PCE - 13

Question 1

3 things palm oil is used for?

Answer 1

1) food
2) pharmaceuticals
3) biofuels

Question 2

where is the deforestation capital?

Answer 2

SE Asia

Question 3

what is expansion of the oil palm industry at expense of?

Answer 3

• at the expense of primary and selectively logged tropical forest
• conflict of land use

Question 4

what is the impact of the oil palm industry on carbon and the consequences?

Answer 4

• forest conversion to oil palm releases carbon
• carbon causes climate change e.g. forest fires
• reduction in air quality

Question 5

is it a good idea to expand oil palm for biofuel production?

Answer 5

adv - biofuels save burning fossil fuels
disadv - oil palm expansion destroys forest
- depends how long it takes to recoup emitted carbon from forest conversion to oil palm can be up to 600 years

Question 6

what are the impacts of oil palm on biodiversity?

Answer 6

• massive loss of species after forest conversion to oil palm
• key driver of global extinction crisis

Question 7

why is it not only important to conserve species for what they are but also..

Answer 7

what they do

- species play functional roles in ecosystems - can be assessed by functional diversity

Question 8

what is functional diversity?

Answer 8

quantifies the range and abundance of functional roles played by species within a community

Question 9

what are 4 examples of functional roles?

Answer 9

1) food type (feeding guild)
2) body size
3) foraging strategy
4) bill shape

Question 10

what is functional diversity also able to account for and how?

Answer 10

• concurrent changes in functional traits

- each species is plotted into computerised ‘functional trait space’

Question 11

what is functional richness?

Answer 11

volume of functional trait space occupied by a set of species

Question 12

what is an ecosystem service and how may you calculate it?

Answer 12

the provision of a natural resource or process that is valued by humankind - could calculate by FD/FRic

Question 13

what are 3 features of a system that has high FRic and FD?

Answer 13

1) higher levels of ecosystem functioning
2) more efficient resource use by communities
3) imporved services that are beneficial to humankind (ecosystem services) - higher carbon storage with higher FD

Question 14

what are 2 key functions of birds?

Answer 14

1) insect predators

2) seed dispersal

Question 15

what are 2 key functions of dung beetles?

Answer 15

1) nutrient recycling

2) pest suppression

Question 16

what is a functional trait matrix?

Answer 16

• collect a range of traits for each species
  1) morphological
  2) behavioural traits

Question 17

what impacts do oil palm plantations have on trait combinations?

Answer 17

there are fewer trait combinations in oil palm

Question 18

does retaining forest provide yield benefits in oil palm?

Answer 18

• no forest extent and proximity have no effect on yield
• spill over of biodiversity from forest has net neutral effect on yield
• retention of forest must be for conservation rather than yield benefits