lec 32: Overlapping Stressors & Environmental Synergies

Question 1

What does the extinction Vortex look like?

Answer 1

Habitat Overharvest Invasive species Disease

Small fragmented isolated populations

Demographic Instability , Inbreeding

Population decline

Extirpation (local) or exctinction (global)

Question 2

what is synergy

Answer 2

an interactive effect greater than the sum of individual effects

Question 3

what are the characteristics of synergies

Answer 3

• occur when stresses overlap
• often unpredictable
• sudden disruptions or abrupt shifts
• nonlinear behavior (feedback loops, cascading effects)

Question 4

T or F: Nutrient loading amplifies disease

Answer 4

True ex: amphibian deformities

Question 5

Characteristics of synergies or “ecological surprises”

Answer 5

• occur where stressors overlap
• cause unexpected changes in ecosystems
• result from the connectedness of environmental systems and their components (system complexity)