Wildlife + Ecology Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
What are abiotic factors?
Non-living variables that can influence an ecosystem–light intensity, temperature, humidity soil.
What are biotic factors?
Interactions associated with living organisms–competition for resources, grazing, predation, pollination, seed dispersal, disease and food availability.
Define speciation.
The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
What are the three types of speciation?
Allopatric, parapatric, sympatric
What are demes?
Local interbreeding population within a species. Can cause genetic and physical variation. An isolated subpopulation subjected to selection as a unit rather than individuals.
What are ecological niches?
The role and position a species has in its environment, how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives and reproduces.
What is a metapopulation?
A regional group of connected populations of a species.
Provide an example of a UK species affected by fragmentation.
Dormouse, hedgehog.
What is seasonality?
A characteristic of time in which predictable changes reoccur every year. A predictable or pattern in a time series can be said to be seasonal.
What is dissolution?
The action of formally ending or dismissing an assembly, partnership, or official body.
How does dissolution affect wildlife populations?
For socially monogamous species, breeder bond dissolution has big consequences for population dynamics. For animals with complex reproductive display and rituals, pair dissolution can have a real detrimental effect on their reproductive success.
What is dispersal?
Movement of young plants and animals away from their parents.
What does EID stand for?
Emerging Infectious Disease.
What’s the difference between immigration and emigration?
Immigration means you are coming in to a different area to live. Emigration means you are exiting your current homeland.
Provide two ways in which humans influence ecosystems.
Habitat destruction, pollution, introducing species of plants and animals, hunting/poaching, agriculture.
What is in situ conservation?
The conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings.
What is ex situ conservation?
‘Off-site’ conservation means the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
What is a conservation project?
Programmes undertaken by conservation and environmental organisations to protect biodiversity, wildlife, wild places or endangered species
What is divergent evolution?
The process whereby groups from the same common ancestor evolve and accumulate differences, resulting in the formation of new species.
What is convergent evolution?
The process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.
What is parallel evolution?
When independent species acquire similar characteristics while evolving together at the same time in the same ecospace.
What does IUCN stand for?
International Union for Conservation of Nature.
What is the cycling of lynx and snowshoe hare populations in Northern Ontario an example of?
A BOOM BUST cycle
