M1/2 What is ecology? Biodiversity?

Question 1

Large Blue Butterfly Facts

Answer 1

Larval food is thyme, dry/acidic grasslands. Highly prized by collectors, extinct in 1979. Unable to breed in captivity.

Question 2

Krebs definition of Ecology

Answer 2

The scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.

Question 3

Spatial scales

Answer 3

Local (individual), Large (community), Global (biome).

Question 4

Temporal Scales

Answer 4

Short term (diversity), Long term (distributions), geological (evolution).

Question 5

A population

Answer 5

A group of individuals of a single species that live in a specific area and interact with one another.

Question 6

A community

Answer 6

An association of populations of different species in same area.

Question 7

An ecosystem

Answer 7

A community of organisms plus their physical environment.

Question 8

4 steps to an ecological study

Answer 8

Observation, hypothesis, prediction, test.

Question 9

Ecological issues

Answer 9

Always need more replicates due to a lot of variation between species. Diurnal/seasonal variation. Ecosystems are complex to control or isolate to study.

Question 10

Why is Biodiversity so Important?

Answer 10

Medicine, Food Security, Life Support, Food Diversity.

Question 11

Food Diversity Facts

Answer 11

30 crops supply 90% of calories. 14 species produce 90% of global livestock. 1,650 tropical forest plants could be grown as vegetable crops.

Question 12

Ecosystem function

Answer 12

the capacity of natural processes and components to provide goods and services to satisfy human needs directly/indirectly.

Question 13

Biodiversity

Answer 13

The variability among living organisms from all sources, and the ecological complexes from which they are part.

Question 14

Functional Group

Answer 14

A set of species within a community which share similar characteristics. There can also be functional diversity. And ecosystem function can be affected by no. of species and their roles.

Question 15

Sampling effect

Answer 15

The more species, the more likely there is a highly competitive species. This is a more efficient user of resources which leads to higher productivity. This means there are less unconsumed resources and fewer opportunities for new species.

Question 16

Portfolio effect

Answer 16

The more species there are to spread the variability across, the more stable the ecosystem.

Question 17

Complementarity effect

Answer 17

Each species has a combination of resources at which it performs best. Variation means each species covers a different part of the habitat, but no species can fully exploit the full range of conditions.

Question 19

Pest biocontrol example

Answer 19

Increase bat population across cereal fields to keep caterpillar infestation away. This also led to less fungus since the moths were spreading it.

Question 20

Ecosystem Process

Answer 20

Since each species has particular combinations of resource needs, high diversity reduces niche availability.

Question 21

Extinction facts

Answer 21

Extinction rates are 1000x higher than those on the fossil record, ‘great dying’ (250 mya). Beginning of mass extinction due to us.