Exam 1 Con. Bio

full definition of conservation biology

the study and sustainable management of biodiversity for the benefit of human beings. biodiversity meaning the variety of life on the earth, however, genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity can also be important.

describe the Linnaean shortfall

The 1.4 million species that scientists have described only represent a fraction of the total species thought to occur on Earth.

what is the estimated total species diversity range

5-50 million species

T/F - often the new species that are discovered are so unique that they become the sole representative of a new family, order, or even phyla

true

what is the largest taxonomic group

insects

how many species have gone extinct since the industrial era

1%, and many more are endangered

T/F - conservation biology is only an offshoot of wildlife management

false, it combines a large number of different sciences in order to solve the large problems it faces

5 main values of biodiversity

1. medicinal value

2. agricultural value

3. consumptive value

4. indirect value of natural communities

5. the value of biodiversity because it represents God’s creation (and our stewardship)

how does biodiversity contribute to medicinal needs?

most medications derived from living organisms. based on biodiversity in the tropical rainforest an additional 328 types of drugs are yet to be found

how does biodiversity contribute to agricultural needs?

wild plants act as gene pools for those plants used in agriculture. they have the potential to increase resistance to viruses, faster growth, etc.

how does biodiversity contribute to consumptive needs?

new products such as nuts and fruits, new chemicals, etc.

how does biodiversity contribute to natural community needs?

control air pollution, prevent soil erosion, clean polluted water, provide recreational value

T/F - conservation biology is a legally empowered discipline

true

how is policy distinct from law

policy is being the necessary outcome of all laws that are actually enforced

define policy

a set of principles and intentions used to guide decision making

define environmental law and policy

the use of government authority to protect the natural environment and human health from the impacts of pollution and development

what are the two important U.S. conservation laws which have been copied throughout the world

NEPA and ESA

what does NEPA stand for

U.S. National Environment Policy Act

what does ESA stand for

U.S. Endangered Species Act

when was the NEPA signed

1970

what does NEPA require

the development of an EIS (environmental impact statement) that describes possible effects of actions proposed by federal agencies

what is the point of an EIS in NEPA

EIS is a means to guide administrative decision making

what must and EIS describe

impact, adverse effects, alternatives, sustainability, resource use

what does NGOs stand for

non-government organizations

NEPA provides

a process for challenging the EIS in court

what is the major shortcoming of the NEPA

NEPA can lead to multiplied litigation rather than improved decision making

what does the ESA affirm and contributed to

affirms the value of biodiversity, and has contributed to the persistence of many endangered species and even the complete recovery of a few

the ESA is the worlds

most admired piece of conservation legislation and one of the most controversial

when was the ESA FIRST passed

1966

when the ESA was first passed in 1966 it had

little power. so it was completely rewritten

when was the ESA passed for the SECOND time

in 1973 after being completely rewritten that is now a powerful piece of legislation

what did the 1973 ESA amendment add

legally defines a species in relation to the act

“Species”: any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment of any species or vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature

endangered species

a species that is seriously at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

threatened species:

a species likely, in the foreseeable future, to become an endangered species

critical habitat

habitat of special significance to the species survival

FWS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

what is the Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill

a challenge to the ESA

describe Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill

1978

Supreme Court ruled that the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River could not be built because of the endangered snail darter habitat. Within a year of that decision, Congress responded by excluding the snail darter from protection under the ESA. The snail darter population was translocated and established in another stream, and the dam was completed.

T/F - amendments were added to the ESA requiring that the FWS conduct an economic analysis of the effects of designating critical habitat after the Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill issue

true

what is the most frequent source of conflict between government and private landowners

process of designating critical habitats

red-cockaded woodpecker landowner conflict example

the red-cockaded woodpecker inhabits stands of mature longleaf pine in the southeastern U.S. it prefers minimal understory, a habitat that is maintained by wildfires and most of this habitat occurs on private land.

criminal prosecution can result if

a landowner inadvertently harms a member of an endangered species through normal land-use activities such as farming, logging, or development

what amended the ESA to include Habitat Conservation Plans

San Bruno Mountain example

Habitat Conservation Plan

• an applicant, whether corporate or individual, must prepare and submit a conservation plan

• the plan must explain what the effects of developing a part of the endangered species habitat will have on the species

• how the effects will be mitigated

• how the species will benefit

what does CITES stand for

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

why is CITES important

it is the most important international conservation agreement in operation today

where is the heart of the CITES treaty found

in the three appendices

appendix 1 of the CITES treaty

lists species that are endangered and vulnerable to existing or potential trade.

