Quiz 4, Chapter 11, 11 Extended

Question 1

Describe a graph of the relationship between temperature and population growth rate. Include necessary terms.

Answer 1

Relationship between temperature and population growth rate- T0 (Thermal optimum) indicates the temperature at which the rmax (maximum rate of population growth) occurs. A graph of temperature vs pop growth rate (for aphids) would be a bell shaped curve with a left tail.

Question 2

Describe the spruce budworm.

Answer 2

A number of years of dry weather can lead to outbreaks of spruce budworm, a destructive native insect. The outbreaks end when warmer and wetter weather returns.

Question 3

What is the relationship between precipitation and population growth rate, using the example of the desert animal Merriam’s kangaroo rat?

Answer 3

Requires moisture/rain for reproduction. Reproduction coincides with seasonal moisture that stimulates plant growth in the fall and winter. The females require the green, succulent plant growth when pregnant and lactating in January and February. If rainfall is low, the plants do not develop and there are low levels of reproduction.

Question 4

Describe how the level of snowfall correlates with white-tailed deer population.

Answer 4

Annual change in the white-tailed deer population in MN is inversely related to snow accumulation the previous winter. (More snow = less fawn per doe, less deer population). Snow messes with mobility and finding mates, as well as food availability.

Question 5

What estimated percent of species have humans killed?

Answer 5

50%

Question 6

What is MVP? Describe it.

Answer 6

Minimum Viable Population, the number of individuals necessary to ensure the population’s existence over a stated period of time (usually 50-60 generations).

99% probability of lasting 40 generations. Does not differ among major taxa or with geographic region. Negatively correlated with the population growth rate (the more individuals needed, the lower growth rate).

Question 7

What is PVA? Describe it. What factors does it consider?

Answer 7

Population viability analysis (PVA) is a risk assessment model used to estimate MVP by taking into account genetic factors, species characteristics (life history), environmental variability (chance variations). If large fluctuations in population size, the estimated MVP is greatly increased.

Question 8

What is MDA? Describe it. What factors does it consider?

Answer 8

Minimum dynamic area (MDA) is an estimate of the area requirement per individual. Takes into account home range size of individuals, family groups, or colonies; carrying capacity of the habitat.

Question 9

How successful are ecological models? Explain.

Answer 9

Only 20% of ecological models work, they need lots of very accurate data and need to be continuously calibrated.

Question 10

Who was Aldo Leopold?

Answer 10

The “founding father of wildlife management”. Established the nations first Department of Wildlife Ecology at UW-Madison and served two decades in the forest service.

Question 11

What book(s) did Aldo Leopold write?

Answer 11

The River of the Mother of God, A Sand County Almanac

Question 12

What did “The River of the Mother of God” describe?

Answer 12

The importance of predators in the balance of nature
Over-protection of “Bambi”, forests
Scientific management of wildlife habitats (via public and private landowners; not via game refuges, hunting laws, etc; rejected the Utilitarianism approach by Teddy Roosevelt)

Question 13

Describe the difference between an Utilitarianism approach to conservation vs a non-utilitarianism approach.

Answer 13

Utilitarianism approach: views species and ecosystems as resources or service

Non-utilitarianism approach: emphasize on aesthetic, emotional, spiritual, and ethical values of the nature (view of Leopold)

Question 14

What did “A Sand County Almanac” describe?

Answer 14

Landmark in the American conservation movement, organized into:

Part I: Sand County Almanac; poetic.

Part II: The Quality of Landscape. e.g., “Thinking Like a Mountain” (Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf)

Part III: The Upshot
Land ethics
Wilderness
Conservation esthetic (more than just usefulness)

Question 15

What were Aldo Leopold’s three qualities according to Dr. Huang?

Answer 15

EAI
Experiential (= involving experiences)
Aesthetic (=artistic)
Inspirational

Question 16

Who was Rachel Carson?

Answer 16

Studied as a Marine biologist, renowned for her keen observations and sensitivity.

Question 17

What book(s) did Rachel Carson write?

Answer 17

Silent Spring

Question 18

What did “Silent Spring” describe? What was its impact?

Answer 18

Discussed DDT, pesticides, & other environmental chemicals.

Attacked by chemical industry
1963 Testified before the Congress
Other events: falcon population decline
1972 DDT banned by US EPA

Also talked about the formerly wildlife-rich town that is now quiet.

Question 19

What were Rachel Carson’s three qualities according to Dr. Huang?

Answer 19

RPC
Rational
Passionate
Courageous

Question 20

Who is Jared Diamond?

Answer 20

Wrote about environmental history, evolution. Son of a physician (dad) and a linguist, teacher, concert pianist (mom). Researched ornithology and evolutionary biology.

Question 21

What book(s) did Jared Diamond write?

Answer 21

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (1991)

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (1997, Pulitzer)

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005)

The World Until Yesterday.

Question 22

What did “Guns, Germs, and Steel” describe?

Answer 22

Analyzed why certain societies succeeded while others failed.

Asked why Eurasian people conquered. Talked about how societies with strong agriculture technology could afford to advance in other ways (not everyone needed to be a farmer, some people could specialize in other jobs/skills.

Question 23

What did “Collapse” describe? What example(s) did it use?

Answer 23

Sought to understand societal collapses to which environmental problems contribute.

Mismanaged/overutilized resources determine the collapse of society.

Examples: 
Problems in Montana: 
copper mining
logging and burning of forests
soils – apple orchard
           nutrients depletion; 
            salinization; erosion
Societal conflicts/disparities
         Land value
         Urban vs. rural behavioral philosophy

Bitterroot Valley-used to be a forest now serves as a place of recreation

Question 24

What are the (5) factors to societal collapse?

