Midterm 1

Question 1

define conservation biology

Answer 1

The development of appropriate scientific principles and application of those principles to conservation problems, addresses the biology of species, communities and ecosystems that are perturbed, either directly or indirectly,by human activities or other agents and develop technologies for the maintenance of biological diversity

Question 2

meine et al conservation bio definition

Answer 2

pursuit of a coherent goal: the protection and perpetuation of the earths biological diversity. a mission oriented, crisis driven discipline comprising both pure and applied science

Question 3

ehrenfeld 1992 conservation bio definition

Answer 3

not defined by a discipline but by its goal - to halt or repair the undeniable, massive damage that is being done to ecosystems, species, and the relationship of humans to the environment

Question 4

what are the 3 components to biodiversity?

Answer 4

• structural
• compositional
• function

Question 5

what is anthropocene?

Answer 5

Earth period in whichhuman activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
-began 11.700 years after the last major ice age.
-Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen popularized it in 2000
informal term.

Question 6

characteristics of extinction

Answer 6

-is a natural process
- fossil record show low background rates, punctuated by 5 mass extinction events in which significant proportions of species on earth were lost.
->Increasing evidence that we are now in a 6th Mass Extinction event….rates have increased substantially, and unlike earlier events the current one is caused by humans

Question 7

ordovician-silurian extinction (o-s)

Answer 7

Around 450–440 million years ago, two consecutive mass extinctions resulted in the elimination of 60% to 70% of all species, including 85% of marine species. Massive glaciation and sea-level drop, caused by continental drift, played a significant role in this event.

Question 8

late devonian extinction (late d)

Answer 8

Occurring approximately 375–360 million years ago, this extinction event led to the loss of at least 70% of all species. Global anoxia, possibly triggered by global cooling or oceanic volcanism, is among the proposed causes.

Question 9

permian triassic extinction (great dying)

Answer 9

About 252 million years ago, the most devastating mass extinction in Earth’s history occurred, eliminating 96% of marine species and around 70% of land species. Severe volcanic activity, environmental changes, and long-term methane release have been considered as the potential causes.

Question 10

triassic jurassic extinction (t-j)

Answer 10

Around 201.3 million years ago, this event led to the extinction of 70-75% of terrestrial and marine species, including most amphibians. It potentially resulted from volcanic eruptions and greenhouse gas emissions, leading to climate change.

Question 11

cretaceous-paleogene extinction (k-pg)

Answer 11

Approximately 66 million years ago, this extinction event resulted in the disappearance of 75% of species. Non-avian dinosaurs vanished, making way for the rise of mammals as the dominant large land animals. The primary cause was a colossal asteroid impact, which created the Chicxulub Crater, accompanied by volcanic activity known as Deccan Traps.

Question 12

what are the current extinction rates?

Answer 12

100-1000 times faster than natural rate

Question 13

species populations of vertebrate animals have decreased in abundance by ___ between _____

Answer 13

58%, 1970 and 2012 and 2016 (over 60%)

Question 14

the living planet idex (LPI) is a

Answer 14

measure of the state of the worlds biological diversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats

Question 15

the current trend that the LPI has shown is a 58% decline between 1970 and 2012, if this continues…

Answer 15

the decline could reach 2/3 by 2020

Question 16

today how many africian elephants are there

Answer 16

less than 450,000

Question 17

what are the % of decline as of 2012 in terrestrial, marine and freshwater vertebrates

Answer 17

terrestrial - 38%
marine - 36%
freshwater 81%

Question 18

general definition of conservation biology

Answer 18

the development of appropriate scientific principles and the application of those principles to developing technologies for the maintenance of biological diversity

Question 19

two important characteristics of conservation biology

Answer 19

1.It is a crisis discipline where action in conservation must often be taken before all the facts can be assembled.
2. It is holistic in the sense that it embraces a wide range of disciplines and theories- IBT, Genetics, Ecology, Metapopulation biology, hazard evaluation.

Question 20

what are the goals of conservation biology?

Answer 20

(1)to investigate and describe the diversity of the living world;
(2) to understand the effects of human activities on species, communities, and ecosystems;
(3) to develop practical interdisciplinary approaches to protecting and restoring biological diversity.

Question 21

like medicine, conservation biology is ______

Answer 21

normative or mission oriented

• it embraces certain values and uses science to achieve those values

Question 22

principles or axioms of conservation biology

Answer 22

1. Natural communities are the products of coevolutionary processes.
   2.Many, if not all, ecological processes have thresholds below and above which they become discontinuous or chaotic.
2. Genetic and demographic processes have thresholds below which nonadaptive, random forces begin to prevail over adaptive, deterministic forces within populations.
3. Nature reserves are inherently in disequilibrium for large, rare organisms.

Question 23

keystone species

Answer 23

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

Question 24

what is an example of a keystone species?

Answer 24

sea otter - as their consumption of sea urchins prevents the destruction of kelp forests caused by the sea urchin population

Question 25

what would a food web look like after 5 years post removal of the purple sea star?

Answer 25

only one species remaining

Question 26

what are the four fundamental ecological processes of ecosystems

Answer 26

water cycle, biogeochemical (or nutrient) cycling, energy flow and community dyanmics

Question 27

as of 2018, there are ___ national parks, ___ national park reserves, covering an area of ______ or about ____ of the total land area of canada

Answer 27

39, 8, approx 382,198, 3.3%

Question 28

Normative Postulates of Conservation Biology

Answer 28

1. Diversity of organisms is good.
2. Ecological complexity is good. (extinction is not good and must be avoided at all levels of complexity)
3. Evolution is good.
   4.Biotic diversity has intrinsic value

Question 29

the big 5 - major threats to nature

Answer 29

1. habitat degradation/loss
2. overexploitation
3. invasive species
4. climate change
5. nitrogen deposition

Question 30

what are other major threats to nature?

Answer 30

• pollution
• disease
• overuse of freshwater

Question 31

multiple stressors ->

Answer 31

cumulative impacts