Lecture Seventeen - Climate Change and Biodiversity 2 Flashcards
What is phenotypic plasticity?
The ability to express a range of different phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions experienced.
Give an example of phenotypic plasticity.
Flowers flowering at different times of year depending on climatic conditions they experience in spring time.
What percentage of corals were killed in 1998?
16%
What can constrain the ability of some species to cope with rapidly changing environments?
Slow life histories
Describe the Great Tit response to annual climatic variation.
- Plastic response
- Populations able to maintain tracking of timing of caterpillars they feed on upon changing temperatures year to year.
- Produce young every year.
Explain why Chytrid fungus has a greater effect on frogs in warmer years.
- Exposed to ‘Chytrid Thermal Optimum Hypothesis’
- In warmer temperatures, able to maintain itself in amphibian populations and generate extinction events of individual species.
What kind of species tend to have poleward expansions?
Mobile generalists - dispersive and generalist in terms of habitat requirements.
What is the climate envelope?
The envelope of suitable climates where a species actually occurs.
What proportion of European bumblebee species could lose what amount of their range by 2100 under a severe climate change scenario?
1/3 European bumblebee species could lose over 80% of current range.
For what percentage of bird species do models fit distributions no better than chance?
68%
For what species do climate envelope models fit best?
Species at a higher latitude
What is used to estimate an extinction rate?
A species-area relationship
Give the linear equation for the Species-area relationship.
S = c x A^z
Give the logarithmic equation for species-area relationship.
LogS = Logc + zlogA
What is the average value of z in a species-area relationship?
0.25-0.30
For a 90% reduction in area, what is the expected reduction in number of species?
50%
For a 99% reduction in area, what is the expected reduction in number of species?
75%
What are the key findings of Thomas et al?
- 15-37% of species committed to extinction by 2050
- Less warming results in fewer extinctions
What does ‘committed to extinction’ mean?
Species may require certain area to exist, but does not suffer extinction immediately once area of suitable habitat drops below threshold.
Give three factors that influence the vulnerability of species.
- Exposure
- Sensitivity
- Adaptive capacity
What is exposure?
Rate of change of climatic factors affecting species in geographic range.
What is sensitivity?
Some species are more sensitive due to narrow range of biotic or environmental tolerances.
What is adaptive capacity?
Dispersal ability, plasticity or micro-evolutionary potential.
What is mitigation?
Reducing the causes of climate change in order to reduce exposure.
What is adaptation within conservation and climate change?
Reducing the negative effects of exposure to climate change.
What is assisted colonisation?
Taking species from their native ranges to regions that are predicted to become climatically favourable.
Give an example of a possible future associated colonisation.
Moving species from Spain to Scotland.
