Slide Set 2

Question 1

What are wallaces 17 Principles?

Answer 1

1. Distance by istelf does not determine the degree of biogeographic affinity
2. climate has a strong effect on taxonomic similarity but the relationship necessarily linear
3. things you need to know in order to determine biological patterns
4. fossil record is important but incomplete, it provides evidence for past migrations of organisms
5. recent climate an geological events have a large effect on current composition for past migrations of organsims
6. factors of importance to determine the distribution, dispersal and extinction of biota include; competition, predation, and other biotic interactions
7. discontinuities in range can be due to extinctions of intermediate populaions or to patchiness of habitats
8. speciation can occur through geographic isolation followed by local adaptation
9. disjunctions of genera are older than disjunctions of single species; the higher the taxonomic category, the more ancient the disjunctions
10. long distance dispersal is possible and probable
11. distributions of organisms with poor powers of dispersal indicate past land connections
12. in absence of competitors or predators, organisms on isolated land masses can diversify
13. when two large landmasses are reunited after long separation, extinction can occur as species encounter new competitors
14. procsses acting now may not be at the same intensity as those processes in the past
15. to analyze the biota of a region one must study the distributions of its organisms and relatives beyond that region
16. islands fall into 3 categories
17. islands are important test cases to study and understand distributions and speciation events, and adaptations

Question 2

according to wallace what are the things you need to know in order to determine biological patterns?

Answer 2

• knowledge of distribution
• a true and natural system of classification
• acceptance of evolution by natural selection
• knowledge of extinct forms
• knowledge of ocean floor, geological stratigraphy and past connections between land masses

Question 3

islands fall into what 3 categories?

Answer 3

1. continental- recent separation
2. continental- ancient separation
3. distant oceanic- volcanic or coral

Question 4

Why do we study invasive species?

Answer 4

• the pace of invasion is very rapid, giving us opportunity to study the relative importance of ecological processes such as competition, predation, parasitism and disease
• mechanism of establishment , facilitation and tolerance can be studied
• aftermath can be studied

Question 5

what was the case of the prickly pear cactus?

Answer 5

introduced into australia, used for scale insect for red dye for uniforms, no natural enemies so spread on wide scale and could not be controlled. predator cactoblast was able to control species

Question 6

what was the case of the invasion of the great lakes?

Answer 6

zebra mussels and quagga mussels spread to the great lakes through fishing boats bails and gear. they came from the black and caspian sea, no predators so they spread rapidly.

Question 7

what was the cause of the lake erie algal blooms?

Answer 7

phosphors input from farming practices, also the invading mussels dont consume the cyanobacteria

Question 8

what are the five contrasting patterns of distribution?

Answer 8

1. endemic patterns
2. circumboreal patterns
3. overlapping (ring species)
4. expanding (range extension)
5. Relict (range reduction)

Question 9

what is the restricted and endemic distribution?

Answer 9

part of the hawaiian island chain, volcanic origin, multiple cases of endemic species

Question 10

what are the picture wing flies of hawaii?

Answer 10

112 distinct species on this island, differ in morphology, pigmentation and behaviour, little change in dna. they were isolated over a long period of time, adaptive radiation, many endemic species

Question 11

what does eurytopic mean?

Answer 11

wide range of ecological tolerances

Question 12

what is an example of world scale distribution?

Answer 12

common blue damselfy , northern hemisphere

Question 13

what are some ecological reasons for world scale distribution to occur?

Answer 13

species can use many habitats, has a wide tolerance for food, climate, physical conditions, good competitor

Question 14

what is an example of a ring species or overlapping distributions?

Answer 14

two species L fuscus and L argentstus (seagulls) both occur in northern europe, they are true biospecies and have evolved from one ancestor, theyre separate clines are said to reveal the pathway of evolutionary development of two species

Question 15

the ring species story is based on a hypothesis first put forward by ______

Answer 15

Mayr (1942)

Question 16

what is the general idea of the ring species story?

Answer 16

Mayr postulated a single origin in the caspain sea that  gave rise to three lineages;
1. west (mediterranean species of gulls)
2. east (inner asian 
gulls)
3. north (arctic ocean gulls)

In turn the arctic species then gave rise to three new species westward and eastward, the two meet in northern europe

Question 17

what are the limits to the spread of the zebra and quagga mussels in north america?

Answer 17

temperature, and water chemistry including (calcium, magnesium and pH)

Question 18

Range expansion distribution is linked to _________ activities

Answer 18

human

Question 19

what is an example of relict species?

Answer 19

the tulip tree, was once widespread but has become limited to two remaining species

Question 20

spacial, _______ and taxonomic scales influence distribution patterns

Answer 20

temporal

Question 21

define circumboreal

Answer 21

floristic region within the Holarctic Kingdom in Eurasia and North America

Question 22

define eurytopic

Answer 22

tolerate a wide range of habitats or ecological conditions

Question 23

define stenotopic

Answer 23

tolerate only a restricted range of habitats or ecological conditions

Question 24

define polytopic species

Answer 24

occurring or originating in two or more areas

Question 25

define cline

Answer 25

gradient of morphological or physiological change in a group of related organisms usually along a line of environmental or geographic transition

Question 26

define taxonomy

Answer 26

branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms; systematics

Question 27

define cosmopolitan

Answer 27

range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The opposite extreme is endemism

Question 28

define refugium

Answer 28

an area in which a population of organisms can survive through a period of unfavorable conditions, especially glaciation.

Question 29

define evolutionary divergence adaptive radiation

Answer 29

process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, creates new challenges, or opens new environmental niches

Question 30

define allopatry?

Answer 30

populations of related organisms are unable to interbreed because of geographic separation. The development of new species as a result of the geographic separation of populations is called allopatric speciation

Question 31

define taxon

Answer 31

taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class.

Question 32

define endemic species

Answer 32

are plants and animals that exist only in one geographic region

Question 33

define relict species

Answer 33

plant or animal is a taxon that persists as a remnant of what was once a diverse and widespread population.

Question 34

define vicariance

Answer 34

separation or division of a group of organisms by a geographic barrier, such as a mountain or a body of water, resulting in differentiation of the original group into new varieties or species.