Lecture 2- fundamentals of distribution

Question 1

What are distribution and range?

Answer 1

General terms that are used to decribe where a group of organisms occurs, and can be described at many spacial scales

Question 2

What is an example of a large spacial scale?

Answer 2

geographic-total global area where the species occurs

Question 3

What is an example of an intermediate spatial scale?

Answer 3

Regional- Where a species occurs within a given boundary (ie. deer in BC)

Question 4

What is an example of a small spatial scale?

Answer 4

Niche- Specific ways that an organism fits into an ecosystem

Question 5

What are temporal scales?

Answer 5

Varieties of time scales.

Question 6

What is a Diel scale?

Answer 6

Species’ range changes over a 24 hour period

Question 7

What is seasonal?

Answer 7

Variations in range throughout a year

Question 8

What is annual?

Answer 8

variations in range over multiple years

Question 9

What is species adaption?

Answer 9

When a species increases it tolerance to some environmental factor. It is a result of natural selection

Question 10

What are behavioral adaptions?

Answer 10

adaptions to attract a mate, adaptions in diet, adaptions in shelter

Question 11

What are morphological adaptions?

Answer 11

Adaptions related to an organisms physical structure. ex. elephants have wrinkled skin to increase heat loss with more surface area

Question 12

What are physiological adaptions?

Answer 12

adaptions relating to an organisms inner workings. heat conservasion, energ and nutrient conservation, adaptions for changing sex

Question 13

What does natural selection entail?

Answer 13

1. Pops ususally produce a surplus of offspring (Survival)
2. traits vary among individuals
3. many traits are inherited from parents
4. traits better suited for reproduction and survival will maximize fitness and persist over time

Question 14

What does evolution entail?

Answer 14

Change over time in a popultions inherited characteristics

Question 15

What is a technique for identifying adaptions in plant populations?

Answer 15

Reciprocal transplant experiments

Question 16

How are distributions esablished?

Answer 16

distributions are determined by where in the world a species has evolved

Question 17

What can limit a species distribution

Answer 17

Characteristics of a landscape. many environmental fctors determine whether a species can successfully establish itself

Question 18

What is dispersal ability?

Answer 18

relative ability of a species to move away from their place of origin into a new habitat or area in which they survive and reproduce.

Question 19

What is habitat selection (preference)?

Answer 19

Active behavior of animals in selecting the most valuable sites (feed, breed, raise young) even though it can survive in other areas

Question 20

What is insufficient time?

Answer 20

Given more time, a species may expand its range through dispersal (which is considered natural range expansion when humans do not aid dispersal

Question 21

What are some Abiotic environmental factors limiting dispersal?

Answer 21

Climate, rainfall, elemental concentrations, pH, salinity, soils

Question 22

What are some biotic environmental factors limiting dispersal?

Answer 22

Predators, parasites, disease, competitors, or species that provide some type of benefit

Question 23

Why are controls important in experiments?

Answer 23

to compare experimental conditions with the natural process and variations.