Conservation Biology test 2

what are the number one driver of habitat and biodiversity loss?

humans

what are the 5 major factors of biodiversity loss?

invasive species and disease, pollution, climate change, changes in land and sea use, species overexploitation

what occurs from land use change?

habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation

what is the complete removal of habitat?

habitat loss

what is when larger ecosystems are broken into smaller isolated segments?

habitat fragmentation

what occurs when ecosystems become less supporting of life because of invasive species, pollution, and other human caused factors?

habitat degradation

ecosystems near what show the largest levels of pollution and deforestation?

human population centers

what does agriculture cause to runoff into waterways and results in eutrophication?

nitrogen

which kind of nations use a disproportional share of earth’s resource?

industrialized

what do industrialized nations do to affect their disproportionate share of natural resources?

high population density, short term gains, loose natural resource regulations

what is the debated method for measuring consumption vs earths capacity to replenish those resources, shows we are way past carrying capacity of the planet, and takes into account carbon (60% of ecological footprint), fishing, cropland, developed land, forest products, grazing lands?

ecological footprint

what kind of land use changes are driving biodiversity loss?

human expansion and resource and consumption need

what occurs when a natural habitat is altered so dramatically that it no longer supports the original ecosystem community?

destruction

what happens to species when their habitat is destroyed?

either find new habitat or perish

how much of native US vegetation remains?

42%

how much of the US original tall grass prairie remains?

1%

how much habitat has been destroyed in tropical countries?

50%

how much original forest land has been lost in the Mediterranean?

90%

what are immense biodiversity hotspots, 50% has been lost since 1940, 200,000 km2 is lost annually, 55% lost is 6% total area loss, many species lost as they only live there, unknown endemism will cause species to go extinct before they are discovered?

tropical rainforests

what ecoservices are provided by wetlands?

water purification and flood prevention

what has been 50% drained in the US since 1780, primarily due to urbanization and agriculture, results in hydrological changes where water does not flow in the ways it is supposed to, is affected by dam construction, alterations in water flow, canals, and cutouts, and about 700 acres are lost daily in the US?

wetlands

over 20% of what have been lost due to over fishing, pollution, coral bleaching, and ocean acidification, and support around 25% of all marine species?

coral reefs

what have been severely destroyed by agriculture, by 1950 97% had already been turned into farmland, and almost results in the extinctions of the black footed ferret and American bison?

grasslands

what are facing large loss especially on the pacific coast of Central America due to agriculture and logging, and only 2% remain?

deciduous forests

what are the main drivers of habitat destruction?

agriculture, urbanization, outdoor recreation, pollution, infrastructure, fire disruption

what affects 38% of endangered species, includes livestock grazing which affects 22% of endangered species, logging which affects 12% of endangered species, more than half of the land on earth has been converted for it, also harms through shifting cultivation, and while it can have some biodiversity, the loss of ecosystem and functional complexity leads to many more specialized species being lost?

agriculture

what is a traditional agricultural method in which land is cleared by cutting vegetation and burning, and land is used until no nutrients are left and then they move to the next spot?

slash and burn

what affects 35% of endangered species, by replacing natural habitat, pollution, altered hydrology and habitat fragmentation, an example being only 50% of the Everglades remain and over 70% of the water flow has been eliminated?

urbanization

what harms the ecosystem by trampling, human noise, and presence, animals tend to avoid areas with a lot of human use?

outdoor recreation

what affects 20% of endangered species, come particularly from agriculture, excessive nutrient loads lead to issues like algal blooms, and hypoxia in aquatic ecosystems?

pollution

what affects 17% of endangered species, includes roads, highways, railroads, leads to habitat fragmentation, creating edge habitats that reduce the quality of interior habitat, and increase vulnerability to predators and invasive species?

infrastructure

what affects 13% of endangered species, can affect species reliant on certain fire cycles?

fire disruption

what is the subdivision of habitat into two or more smaller patches, when natural tends to be much more complex with more diversity, but when human caused its generally distinct and uniform?

fragmentation

what means the more isolated the habitat, the fewer species there are, where species in small fragments usually need immigration to persist?

isolation

what is movement between patches requires patches to be connected in some way for certain species to exist?

connectivity

what is caused by habitat fragmentation, is areas where two different habitats meet?

edge effects

what are the drawbacks of edge habitats?

certain species favored, microclimates on edges, more windy, warmer and less humid, plant communities affected because of increased light, changes to species compositions through altered competition for resources, invasion by non native species, predator dynamics

how does the brown headed cowbird benefit from edges?

brood parasitism, preference for forest edges, impacts on host species, more edge = more parasitism

what is the biggest threat in terms of habitat degradation?

pollution

what is the process of land degradation in arid, semi arid, and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors include climatic variations and human activities?

desertification

what causes desertification?

climate change, human activities, soil mismanagement

what are the consequences of desertification?

loss of productivity, biodiversity loss, increased vulnerability to droughts and famines

how much of earth is already covered in dry lands?

