APES Unit 2 Study Guide

why does having a larger number of species help an ecosystem

it makes them more likely to recover from disruptions

species richness

the number of different species found in an ecosystem

what species are lost first when there is habitat loss/disruption

loss of specialist species then followed by generalist speciesn

what are the four categories of ecosystem serives

• provisioning

• regulating

• cultural

• supporting

anthropogenic activities

human infulences activities

• typically disrupt ecosystem services

island biogeography

the study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands and of these organisms community structures

generalists

• a species with a broad niche that is easily adaptable to many environmental conditions

• these species are more likely to survive

• able to easily relocate

• can change food sources easily

• can adapt in other ways to new biomes

specialists

• species with a narrow ecological niche

• typically live in only one type of habitat

• tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions

• use only one type or a few types of food.

what island factors typically cause an increase in the amount of species and diversity present on that island

distance to mainland

• closer to mainland= higher biodiversity

island size

• larger islands= higher biodiversity

ecological tolerance

the range of conditions such a temperature, salinity, flow rate, and sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death results

primary succession

succession that starts with an essentially lifeless area where there is no soil or bottom sediment in an aquatic area

secondary succession

begins in an area where the natural community of organisms has been disturbed or destroyed, but the soil remains

keystone species

a species whose activities have a particularly significant role i.n determining community structure (they support many other organisms in the community)

indicator species

plant or animal that, by its presence, abundance, scarcity, or chemical composition demonstrates that some distinctive aspect of the character or quality oof an ecosystem is present

pioneer species

first species to populate an area during primary succession

invasive species

• species that can live and sometimes thrive outside of their normal habitat

• often generalist/r-selected species

strategies to protect animal populations include

• criminalizing peaching

• protecting animal habitats

• legislation

HIPPICO

describes the main factors leading to a decrease in biodiversity

habitat fragmentation

occurs when large habitats are boken into smaller, isolated areas

causes of habitat fragmentation

• construction of roads

• construction of pipelines

• clearing for agriculture

• logging

what ways can humans mitigate the impact of loss of biodiversity

• creating protected areas

• use of habitat corridors

• promoting sustainable land use

• restoring lost habitat

population bottleneck

event that drastically reduces the size of a population

• can lead to inbreeding

biodiversity

the variety of life on earth

species evenness

relative abundance of a given habitat

provisioning

when the ecosystem provides humans with needed resources

• ex lumber, agriculture, water

regulating

the ecosystem keeps itself in balance and prevents enviornmental problems

• ex photosynthesis and cellular respiration

supporting

the ecosystem supports provisioning resources

• ex the ecosystem cycles and pollination

cultural

the ecosystem improves human lives from experiences and nature (ecosystem also acts as economic gain for humans)

• ex wetlands provide tourism which makes money

what are the types of natural earth events

• periodic

• episodic

• random

migration

seasonal movement of animals

• animals typically migrate due to seasonal or geographical changes

ecosystem engineers

species that create, change, or destroy a habitat

• ex. beavers

what does it mean for an event to be periodic

occurs with regular frequency

what does it mean for an event to be episodic

occasional events that occurs with irregular frequency

selective pressure

the environmental condition that kills individuals without the required adaptation to survive

relationship between environment changes and survivorship

the more rapid an environment changes the less likely a species i it will be able to respond/adapt to those changes

natural selection

organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more offspring