FNR 240 EXAM 2

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Disturbance

Periodic change, destruction, or removal of ecosystem components; often followed by recovery.

Minor disturbance

Localized events such as treefalls or animal burrows/wallows.

Severe disturbance

Regional events like fires, floods, hurricanes, or clear-cuts.

Discrete disturbance

Event with clear beginning and end (e.g., windstorm, avalanche).

Constant disturbance

Continuous process with no clear end (e.g., pollution, logging).

Natural disturbance

Integral to ecosystem function; maintains biodiversity (fire, flood, hurricanes).

Anthropogenic disturbance

Human-caused and usually reduces biodiversity (timber harvest, pollution, overgrazing).

Habitat fragmentation

Breaking continuous habitat into smaller, isolated patches.

Edge effects

Changes in microclimate, species, and disturbance frequency along habitat boundaries.

Urbanization

Expansion of cities causing habitat loss, impervious surfaces, and biodiversity decline.

Ecological succession

Process of community development over time leading to a climax community.

Primary succession

Begins on barren substrate with no soil or life.

Secondary succession

Occurs where soil remains after disturbance.

r-selected species

Early colonizers; high fecundity, short-lived, poor competitors.

K-selected species

Late colonizers; low fecundity, long-lived, strong competitors.

Feudal Europe

Wildlife treated as property; elite exclusive hunting rights.

Market hunting

Organized mass slaughter of wildlife for profit; peaked ~1865; caused major extinctions.

Laissez-faire

Belief that landowners could exploit resources without restriction.

Conservationists

Supported sustainable resource use for long-term benefit.

Preservationists

Advocated protecting nature from human interference.

John Muir

Preservationist; founded Sierra Club; pushed National Park Bill (1890).

Gifford Pinchot

First Chief of U.S. Forest Service; promoted conservationism.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President; created Forest Service; expanded protected lands.

Aldo Leopold

Father of wildlife management; integrated conservation & preservation ethics.

Jay Darling

Political cartoonist; created National Duck Stamp to fund conservation.

Rachel Carson

Wrote "Silent Spring"; exposed pesticide bioaccumulation effects.

Wildlife conservation

Sustainable use of natural resources through science, law, and education.

North American Model of Conservation

Wildlife belongs to all citizens; managed sustainably forever.

Public Trust Doctrine

Government manages public resources for everyone’s benefit (1842).

Prohibition of Commerce on Dead Wildlife

Laws prevent trade/exploitation of protected species.

Democratic Rule of Law

Citizens help make and enforce conservation laws.

Hunting Opportunity

All citizens have lawful access to hunting/fishing.

Non-frivolous Use

Animals taken only for valid purposes such as food.

International Resources

Wildlife cross borders; protected by acts like the Migratory Bird Treaty (1918).

Scientific Management

Use of research data to guide decisions.

Pittman-Robertson Act (1937)

Tax on firearms/ammo to fund wildlife restoration.

Dingell-Johnson Act (1950)

Tax on fishing gear/boats to support sport-fish programs.

Lacey Act (1900)

First federal wildlife law; bans illegal transport/import of wildlife.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918)

Protects all migratory birds across nations.

Migratory Bird Conservation Act (1929)

Authorized land acquisition for waterfowl refuges.

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (1934)

Ensured wildlife gets equal consideration in federal projects.

Endangered Species Preservation Act (1966)

Protected 77 species; precursor to ESA.

Endangered Species Conservation Act (1969)

Controlled trade; raised penalties.

CITES (1973)

Global treaty (80 nations) preventing wildlife-threatening trade.

Endangered Species Act (1973)

Landmark U.S. law protecting species and habitats; enforced by FWS & NOAA.

Endangered species

In danger of extinction throughout all or most of range.

Threatened species

Likely to become endangered soon.

Critical habitat

Areas essential for conservation needing special management.

Take

To harass, harm, kill, trap, or destroy habitat of a listed species.

Candidate species

May qualify for listing; lack immediate legal protection.

Recovery plan

Strategy with tasks, partners, costs, and delisting criteria.

Whooping Crane & Peregrine Falcon

ESA recovery success stories.

