Habitat creation Flashcards
What is habitat creation?
The management and creation of a habitat is an increasingly important part of environmental management.
Unintentional habitat creation
When a habitat is created as a consequence of other human activity, like creation of a reservoir.
These may have resulted in the destruc tion of a former habitat or a former habitat becoming unsuitable
for original inhabitants
Intentional habitat creation
Where habitat is created deliberately for wildlife conservation, like wetalnds, wildflower meadows etc.
These may have already existed or may have been altered through management like land use change or rewilding.
when planning habitats, a range of factors must be considered in order for it to be successful
habitat area and shape including biological corridors, habitat diversity and vegetation age structure, water and light availability.
Habitat area
Must be large enough to support viable populations, must have suitable breeding areas to maintain genetic diversity.
examples where habitat area is important
Monkeys need trees that produce fruits at different times of the year, so the habitat must be big enough to support this.
Some species, like frogs or newts, need a smaller habitat. Frogs and newts, for example, benefit from a small pond without fish species to prey on their eggs.
Biological corridors
Are a strip of forest/suitable vegetation which is not removed (or has been replanted) to allow separate populations of animals to migrate and interbreed. They link areas of the same habitat to allow dispersal, particularly of breeding individuals.
THEY ALSO ALLOW ANIMALS TO AVOID HAZARDS WHEN MOVING BETWEEN AREAS
Biological corridors can combat the impact of forest fragmentation
Forest fragmentation occurs when forests are destroyed; the removal of trees causes forests to become broken up into small interconnected areas, and this poses a serious threat to populations, as it promotes interbreeding due to isolation, narrowing the gene pool, which makes genetic abnormalities more likely and population survival less likely.
Habitat shape
perimeter of any habitat has a strip where conditions are a combination of the two habitat ons either side. Some species thrive here, whilst others survive and some need the area.
SO WE MUST PRESERVE AS MUCH OF THE CORE HABITAT AREA AS POSSIBLE
Vegetation age structure
in some habitats, the dominant vegetation lives for a long time and the younger trees grow in clearings made by older trees dying.
Because younger woodland may not have any natural clearings for a long time, the canopy will be very dense, light levels will be low and biodiversity will decline, reducing wildlife value of the woodland. To counteract and prevent this, we create similar conditions by selectively felling trees in order to make clearings and promote younger growth, leaving decaying wood to provide habitats.
Niche
A niche is an organisms specific role or position in its ecosystem, it includes its habitat, interactions, with other organisms and its contribution to ecosystem function and stability.