Answer 24

Environmental damage

Climate change

Hostile neighbors

Friendly trade partners not exist anymore

Society’s response to its environmental problems (resilience), how fast you go back to original state

Question 25

What are Jared Diamond's three qualities according to Dr. Huang?

Answer 25

SIA Synthetic / Integrative (synthesizing results from data) Insightful Articulate / Eloquent

Question 26

Describe the Lofoton Islands

Answer 26

Islands in Norway that are an example of maintained environmental stability. Bridges are curved and fit into landscape. Power plants built 3 miles inside of the mountains that run on Hydroelectric power.

Question 27

Differentiate between the Natural Capital and the Economic Capital

Answer 27

Natural Capital is the world’s stocks of natural assets such as geology, soil, air, water Economical Capital is the amount of $/assets that a firm needs to have + in case $

Question 28

Differentiate between Monoculture vs Polyculture

Answer 28

Monoculture is farming a single crop over a wide area for several consecutive years Used in industrial, large harvests with minimal resources Polyculture is farming multiple/mixed crops

Question 29

What is the definition of Swidding Agriculture?

Answer 29

The technique of rotational farming in which land is cleared (like by fire) and then left to regenerate after a few years

Question 30

How many years does it take to create 1 inch of topsoil?

Answer 30

1000 years. Topsoil dispersed in improper locations is a big deal

Question 31

Describe Sustained Yield

Answer 31

Harvesting at a level that ensures a similar yield over and over without forcing the population into decline.

Question 32

What is MSY?

Answer 32

(Maximum Sustained Yield): Takes population down to the level replaced in 1 yr

Question 33

What is OSY?

Answer 33

(Optimal Sustained Yield): Less than MSY, safety factor

Question 34

What is the Management Objective For R-Strategists?

Answer 34

“reduce natural wastage” = take animals that would die anyway due to density-independent mortality (young fish already have high mortality) Invest in large growth rate, occupy less crowded niches. Focuses on REPRODUCTION rather than COMPETITION less stable population size.

Question 35

What is the Management Objective For K-Strategists?

Answer 35

Internal regulation, help with density-dependent factors (diseases, starvation) Invest more heavily in fewer offspring, occupy high density niches. Focuses on COMPETITION rather than REPRODUCTION, it's population is mostly stable

Question 36

What was his example using Pacific Sardine?

Answer 36

Exploitation Causes Instability Example: Pacific Sardine During the 1940’s and 50’s younger fish were taken a lot, plus they had problems competing with anchovies, plus abiotic factors such as warmer temperatures caused reproductive failure.

Question 37

Describe the Fixed Quota method of managing exploitable populations.

Answer 37

Used in fisheries and in response to overfishing | Risky (can’t easily or quickly change quotas)

Question 38

Describe the Harvest Effort method of managing exploitable populations.

Answer 38

Used in sport hunting (# of hunters, bags, time length) More successful than fixed quotas Specified amount of hunters, length of time rather than amount of animals.

Question 39

Describe the Dynamic Pool Model method of managing exploitable populations.

Answer 39

The quota constantly is changed due to frequent evaluations Used in Japanese fisheries Regulate size of gill net, prevent gill net Seeks to estimate number of the fish population at a particular time from available data, and predict its future evolution under various assumptions about natural and anthropogenic effects, especially levels of fishing

Question 40

What is the issue with any technique on managing exploitable populations?

Answer 40

All of these have problems, because “economics” demands no stopping/decreasing They see animals as biological units, not parts of a system

Question 41

Describe the causes of Wildlife Decline/Extinction. There are seven total.

Answer 41

Habitat destruction, fragmentation, or alteration - --Whooping Cranes had issues with habitat loss and overhunting - --Until the summer of 1954, their summer grounds were not known. Once they were, a new flock was created that was trained to follow an alternate route. Human Competition ---The American bison was used by indigenous hunters for hides, arrow points, glue, paint, and arrow straighteners Poaching ---Rare species are more valuable → Hellbenders Lead Poisoning and Shooting ---Even if they don’t die from initial injury, will succumb to lead poisoning and may harm predators/scavengers Disease ---The density dependent chronic wasting syndrome, or spongiform encephalopathy has prions that affect the CNS Collection (hunting) Natural Disasters

Question 42

What are some issues that have to be considered in wildlife management? There are seven total.

Answer 42

Habitat ---Habitat may be reduced, may need to form corridors Life strategy of species, r vs k Carrying capacity of the habitat Genetics/Biodiversity ---California Condor Interspecific Activity ---Predation Abiotic Factors ---Climate stability/changes Public Support

Question 43

What are some problems with reintroduction? There are six.

Answer 43

``` High Cost Loss of habitat Niche already occupied Logistical Difficulties Reduction or fragmentation of habitat Adapting back to the wild ---Captive-born adjusting to temperature and predators ```

Question 44

Describe the restoration efforts/decline of the Pergrine Falcon. Include the major cause of their decline and how it worked.

Answer 44

Restoration efforts from 1970-1999 (follow 30yr pattern) Decline started in 50’s and 60’s due to DDT DDT is metabolized to DDE, which binds to the ATPase dependent Ca+2 channels and prevent calcium deposition onto eggshells 3-4% background egg breaking became much larger

Question 45

Describe the restoration efforts/decline of the Wild Turkey

Answer 45

Restoration efforts from 1950→Continue Decline started in 1800-1900 due to overhunting, deforestation, and contaminants Worst time was in the 1930’s, which they vanished from 19/39 eastern/midwestern states Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in the Wildlife Restoration Act → constant $$ Public support due to Thanksgiving and general hunting Available forests Ability to adapt to habitats Continued intensive studies even after recovery using PR $