Conservation Exam

Explain how the law of tolerance determines each types of biomes

Explain the relationship between biome complexity and animal biodiversity

Compare and contrast nutrient cycling among the biomes

Compare and contrast the aquatic zones with respect to light, O2, nutrients, and types of aquatic plants

Compare and contrast wetlands, freshwater, and marine ecosystems

List the most and least productive ecosystems

Apply the concepts of costs & benefits to explain the evolution of behaviors

Apply ESS game theory to explain the evolution of behavior

Explain to design an experiment to determine the function of a behavior

Explain how density-dependent & -independent factors influence population growth & life history traits

Use life tables to predict population growth, life expectancy & life history strategies

Define the forms of community structure

Explain community interactions and adaptations related to competition, predation, mutualism,& commensalism

Explain how the characteristics of r, K, & S-strategy species are involved in the process of succession

Explain how keystone species influence biodiversity & biomass

Compare & contrast primary & secondary succession

Which of the following is an example of primary succession?

#3

Explain: Flow of energy in ecosystems results in a loss to waste & heat at each step

Explain: Consumers & decomposers: exploitation → assimilation → production

Explain: Producers: GPP = NPP + cellular respiration

Calculate efficiencies and explain factors that influence them

Nutrient Limitation

Which of the following is not true about biogeochemical cycles?

#1

Explain: Biogeochemical cycles (CNOP) replenish nutrients and purify toxins

Explain: Unsustainable use of water & soil

Explain: Nutrient enrichment: N & P fertilizer → water → eutrophication

Explain: C cycle imbalance: fossil fuels and methane → climate change threats to coral, crops, flooding, etc

Explain the threats to biodiversity

Explain the problems caused by habitat fragmentation

Explain the roles preserving hot spots, habitat restoration, corridors, augmentation, bioremediation, and ecotourism in mitigating those problems

species interactions

predation, competition, parasitism, etc

introduced species

moved from a native location to another location

• considered invasive when they spread aggressively and crowd out native organisms

biological control

importing the invasive species’s natural enemies

ecosystem

a system formed by the interaction between a community of organisms and its physical environment

greenhouse effect

natural process that keeps the Earth warm enough

global warming

a gradual elevation of the Earth’s surface temperature

climate

the prevailing weather pattern in a given region

rain shadow

area where precipitation is noticeably less

continental drift

the slow movement of the Earth’s surface plates

ecology

branch of biology that deals with the study of the interrelationships between organisms and the environment

niche

use of habitat and resources

Law of Tolerance

organisms can survive and breed only in a certain range of extremes in the environment

*think Goldilocks

biomes

classification of terrestrial ecosystems by the dominant plant form

biomes: warm and wet

tropical rainforest

biomes: short winter and humid

deciduous forest

biomes: long winter

conifer forest (aka boreal forest, taiga)

biomes: extreme cold and dry

trundra; has permafrost layer

biomes: dry summer

savanna; shrubs, isolated trees; basically between a forest and a grassland

biomes: dry

grasslands (aka prairies)

biomes: extreme dry

desert; evaporation > precipitation

one layer biomes

• unproductive deserts and tundra: only ground level

• annual plants and stress tolerant plants

• most animals are omnivores

two layer biomes

• grassland: rich soil/leaf litter and ground

• conifer: canopy and dark ground

• savanna: trees or shrubs and ground

• large grazers

four layer biomes

• deciduous forest: rich soil/leaf litter, ground, shrub, and canopy trees

five layer biomes

• most complex

• tropical rain forest: ground, shrub, subcanopy trees, canopy trees, epiphytes (plants that grow on plants)

• >50% of all species

• warm and wet → very productive

nutrient cycling: most nutrients in dead plant matter

• cycling very slow

• too harsh for decay

• desert, tundra, savanna

nutrient cycling: most nutrients in rich soil

• cycling moderate

• nutrients recycle in soil ecosystem

• grassland, deciduous forest → agriculture

*think Goldilocks

nutrient cycling: most nutrients in living biomass

• nutrients cycle rapidly

• fast decomposition and symbiotic mycorrhizae fungus recycle nutrients directly to plant roots

• conifer forest, tropical rain forest

aquatic biomes: wetlands

• soils are waterlogged (and anaerobic)

• dominant vegetation is aquatic

• standing water during part of the year

• builds up dead organic matter (peat)

