habitat conservation Flashcards
what are the features of a broadleaf woodland?
-regular water supply
-summers not very hot
-winters not very cold
-seasonality
what is the importance of a broadleaf woodland?
-high biodiversity
-resources
-climate control
-soil erosion control
-recreation
what are the threats of broadleaf woodlands?
-deforestation for other land uses
-fragmentation of remaining woodland
-management change
what are the conservation efforts for broadleaf woodland?
-designated protected areas
-legal protection of ancient woodland in uk
-conservation mangement
what is succession in broadleaf woodlands?
-grass fields, ponds and most moorland, if left alone, would quickly revert to woodland via succession
-progressive placement of one community of plants and animals by another until a climax community is reached
-during succession plants & animals make physical and biological changes to the habitat
-these changes favour the introduction of other species
what is the plagioclimax community in broadleaf woodlands?
-very few habitats are completely natural
-activities disturb the climax community
-if these disruptive activities are carried out regularly, a new community of species develops
-this is called a plagioclimax community
what are some activities in broadleaf woodlands?
-grazing
-mowing
-burning
-coppicing
-pollarding
-culling
what are broadleaf woodlands?
-found in northern hemisphere
-mostly deciduous that shed their leaves each year
what is the climate like in broadleaf woodlands?
-range from cold with snow, to hot, with rain
-temp ranges up to about 20c down to freezing
what are the dominant species in broadleaf woodlands?
-depends on the soil conditions
-ash-alkaline soils
-oak-wide range of tolerance
-beech-most soils
what are the characteristics of broadleaf woodlands?
-large leaves to help absorb as much sunlight as possible for photosynthesis before the leaves shed
what is a tropical rainforest?
-found on equator
-very biodiverse
-14%, now 6% remaining rainforests could be wiped out in 40 years
what is the biodiversity in a tropical rainforest?
-lungs of planet
-single pond can sustain greater variety of fish than in all of europes rivers
-rainforest in peru contains for bird species than the US
-one tree in peru has 43 ant species
-fish in the amazon exceeds that of the entire atlantic ocean
what are the dominant species in the tropical rainforests?
-broadleaf evergreen trees
-palm,rubber,butterflies,mosquitos,camouflaged stick insects,huge colonies of ants
what is the importance of a tropical rainforest?
-high biodiversity
-woodland resources
-water cycle
-carbon sequestration
-soil erosion control
what are the threats of a tropical rainforest?
-forest clearance fro agriculture
-wood for fuel, paper, grazing, farming, construction
-mineral extraction
-climate change
-exploitation of individual species
what is ranching in the tropical rainforest?
-leading cause of deforestation in brazilian amazon
-large areas of forest burnt down
-rain in amazonia washes away nutrients in soil
what is farming in the tropical rainforest?
-brazil gov offered land in amazon to poor people living in the cities
-all given small plots of rainforest. cleared and turned into farmland. the land is poor quality and becomes useless for farming, many plots abandoned
what is forestry and logging in the tropical rainforest?
-brazil gov estimates that 80% of all timber produced in amazon is illegal in some way
-by building roads into amazon rainforest, the logging industry opens the door to further destruction through clearing for agriculture, hunting, fuel wood gathering and mining
what is mining in the tropical rainforest?
-soils underneath the amazon contain lots of valuable metals
-most of metals sold to rich countries such as USA, Japan, UK
-minesalso often cause water pollution, bc water pumped from mines contains lots of dangerous chemicals
what is hydro electric power in the tropical rainforest?
-brazil has need for cheap electricity to help industry.
-water stored by dams used to create electricity. reservoirs created by dams have destroyed huge areas of rainforest
-many indigenous ppl been moved off their land to make way for the dams
what are conservation efforts of the tropical rainforest?
-protected areas
-sustainable exploitation
-profits without plunder
-debt for nature swap
what is a tropical coral reef?
-underwater ecosystem characterised by reef-building corals
-reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate
-most coral reefs are build from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups
what are dominant species in coral reefs?
-cnidarians:corals, hydras, jellyfish, sea pens, sea whips
-fish, corals, lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures that rely on reefs for their survival
what are features of coral reefs?
-cnidarians
-nutrition systems
-high light levels
-warm, stable temperatures
-low turbidity
-constant salinity
what are threats of coral reefs?
-physical damage by humans
-souvenir collection
-sedimentation
-climate change
-pollution
-fishing
-introduced species
what are the conservation efforts of coral reefs?
-control of damaging activities
-establishment of protected areas
what is a deep water coral reef?
-cold water corals dont have symbiotic alage living in their polyps so they dont need sunlight to survive
-they feed solely by capturing food particles from surrounding water
-their polyps tend to be much bigger than tropical corals
-less food energy- slow growing
-depths of 40-2000m
what is the biodiversity in deep water coral reef?
-first discovered in 1970s, but most research since 2010
-unknown resources (medicine, physiological research)
what are dominant species in deep water coral reefs?
-made up of only few coral species
-provide a home for many other animals, including sea fans, sponges, worms, starfish,
-number of invertebrates species on reefs in the northeast atlantic ocean can be as high as that found in shallow water tropical reefs
what is the importance of deep water coral reefs?
-biodiverse
-age
-history
-research
-fisheries
-attract large masses of fish and serve as important spawning and nursery grounds
what are threats of deep water coral reefs?
-oil and gas exploration
-laying pipes
-acidification
-fishing-trawling
what are the conservation efforts for deep water coral reefs?
-ban on trawling
-establishment of protected areas
-global warming initiatives
-control of damaging activities
what are oceanic islands?
-islands formed from volcanoes
-remote-difficult to colonise
-surrounded by seas
-examples: st helena, galapagos islands, easter islands
what are the ecological features of an oceanic island?
-isolation
-endemic species
-few or no indigenous mammal predators
what are dominant species on oceanic islands?
-very biodiverse
-lizards, locusts, finches, seals, marine iguana, tortoises
-lack of predators
what is the importance of oceanic islands?
-endemic species
-visual reminder of our activities
-medicine
-biomimetics
-resources
what are the threats of oceanic islands?
-tourism
-overfishing
-habitat destruction
-introduced species- cats, dogs, rats, etc
what are the conservation efforts for oceanic islands?
-recycling
-rat eradication
-tracking ocean giants
-coastal clean ups
-sustainable tourism
-sustainable development
-water, waste management