Alien species (invasive)

Non-native organisms causing ecological/economic harm.

Native species

Evolved naturally within an ecosystem.

IUCN Red List 2017 Study

Found aliens cause >25% plant & 33% animal extinctions; natives <5%.

Alien impact

10× more likely to cause extinction than natives.

Conservation priority

Control invasive species to protect biodiversity.

Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)

Once 3–5 billion birds; extinct 1914 (Martha, Cincinnati Zoo).

Causes of extinction (Passenger Pigeon)

Habitat loss, market hunting, poor enforcement, public denial.

Lessons from extinction

Sparked modern laws (Lacey Act, MBTA, ESA); shows need for early scientific action.

Wildfires as Ecosystem Services

Fires can benefit ecosystems under natural regimes.

Supporting services (fire)

Create open habitats, promote biodiversity.

Provisioning services (fire)

Stimulate regrowth for food, materials, medicine.

Regulating services (fire)

Control pests, prevent mega-fires, regulate carbon/water cycles.

Cultural services (fire)

Support traditional practices, recreation, ecotourism.

Pyrodiversity

Variety of fire patterns that increase habitat diversity.

Prescribed burn

Controlled fire mimicking natural disturbance to reduce fuel buildup.

Wildlife management

Applying ecology to manage animal populations and habitats sustainably.

Custodial management

Passive approach; minimize human impact; let nature operate freely.

Manipulative management

Active approach; directly or indirectly adjust population sizes.

Direct management

Actions like hunting limits, relocation, or culling.

Indirect management

Habitat changes, prey management, or education programs.

Game species

Harvested wildlife (big game, furbearers, waterfowl, small game).

Nongame species

Not harvested; includes threatened/endangered or watchable wildlife.

Unprotected species

Abundant or pest species (house sparrow, starling).

Ecosystem engineer

Species that physically alter habitats (beaver, coral, prairie dog).

Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Protects migratory species via international flyway management.

ESA (Endangered Species Act)

Core U.S. law for threatened and endangered wildlife.

Trophic cascade

Indirect chain reaction where predator changes prey abundance or behavior, affecting lower trophic levels.

Keystone species

Species whose impact on its ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to its abundance.

Apex predator

Top predator in a food web that has no natural predators; controls populations below it.

Mesopredator

Medium-level predator that becomes more abundant when apex predators decline.

Trophic downgrading

Loss of apex predators causing simplification and imbalance of ecosystems.

Top-down control

Regulation of lower trophic levels by predators.

Bottom-up control

Ecosystem regulation driven by resource or nutrient availability.

Shark ecological roles

Include predation, competition, facilitation, nutrient transport, and serving as prey themselves.

Macropredatory sharks

Large apex sharks (e.g., tiger, white sharks) influencing prey behavior and habitat use through risk effects.

Mesopredatory sharks

Smaller shark species feeding on crustaceans and fish; play moderate ecological roles.

Risk effects

Behavioral changes in prey due to fear of predators (e.g., turtles avoiding seagrass beds when tiger sharks are present).

Carbon sequestration and sharks

Shark presence in seagrass/kelp systems promotes vegetation growth, enhancing carbon storage.

Nutrient transport by sharks

Movement of nutrients via excretion, carcasses, or migration between ecosystems (pelagic ↔ reef).

Functional redundancy

Multiple species performing similar ecological roles, buffering ecosystems from species loss.

Mesopredator release

Increase of mid-level predators when apex predators decline, altering community balance.

Overfishing effects on sharks

Causes global population decline (~70 %), reduces large species and top-down control.

Shark conservation importance

Maintaining shark biodiversity preserves ecosystem stability and resilience under climate change.

Anthropocene ocean

Modern era where human activity (fishing, pollution, climate change) dominates marine systems.

Sea otter-shark-kelp interaction

White shark predation limits sea otter range, leading to kelp loss in outer coasts.

Prescribed recovery

Managing shark populations to restore ecological function, not just population size.

Functional diversity

Differences in species’ ecological traits (size, diet, mobility) contributing to overall ecosystem processes.

Climate change impacts on sharks

Ocean warming shifts shark ranges, alters prey interactions, and creates new ecological roles.