PCE - 13 Flashcards
3 things palm oil is used for?
1) food
2) pharmaceuticals
3) biofuels
where is the deforestation capital?
SE Asia
what is expansion of the oil palm industry at expense of?
- at the expense of primary and selectively logged tropical forest
- conflict of land use
what is the impact of the oil palm industry on carbon and the consequences?
- forest conversion to oil palm releases carbon
- carbon causes climate change e.g. forest fires
- reduction in air quality
is it a good idea to expand oil palm for biofuel production?
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
what are the impacts of oil palm on biodiversity?
- massive loss of species after forest conversion to oil palm
- key driver of global extinction crisis
why is it not only important to conserve species for what they are but also..
what they do
- species play functional roles in ecosystems - can be assessed by functional diversity
what is functional diversity?
quantifies the range and abundance of functional roles played by species within a community
what are 4 examples of functional roles?
1) food type (feeding guild)
2) body size
3) foraging strategy
4) bill shape
what is functional diversity also able to account for and how?
- concurrent changes in functional traits
- each species is plotted into computerised ‘functional trait space’
what is functional richness?
volume of functional trait space occupied by a set of species
what is an ecosystem service and how may you calculate it?
the provision of a natural resource or process that is valued by humankind - could calculate by FD/FRic
what are 3 features of a system that has high FRic and FD?
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
what are 2 key functions of birds?
1) insect predators
2) seed dispersal
what are 2 key functions of dung beetles?
1) nutrient recycling
2) pest suppression
what is a functional trait matrix?
- collect a range of traits for each species
1) morphological
2) behavioural traits
what impacts do oil palm plantations have on trait combinations?
there are fewer trait combinations in oil palm
does retaining forest provide yield benefits in oil palm?
- 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
