2013)
Habitat Preference
Habitat preference is applied at the species level and refers to the habitat that the species prefers above all others, even if that habitat is unavailable in the landscape where a local population resides.
(Montgomery & Roloff, 2013)
Critical Habitat
A legal term describing the physical or biological features essential to the conservation of a species, which may require special management considerations or protection.
(Hall et al, 1997)
