SUPA Earth Chapter 4 and 5

what controls population

Birthrate, deathrate, immigration/emigration

what is a crash

a plummet in population

what are the different ways organisms interact

competition, predator-prey, symbiosis (parasitism, mutualism, commensalism)

Parasitism

One organism benefits and the other is harmed

mutualism

both organisms benefit

commensalism

one organism is help one is unaffected

competition

2 or more organisms fighting over mates, space, food, etc. (interspecies vs. intraspecies)

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

what are biotic limiting factors

mates and food

what are abiotic limiting factors

space, sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, climate, temperature, precipitation, and nutrients

what is the warmest zone

tropical zone

what is the medium zone

temperate zone

what is the coldest zone

polar zone

biomes

regions of earth with distinctive climates, organisms, and ecosystems

which region has the most species richness

tropical regions

ecological niche

species can exist together if they each exploit a different ecological niche

predator-prey

one organism capturing and eating another

Coevolution

when two or more species evolve together in response to one another

what is reproductive potential

max\# of offspring an animal can have and when ( smaller animals usually have a higher reproductive potential)

biotic potential

fastest rate and needs ideal conditions usually doesn't happen in nature

expontential growth

grow faster and faster, larger number is faster

intraspecies competition

competition between organisms of the same species

density dependent

more deaths with higher concentration (limited resources, predation, disease)

density independent

deaths regardless of population size or density (weather events, temperature, or precipitation)

r reproductive strategy

many offspring with not many resources expended on the offspring, young ages of maturation ( ex. bunnies, mice, fish etc.)

k reproductive strategy

few offspring with resources expended on the offspring, older ages of maturation, lower reproductive potential ( ex. elephants, humans, whales, etc.)

Evoultion

any change in the gene frequency of the alleles

Speciation

process by which subsets of a population diverge enough genetically to no longer produce fertile offspring when they interbreed

does there have to be speciation for something to evolve

no

What causes speciation?

reproductive isolation, allopatric factors, morphological factors, temporal differences, and genetic differences between parents

what are allopatric factors

geographic obstruction

what are morphological differences

physical differences

what are temporal differences

differences in time

How many mass extinctions have there been?

five

we are heading toward which mass extinction

six

what is different about now versus other mass extinctions

it's caused by one species (humans) and it's faster than other mass extinctions

what happens with small populations

inbreeding between closely related individuals occurs

what's the problem with this mass extinction being so fast

evolution can't keep up with it

what makes species prone to extinction

large animals, special needs, large migrations, low reproductive potential, small number, and human exploitation

number one cause of extinction

human causes: habitat destruction and fragmentation- 75%

other causes of extinction

pollution (climate change also), invasive or exotic species (out compete native species), harvesting, hunting, and poaching

areas and species that are vital to biodiversity

biodiversity hotspots, endemic species, islands, mountains, coral reefs, and tropical rainforests

keystone species

exhibit a particularly strong influence over the abundance and diversity of other organisms in their ecosystem

copper river, Columbia river salmon are an example of what isolation

allopatric

which are thriving the copper salmon (Alaska) or Columbia (Oregon) and why

copper salmon are thriving because of a lack of human interference

why are pacific salmon hard to conserve

they are anadromous, they hatch in freshwater rivers/streams, in the sea as adults, return to the same system to spawn and die, they have developed genetic distinctions.

Why protect biodiversity?

economic benefit, cultural benefit, or intrinsic value ( a decline in species diversity indicates a decline in the ecosystems health)

Habitat loss and fragmentation

alteration of habitats, the greatest human impact, done for agriculture, deforestation, and urbanization. some habitats are fragmented to the point that species lose needed levels of genetic diversity

invasive species

nonnative species with no natural predators, harms native species reducing biodiversity,

instrumental value

the usefulness of particular species for human purposes ($, food, medicine)

intrinsic value

the value of something in and of itself apart from its usefulness to humans/others

ecosystem services

compromises function of the system

pollution

effects on water (dammed rivers changed fish migrations) , climate change (loss of habitat, ocean acidification, temperature increase)

what kinds of ecosystem services are there

provisioning services, regulating services, supporting services, cultural service

provisioning services

goods humans consume that are directly provided by ecosystems (salmon for eating, freshwater, wood, medicine)

regulating services

the natural processes of ecosystems provide favorable conditions for humans (water filtration by soil, erosion reduction, storm surge)

supporting services

the most essential ecosystem service because they provide fundamental conditions on which many other ecosystem service depend (photosynthesis, soil formation)

cultural services

not needed for survival but do enhance the quality of life such as recreation, and may have religious value to indigenous people ( recreation, education, and research, aesthetic benefits, and spiritual needs)

value chains

place economic value on ecosystem service by integrating the value of a good and the market value of things linked to the production of that good ( fisheries contribute $624 billion dollars to the global economy)

replacement costs

an estimate of how much it would cost to replace something with a substitute or artificial good ( Catskill watershed replacement valued at 8 billion)

antiquities act

empowered the president to set aside federal lands as national monuments without congressional approval

national recreation areas

areas that conserve and provide recreation around the reservoirs created by large dams

national parks

areas of scenic historical, or scientific importance protected and maintained by the national park service

what was the first national park

Yellowstone National Park (1872)

what do national parks require

congressional approval

national wildlife refuge

conserves america's fish wildlife ad plants maintained by us fish and wildlife service

national forests

lands owned and managed by the us forest services

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

established to maintain grazing, mining, timber harvesting, and recreation

limitations of protected areas

park boundaries and ecological island effect

why are park boundaries a limitation

the areas size can not meet the needs of the species

ecological island effect

negative effects on a population when its protected habitat is isolated amid wider unprotected areas

wilderness act

lands are the most protected, road construction, motorized transportation, and permanent structures are prohibited

World Heritage Site

globally- areas with outstanding value to humanity that are recognized by UNEP

wildlife corridors

protected strips of land that enable migration from one habitat to another

aquatic and marine areas

ocean shoreline and islands protected by state, federal, tribal, and local governments

issues with national parks

poaching, logging, mining, enforcement is a challenge (difficult to access, provokes conflicts, training is expensive) indigenous people were displaced and had no say until the 1970's

extractive reserves

land areas where local people who have traditionally depended on protected areas use them in a sustainable way

Maijuna community

indigenous people in Peru, preserve culture and land, the majiuna communities are rebounding together and repopulating, controlling river access, and isolated

Audubon Society

formed when the survival of bird species was threatened due to overhunting to obtain bird feathers for ladies hats

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

imposed restrictions on the hunting of migratory birds

Marine Mammal Protection Act

prohibits the killing of all marine mammals in the U.S. and prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal body parts.

Endangered Species Act

1. UFWS creates a list of threatened and endangered species
2. listed may not be caught, killed, uprooted, harmed, sold, or traded
3. federal gov. may not carry out projects that jeopardize (broken often)
4. recovery plan must be prepared which includes a habitat conservation plan

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES)

international agreement banning the hunting, capturing, and selling of endangered and threatened species

Convention on Biological Diversity

international treaty to help protect biodiversity