COMMERCIAL TRADE OF APPENDIX 1 SPECIES IS PROHIBITED and permits from both exporting and importing countries must be obtained

appendix 2 of the CITES treaty

lists species that either could be threatened by large volumes of trade or that cannot be distinguished from a threatened species

TRADE INVOLVING SPECIES LISTED IN APPENDIX 2 REQUIRES A PERMIT FROM THE EXPORTING COUNTRY

appendix 3 of the CITES treaty

lists of species that are not globally endangered but may be listed at the initiative of an individual country seeking international cooperation for that species protection

NATIONS ARE ASKED NOT TO PERMIT IMPORTATION OF THESE SPECIES WITHOUT AN EXPORT PERMIT FROM THE LISTING COUNTRY

how oftent do the parties of the CITES treaty meet to make amendments to the appendices and update the lists

every two years

first time in history that international trade sanctions had been used directly to protect wildlife

in 1994, the US government imposed trade sanction on Taiwan after that government failed to curtail trade in rhinoceros and tiger pares in compliance with CITES.

indices is another word for

metrics

the most useful unit of biodiversity

species

three levels of species biodiversity

alpha, beta, gamma

alpha diversity

a measurement of two attributes. includes species richness and evenness

species richness

the number of different species in the community

species evenness

the equal distribution of individuals among the different species in the community. evenness becomes higher as the number of individuals is more evenly distributed in the different species

what is the drawback of species richness

it tells us nothing about the relative abundance of individual species in the community

what is the Shannon index (H)

the most commonly used alpha index. takes species richness and evenness into consdieration

Shannon index formula

H = -∑ (p_i) (lnp_i), where pi is the proportion of individuals of the total sample belonging to the ith species

beta diversity

Measures the diversity of species among communities. Measures the rate of change in species in communities across a landscape

beta diversity equation

Beta = (S/α) - 1, where S is the number of species in the entire set of sites, and α represents the average number of species per site

if every site has the same number of species, then Beta would be

0

what values of Beta are rare

as high as 10 but there is no upper limit

what does Beta diversity give

a quantitative measure of the diversity of communities that experience changing environmental gradients. Tells us what environmental variables change over distance

gamma diversity

the rate of change of species composition with respect to distance in a landscape, particularly at regional scales or larger

gamma equation

Gamma = dS/dD [(g - l)/2] where dS/dD is the rate of change of species composition (S) with respect to distance (D). g = the rate of species gained, l = the rate of species lost

gamma diversity is the species

turnover rate with distance between site of similar habitat within the regional landscape

T/F - all major classes of vertebrates, as well as plants show marked increases in the number of species as one moves from temperate to tropical latitudes

true

what relationship does diversity show with altitude, particularly in plants

inverse

endemism

where a species is restricted to a particular area or region

diversity and rarity is correlated positive or negative in communities and environments

positive

typical rare species are characterized by

small populations, specialized habitat requirements, restricted geographic range

natural history traits that contribute to low abundance includes

low reproductive and survival rates, specialized diets, the need for large areas to find food or complete their lifestyle i

if a species has a more restricted distribution, it is more susceptible to changes associated with

local or regional land use, human population growth, climate change

biodiversity hotspots

a relatively small area with a disproportionately high level of biodiversity across multiple taxa. usually as a result as a high number of an endemic species

how many biodiversity hotspots are recognized today

34

reefs cover only about how much of the oceans area

0.2%

t/f - island species meet at least two of the three requirements for rarity

true

why are structure-based diversity indicators attractive

they can be shown to reflect changes in ecosystem processes or patterns

describe drivers and passengers

drivers create habitat for which the passengers ride along on the effects created by the drivers

driver species are analogous to

keystone species

what are wallows

small depressions in the grasslands often associated with moist site that Bison prefer to roll in

two primary goals of conservation biologists in the area of genetics

1. PRESERVE a significant amount of inheritable genetic variation

   1. PREVENT the fixation of deleterious alleles (harmful)

fecundity

the number of young

to achieve goals of genetics, conservation genetics encompasses three categories of activities

1. genetic management of small populations to maximize genetic diversity and minimize inbreeding

2. resolve taxonomic uncertainties

3. use genetic analyses in forensics, especially in the enforcement of conservation laws (when looking at poaching etc.)

three concerns regarding the genetics of small populations

1. genetic bottleneck

2. genetic drift

3. inbreeding

genetic bottleneck

an event in which a population declines to very low levels with an accompanying loos of genetic diversity

lethal genes

although recessive and unexpressed in heterozygous state, in a homozygous condition, always result in the death of an individual

lethal load

the proportion of lethal genes in a population

genetic drift

the random fluctuations in gene frequencies that occur as a result of non-representative combinations of gametes during breeding

inbreeding

the mating of individuals having any degree of genetic relatedness