40%

what is the contamination of ecosystems by chemical substances?

pesticide pollution

what are the types of pesticides?

insecticide, herbicide, fungicide, rodenticide

what are the sources of pesticide pollution?

agricultural runoff, aerial spraying, urban and residential use

what is the process by which pollutants accumulate and increase in concentration within the body tissues of living organisms over time?

bioaccumulation

what are some organic chemicals that resist degradation?

pesticides (DDT), industrial chemicals (PCBs), heavy metals (mercury)

what are the pathways in which chemicals bioaccumulate?

ingestion, dietary chain, absorption

what means fat soluble compounds accumulate in fatty tissues?

lipophilicity

what means chemicals that are poorly soluble in water more easily accumulate in aquatic organisms?

solubility

what affects 90% of endangered fish and mussel species in North America, is generally harmful to humans as well, results in many filter feeders concentration both nutrients and toxins?

water pollution

what is the process by which excessive nutrients from sources like agricultural runoff and sewage discharge cause overgrowth in aquatic plant systems?

eutrophication

what are the stages of eutrophication?

nutrient loading, algal bloom, algae die-off, fish kills, increased bacterial decomposition, water quality decline

what are the consequences of eutrophication?

oxygen depletion, fish kills, reduced water quality, native species may be outcompeted or die from change in water chemistry, harmful algal blooms

how is red bloom and other harmful algal blooms increased?

enhanced by climate change through increased temperature and precipitation, need natural waterways to act as buffers where excess minerals are spread in a natural way

what are some air pollutants?

nitrogen, sulfur, methane, carbon, heavy metals

what can result from air pollution, and affects the ability of plants to photosynthesize and other organisms to reproduce?

smog

what refers to long term alterations in temperature, weather patterns, and climate system characteristics?

climate change

what refers to short term changes in climate?

weather

what are natural factors of climate change?

earth’s axis tilt, photosynthetic energy from sun, ocean cycles, shifts in volcanic activities

what are human factors of climate change?

fossil fuels, deforestation, aerosols

what is a natural process where some gasses in earths atmosphere trap heat from the sun and keep the earth warm enough to support life?

greenhouse effect

what is evidence of climate change?

warming temperatures, melting glaciers, sea level rise, shifts in breeding and migratory phenology, extreme weather events

what are consequences of climate change?

temperature extremes, rising sea levels, disrupts agriculture, promotes disease transmission

the more _____ in a population the more likely a mutation is to become beneficial as the environment changes?

diversity

what is the ability for species to adapt from existing genetic diversity?

adaptive potential

what allows for short term response, essentially acts as a buffer while the population either evolves or migrates somewhere new?

phenotypic plasticity

what can introduce species from outside populations that may have already adapted to harder conditions?

assisted evolution

the replacement of native species with invasive species results in what?

homogeneity of landscapes

what is the variety of ecosystems called?

ecosystem diversity

what is the range of functions that species perform in an ecosystem?

functional diversity

what percentage of endangered species are threatened by invasive species?

42%

what is a species found within its natural range?

native

what is a species that have been moved to a new area (usually by humans)?

introduced

what are species found outside of their natural range?

exotic or alien

what are species that spread rapidly and undergo explosive population increases, such that they dominate a community?

invasive

what means invasive species can outcompete native species for resources, resulting in the displacement of native species?

competitive exclusion

what are the detrimental effects of invasive species?

competitive exclusion, predator-prey dynamics, habitat alteration, monocultures and reduced diversity,

what are areas which are dominated by a single species called?

monocultures

why do humans introduce new species?

food, aesthetic reasons, acclimatization societies, pets, ornamentals, accidental transport, biological control

what is where temperature and oxygen levels are unevenly distributed in the water column, often resulting in anoxia?

water stratification

what happens with most introductions?

fail

what are the three major hurdles for a species to become invasive?

introduction to new range, conducive environment, explosive population growth

what are the rare cases in which an introduction can be beneficial?

conservation of threatened species, human benefit

what kind of traits allow a species to become invasive?

high abundance in original range, short generation times, high dispersal ability, habitat generalist, diet generalist, high genetic variability, fertilized females still able to colonize, associate with human expansion, high tolerance for disturbance

what means diet generalist?

polyphagous

what are more likely to lead to successful invasions?

repeated or large introduction events

what are species that invade naturally due to environmental changes called?

native invaders

what is the best solution to endangered species?

proactive prevention

what is in proactive prevention?

preventing spread of potentially invasive species, movement control and early detection, identification of high risk species, act quickly to eradicate, long term management

what are the goals and steps in dealing with endangered species?

goal 1: prevent introduction, prevention goal 2: eradicate invasive species by implementing Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR), eradication goal 3: contain spread of invasive species, containment goal 4: reduce population and maintain lowest possibly levels of invasive species, resource protection and long term management

what percentage of endangered vertebrates are affected by disease?

10%

what are the major factors driving disease prevalence?

new emerging diseases, changing conditions, disease in captivity or domestic populations could spread to wild populations, small populations due to habitat fragmentation or loss can lead to being more inbred and less immunity, controlling disease is challenging

what are the best tools to fight disease?

regular monitoring, vaccines

what threatens about 25% of endangered vertebrates in US, 75% in China?

over exploitation

why is over exploitation in china more common?

rural population relies on them for food and traditional medicine

what has changed in exploitation in more recent times?

technology such as firearms and increased harvest and harvesting efficiency

what means natural resources were viewed as a communal resource that required collective management?

common good concept

what were some things implemented for sustainable practices?

land preserves, regulations on harvesting, seasonal harvests, protection of young and breeding females, enforcement