• most highly productive ecosystem

aquatic biomes: freshwater lakes/ponds/rivers/streams

• photic zone

• aphotic zone

• benthic zone

• littoral zone

• limnetic zone

photic zone

light penetrates to allow photosynthesis, O2 mixes from air, plankton, nutrient limited

aphotic zone

dark, no photosynthesis

benthic zone

bottom; high in nutrients, but light and O2 limited if deep

littoral zone

shallow; photic benthic, rooted plants

limnetic zone

deep; dark benthic

aquatic biomes: marine

• largest ecosystem by area and volume

• photic zone: plankton, kelp, symbiotic coral

• pelagic zone: low productivity because photic and benthic don’t mix

• littoral with dynamic tides

  • intertidal: exposed to air at low tide, zones based on harsh tolerance

  • subtidal: water at low tide; coral reef (tropic), kelp (temperate), diverse and productive

• estuaries: brackish rivers and wetlands

  • mostly littoral, very productive, important fisheries

critical period

limited time period of development

• imprinting - animals develop irreversible species-specific behavior patterns

migration: piloting

an animal moves from one familiar landmark to the next

migration: orientation

animals have the ability to follow a compass bearing and travel in a straight line

migration: navigation

the ability not only to follow a compass bearing but also to set/adjust it

optimality theory

predicts that an animal should behave in a way that maximizes the benefits of a behavior minus its costs

optimal foraging

proposes than an animal seeks to obtain the most energy possible with the least expenditure of energy

promiscuous

each male mates with many females, and vice versa

male-guarding hypothesis

males stay with a female to protect her from being fertilized by other males

male-assistance hypothesis

males remain with females to help them rear their offspring

female-enforced monogamy hypothesis

females stop their male partners from being polygynous

nature vs nurture

nature: genes determine innate/instinctive behaviors

nurture: environmental experience determines learned behaviors

optimal foraging: active forager

maximize amount or quality of food; more active, needs to eat more per year

optimal foraging: sit and wait

minimize the use of energy; more efficient, can eat less per year

game theory

the outcome of your social behavior also depends on what others do

*think Prisoner’s Dilemma

Evolutionary Stable Strategies (ESS)

• from game theory: best strategy depends on what others do

• conforming:

  • courtship

  • herding/schooling

• different from most:

  • foraging

  • size class

  • dominance hierarchy

  • cheat

• ESS stable balance between those conforming and not conforming

Side-Blotched Lizard: rock-paper-scissors mechanism

• Orange-throated males are “ultra-dominant,” they steal mates from blue-throated males, and keep harems of females. They have lower survival rates.

• Yellow-throated males mimic females and cuckhold orange-throated males.

• Blue-throated males guard a single female from yellow-throated males.

• Orange-throated females produce larger numbers of small eggs.

• Yellow-throated females produce fewer numbers of large eggs.

Mark-Recapture Method to estimate population abundance (N)

• Period 1: Mark captured animals (s)

• Period 2: Resample area and record number captured (n) and the number recaptured (x)

• N = (sn)/x

Population Growth = rN

r = per capita growth rate = (births + immigration) - (deaths + emigration)

N = population size

dispersion: clumped

most common; resources, social interactions, reproduction

dispersion: uniform

caused by competition + social interactions; territories; starts out random

dispersion: random

rarest; probability of finding an individual at any point in an area is equal; nothing affects distribution

life table

provides data on the number of individuals alive in each particular age class

survivorship curve

shows the general pattern of population survival over time

life expectancy

median age at time of death

type I survivorship curve

• most mortality to the old (K)

• life expectancy high

• rate of loss for juveniles is low

type II survivorship curve

• mortality even at each age (r)

• life expectancy medium

type III survivorship curve

• most mortality to the young (S)

• life expectancy low

• rate of loss for juveniles is high

exponential growth

• J-shaped curve, population increase is rapid

• no density-dependent limiting factor or net migration

• growth rate is based on r

• density-independent limiting factors: climate, disturbance, predation

• density-dependent factors that limit population size: competition, disease

• if there are density-dependent limiting factors, then Carrying Capacity (K) is the equilibrium population size when births = deaths

carrying capacity (K)

upper boundary for the population size

logistic growth

• S-shaped curve, population growth slows as it approaches K

• with limiting factors = rN(K-N)/K

density-dependent factor

a mortality factor whose influence increases with the density of the population

ex: parasitism, predation, competition

desnity-independent factor

a mortality factor whose influence is not affected by changes in population size/density

ex: weather, drought, flood, fire

r-strategy

• unstable environment

• fast reproductive rates, many offspring

• high mortality/short lives

• quickly exploit new habitats and plentiful resources

• poor competitive ability

• ex: dandelions, weeds, most insects

K-strategy

• stable environment

• low reproductive rates, but more parental care

• high survivorship/long lives

• efficient competitors with limited resources

• ex: oak tree, mammals

S-strategy

• stress tolerant in extreme environment

• live long, but only reproduce when optimal

• many offspring, high mortality when young

• adults survive in extreme conditions