The Anthropocene 1 (Week 10 Lecture 14) Flashcards
What epoch are we currently in?
Holocene
True or False: Human-kind has caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species, polluted the oceans and altered the atmosphere, among other lasting impacts
True
What are the 5 ways listed how humans have impacted the world’s ecosystem.
Altered atmospheric chemistry - making oceans more acidic
Rearranged and transform river systems
Altered net primary productivity
Accelerated rates of extinction
Created novel ecosystems by breaking biogeographical barriers
What are the three dates in which scientists suggested anthropocene has started?
When New Zealand was first colonized (750 years ago)
at the start of the Industrial Revolution in 18th century
at the turn of the second millennium in the year 2000, in recognition of when the term was first coined
______ is most notable for the accelerating loss of biodiversity, from genes through to ecosystems and loss of species (extinction).
Antrhopocene
True or False: Environmental degradation began with changes in uses of energy and resources, coinciding with our major increase in pop. size.
True
______ occurs when the last member of a species dies and the species ceases to exist.
Extinction
______ is the disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally
Extirpation
______ is when aspecies in imminent danger of becoming extirpated or extinct
Endnagered
______ is when a species likely to become endangered in the near future.
Threatened
Paleontologists estimate ______% of all species that ever lived are now extinct
99
True or False: Natural extinction occurs at a rate of 1 species out of 1,000 mammal and marine species would go extinct every 1,000 to 10,000 years
True
______ the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.
Ecological footprint
Who started the 6th mass extinction?
Humans
Scientists estimate that the world is currently experiencing approximately ______ species extinctions per year.
1000
True or False: Populations with low genetic diversity are prone to inbreeding depression which can cause the offspring to have a poor chance of survival and later reproduction.
True
True or False: Low genetic diversity improves the probability of surviving future change in the environment.
False, high genetic diversity
______ According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), species that have a high risk of extinction in the future.
threatened species
______ species is a species that are very likely to become threatened in the future.
Near-threatened
______ species is a species Species that are very likely to become threatened in the future.
Least concern
What type of species is most threatened?
Amphibians
Areas with high levels of ______ and species diversity are targeted for conservation.
Endemism
What are the 5 causes of population decline?
Habitat alteration Invasive species Pollution Overharvesting Climate change
What species benefit from biodiversity loss?
Pigeons, rats
What are the 5 5 greatest causes of biodiversity loss?
Farming simplifies communities
Grazing modifies the grassland structure and species composition
Clearing forests removes resources organisms need
Urbanization and suburban sprawl reduce natural communities
Hydroelectric dams turn rivers into reservoirs upstream
What is an example of a new species introduced accidentally to an enviroment?
Zebra muscles
What is an example of a new species introduced purposely to a new environment?
Food crops
What are the 4 reasons to how pollution causes biodiversity loss?
Air pollution degrades forest ecosystems
Water pollution adversely affects fish and amphibians
Agricultural runoff harms terrestrial and aquatic species
The effects of oil and chemical spills on wildlife are dramatic and well known
What four species are threatened due to overharvesting?
Siberian tiger
Atlantic gray whale
Sharks
Gorillas
True or False: With climate change, most animals and plants will not be able to cope, as evolution has been about adaptation genetically over much more slowly-evolving time periods.
True
True or False: Warming has been greatest in the tropical regions.
False, Arctic
