Restoration ecology exam 1

be wary pa

Ecological Restoration

Practice of returning a degraded system to a historical state considered ecologically superior.

Keystone Species

Species with a disproportionately large effect on ecosystem structure and function relative to their population size.

Umbrella Species

Species whose protection also protects many other species because of their habitat requirements.

Flagship Species

Charismatic species used to promote conservation, may not be ecologically critical.

Community Composition Theory

Explains how ecological communities are structured using filter frameworks (regional, environmental, biotic).

Regional Processes Filter

Local community depends on the regional species pool and dispersal mechanisms.

Lottery Model

Species establishment is random; more individuals = higher chance of success.

Core and Satellite Model

Few common dominant species (core) and many rare species (satellite).

Priority Effects

Species that arrive first influence which species establish later.

Island Biogeography Theory

species richness depends on habitat size and distance from source populations.

Location and Environmental Filter

Abiotic conditions and habitat characteristics determine which species survive.

Biotic Filter

Biotic interactions (competition, predation, mutualism) regulate community structure.

Minimum Viable Population (MVP)

Smallest population size needed for long-term persistence.

Resource Limitation Theory

Population growth is limited by availability of key resources.

Population Viability Analysis (PVA)

Model predicting relative population success or extinction risk over time.

Elasticity Analysis

Measures how changes in life-stage transitions affect population growth.

Metapopulation Analysis

Study of spatially separated but interconnected populations.

Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography

Species richness on an island is a balance between colonization of new species through immigration and the extinction of existing species

Reference Conditions

Target ecosystem traits used to guide restoration.

Historical Reference Conditions

Past ecosystem conditions used as restoration benchmarks.

Ecological Trajectory

The path of ecological change in a system over time.

Introduced Species

Non-native species moved to a new area intentionally or accidentally.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that cause environmental, economic, or health harm.

Non-Native Invader to Invasive Species

progression: dispersal → colonization → lag → rapid growth → spread.

Invasional Meltdown

Invasive species facilitate additional invasions by altering habitat.

Ephemeral? -stream type

flow only during rainy season

Intermittent

flow part of the year

Perennial

flow year-round

Strahler stream order

• 1 + 1 = 2

• 2 + 2 = 3

• 3 + 3 = 4

• 1st–3rd order → Headwaters

• 3rd–4th order → Midstream

• ≥5th order → Lower reaches

Riffles

• Shallow, fast-moving

• Rocky bottom

• High oxygen

• Good for aquatic insects

Runs

• Slightly deeper than riffles

• Moderate flow

• Transitional habitat

Pools

• Deeper

• Slow water

• Fish refuge areas

Refugia Pools

Critical during drought/heat

Cooler, deeper water

Marsh

Shallow wetland area, vegetation-dominated, Important for nutrient cycling and biodiversity

Substrate Types

stony?

Soil?

→ cobbles, rocks

→ silt, clay

Riffles = stony

Pools = often silty

runs=stony or soil substrate

Discharge

Amount of water flowing per unit time
= flow velocity × cross-sectional area

Bankfull Discharge

Flow that fills the channel to the floodplain edge

Floodplain

Terrestrial area adjacent to stream that floods periodically

Sinuosity

How curvy a stream is
Distance along stream ÷ straight-line distance

Meander

curve or bend in the waterway

Oxbow lake

Former curve that has sealed off from the main waterway

Bankfull conditions

Bankfull width, bankfull depth, Bankfull discharge (flow area, Bankfull area of the water surface

Allochthonous

(terrestrial) inputs, energy sourcesfrom outside of the aquatic system, such as leaves or insects, that contribute to the ecosystem's productivity.

How to deal with channelization

Task for engineers to restore meanders, cannot be accomplished otherwise and needs major earth moving equipment

How engineering for channelization occurs

1.need to establish sinuosity

2.then substrate

3.Manage flow

4.establish riparian vegetation and habitat as part of the restoration process.

Growing vast amount of monocultures does what??

uses vast amount of fertilizer that but is ephemeral, but will run through stream systems =nitrate/phosphate > wreck streams> flows into larger bodies =finally leading to hypoxia

River continuum concept

-Headwaters to lower reaches, -biological connectivity -riparian/aquatic connectivity

Riparian buffer zones:

• Reduce nutrient runoff

• Stabilize banks

• Provide shade

• Control temperature

• Provide allochthonous inputs (leaf litter)

Reference composition

species composition

ecosystem structure

ecosystem dynamics

Disturbance regime

Historical reference conditions include

tree ring methods

field survey notes

source

High-quality habitats that export individuals

sinks

Lower-quality habitats that cannot sustain populations without immigrants

Pegias Fabula

The Pegias fabula case study shows how habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss of ecological interactions caused the collapse of most populations of a freshwater mussel, illustrating source–sink dynamics and extinction risk in fragmented ecosystems.

Name some anthropogenic activity that caused the kern river crisis

Kern river hatchery

Isabella dam

Kern river oil field

Extensive Canal system

Agriculture

Flow sources?

stormwater

snowmelt

dam releases

Kern river is ecologically what type of river?

A perennial river, formed through tectonic shifting also linked with formation of the kern river canyon

what does constant water withdrawals for the human enterprise do for kern river

Reduced waterflowwater flow

reduced riparian vegetation

Dewatering of rivers

how do aquatic systems get degraded?

changes in physical structure, disrupt biological connectivity, water pollution =Anthropogenic activities

Reference composition

species composition

ecosystem structure

Ecosystem dynamics

Disturbance regime

Riparian zones

interlinked ecosystems where headwater streams depend heavily on allochthonous inputs toisupport aquatic productivity and biodiversity.