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
UFWS creates a list of threatened and endangered species
listed may not be caught, killed, uprooted, harmed, sold, or traded
federal gov. may not carry out projects that jeopardize (broken often)
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