Flashcards
Intro to Conservation Ecology
Cards in this deck (28)
- 1What are the three scales biodiversity can occur at?1. Genetic diversity
2. Species diversity.
3. Ecosystem diversity - 2Define alpha diversityThe number of species in a community or designated area
- 3Define beta diversityThe rate of change in species composition along gradients
- 4Define gamma diversityThe number of species in a large region/country
- 5What can the distribution of species be determined by?- Latitudinal gradients (more species closer to the equator)
- Structural complexity (more species where there is greater complexity)
- Productivity (more species where there is greater productivity)
- Physical factors (geography, climate, barriers to movement) - 6What is the theory of island biogeography?- Larger islands contain more species than smaller islands
- More species colonize islands close to mainland.
- Fewer species go extinct on larger islands - 7Give an example of an exception to the species-area hypothesis- Based on the hypothesis, Southwestern Australia should have more plant species than the Cape Region but this is not the case
- The Cape Florastic Region (CFR) comprises 44% of the 20,500 species in all of southern Africa. 69% of vascular plants there are endemic. - 8What three traits make species prone to extinction?1. Specialism
2. Small populations
3. Restricted range - 9Describe the relationship between biodiversity and ecological function?- Higher biodiversity = more ecosystem functions
- Diverse communities are more productive
- Higher biodiversity means more stable ecosystems - 10__% of the variation in the number of threatened species can be accounted for by human population density and species richness.88%
- 11Describe how species can adapt to climate change in space- Species track appropriate conditions and follow them.
- Latitudinal and altitudinal range shifts already observed in >1000 species
- H/e, may not be adapted to other abiotic variables or novel biotic interactions - 12Describe how species can adapt to climate change temporally?- Shifts in the timing of life cycle events, e.g. flowering or migrations
- Mean shift in key phenological events of 5.1 days earlier per decade over the last 50 years.
- Phenological shifts can lead to asynchrony in predator-prey and insect-plant systems - 13Describe how species can adapt to climate change through 'self'- Species can adapt to new conditions in their local range, rather than tracking current optimal conditions
- Physiological alterations allow tolerance in warmer/drier conditions
- In ectotherms, physiological responses can be temperature-sensitive
- H/e, plastic phenotypic responses reach a physiological limit - 14How many global priority templates are there for the WWF Global 2009 templates
- 5 incorporate vulnerability
- 4 use plant endemism
- 1 uses bird endemsim - 15What are the benefits of using global templates for conservation planning- Some evidence of correspondence between templates with terrestrial vertebrates and regional plants
- Hotspots focused $750 million of conservation resources
- Allowed global funding mechanisms to be established - 16What are the challenges associated with global priority setting?- How well do data for one taxon reflect the priorities for another
- Do current conservation priorities represent evolutionary history
- How well are ecological processes or ES captured
- How can future climates be incorporated
- Lack of cost incorporation - 17What is the goal of the 'Return on Investment' approach?- Defining hotspots does not inform how to distribute limited resources
- ROE maximises biodiversity conservation through the creation of PA's, given ongoing habitat destruction and a fixed budget - 18Give an example of how 'Return on Investment' approach has been implemented- Plumas County has high levels of forest and federal land.
- Orange County has high levels of urbanisation and habitat conversion
- Both areas have a similar number of species, but land prices in Orange County are significantly higher
- If 400km^2 of land was protected in OC, 50 species would be protected, vs 7 in Plumas County. H/e, if $100 million was invested, 20 species would be protected in PC vs 3 species in OC. - 19What are the advantages of conservation planning at a species level (e.g. IUCN Red List)It informs:
- Site conservation planning
- Environmental impact assessments
- National policy - 20What are the disadvantages of conservation planning at a species level (e.g. IUCN Red List)- Taxonomic uncertainty
- Data deficiency
- Training required
- Difficult to incorporate climate change threats to individual species - 21What does SLOSS stand for?Single Large or Several Small
- 22What are the advantages of Single Large PA's- According to theory of island biogeography, it will support more species and have lower extinction rates
- 23What are the advantages of several small PA's- Can maximise diversity if located in areas of highest richness
- Can be used to capture focal species - 24Give an example of how SLOSS depends on what you are trying to conserve (rare species, ecological processes etc)In the Cape Florastic Province, 53 endemic plant species are restricted to one or two populations occupying <5km^2. So protection is more effective with smaller, scattered parks rather than a few large ones.
- 25How can edges benefit some species- Species that prefer light, e.g. butterflies, termites, aphids
- Birds foraging in treefall gaps are more abundant
- Frugivorous bats
- Species requiring foraging microhabitats - 26Describe the impacts of vineyard in in Mediterranean-type climates- Landscapes are becoming more suitable for wine production due to climate change
- Due to expanding market, habitat conversion/fragmentation, pesticide pollution, altered soil dynamics, reduced water quality and water diversion
- Higher numbers of mammal predators in vineyards near wildlands
- Higher butterfly diversity/abundance where vineyards contain areas of fallow nonproduction
- Bird diversity maintained where native grasslands and woodlands in/around vineyard retained. - 27How can ecology be incorporated into modified ecosystems?- Initiate ecological restoration in damaged ecosystems
- Ensure working landscapes support biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Assist in the recovery of endangered species
- Create sustainable forms of development
- Make conservation profitable (payment for ES?) - 28How can ecology be incorporated into the identification of priorities and PA design?- Goals (represent species, populations, processes)
- Resiliency (sufficiently large and well managed to maintain all aspects of BV into the future, how areas will be impacted by future climates)
- Redundancy (networks should ensure the long-term existence with future uncertainties)
- Reality (costs of acquiring and managing PA's, availability of natural landscapes)
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- Flashcards on Intro to Conservation Ecology, created by Bethany Ansell on 17/01/2019.
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- Bethany Ansell
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