APES Study Guide- Unit 3: Ch. 01, 11, & 12 (Introduction, Conservation, & Forestry

Ecosystem Services

services that arise from the normal functioning of natural services

Sustainability

the idea that we must live within our planet’s means so the Earth and its resources can sustain us and all life for the future

personal eco-footprint

the environmental impact of a person or population

scientific method

A scientist makes an observation and asks
questions about some phenomenon

three levels of biodiveristy

species, genetic, population and community diversity

species

a set of individuals that share certain characteristics and can interbreed, producing fertile offspring

subspecies

populations of species that occur in different areas and differ slightly from each other

species diversity

the number or variety of species in a particular region

richness

the number of species

evenness

the similarity in numbers between species

genetic diversity

the variety of different genes within a species or population

inbreeding depression

genetically similar parents mate and produce less fit offspring 

ex. cheetah, bison, elephant

ecosystem diversity

the number and variety of ecosystem

latitudinal gradient

species richness increases toward the equator

extinction

the loss of all members of a species so it ceases to exist

extirpation

loss of a particular population, but not the entire species

background rate of extinction

the pace of independent, one by one species loss

habitat fragmentation

occurs when continuous habitats are broken into small patches

ecosystem services

services that arise from the normal functioning of natural services

biophilia

eo wilsions notion that humans love nature and have an emotional bond with other living things

conservation biology

study of the factors behind the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity

endangered species act (esa) (1973)

the primary u.s. legislation for protecting biodiversity

species at risk act (Sara) (2002)

canada’s endangered species law

UN Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (1973) (CITES)

protects endangered species by banning international transport of their body parts

umbrella species

species that, when protected, also help protect other, less charismatic species

flagship species

large and charismatic species used as spearheads for biodiversity conservation

biodiversity hotspots

regions most important globally for biodiveristy

ecological restoration

process of restoring degraded areas to some semblance of their former condition

restoration ecology

restoring damaged systems to bring back species and reestablish ecological processes

community-based conservation

approach in which conservation biologists engage local people to protect land and wildlife

forest

any ecosystem with a high density of trees

canopy

upper level of trees and branches in the treetop

subcanopy

the middle and lower portions of trees

understory

shrubs, small trees, and plants on the forest floor

primary forest

natural forest uncut by people

secondary forest

contains second growth trees

second growth trees

trees grown to partial maturity after old growth timber has been cut

concession

corporation pay the government for the right ti extract resources

forestry

forest managment

resource management

strategies to manage and regulate potentially renewable resources

maximum sustainable yield

aims to achieve the maximum amount of resource extraction without depleting the resource from one harvest to the next

ecosystem-based management

managing resource harvesting to minimize impacts on ecosystems and ecological processes

adaptive management

testing different approaches and aiming to improve methods through time

even aged stands

all trees are the same age

uneven aged stands

mixed ages of trees and in some cases species

clear-cutting

all trees in the area are cut

seed-tree approach

a few seed-producing trees are left standing to reseed the logged area

shelterwood approach

some trees are left to provide shelter for the seedlings as they grow

selection system

only select trees are cut

the antiquities act (1906)

lets the president declare public lands as national monuments, which may later become national parks

wilderness act (1964)

creating wilderness areas, off limit to development to assure that some areas were protected in their natural condition

national forest management act (1976)

passed by Congress in 1976 mandated that every national forest formulate plans for renewable resource management based on multiple use, maximum sustainable yield, public input

healthy forests restoration act (2003), or healthy forests initiative (hfi)

promotes salvage logging- removal of small trees, underbrush, and dead trees by timber companies after a disturbance

prescribed (controlled) burns

burning areas of forest under carefully controlled conditions to clear away fuel loads, nourish soil encourage growth of new vegitation

sustainable forest certification

products produced sustainably can be certified by organizations

land trusts

local or regional organizations that purchase land to protect it

the nature conservancy 

the largest land trust in the world

biosphere reserves

land with exceptional biodiversity

world heritage sites

another type of international protected area valued for their natural or cultural value

transboundary parks

overlap national borders

peace parks

transboundary parks that ease tensions by acting as buffers between quarreling nations

debt-for-nature swap

a conservation organization pays off a portion of a developing country’s international debt

habitat fragmentation

logging, agriculture, and residential development chop up large habitats into small, disconnected ones

edge effects

impacts that result because conditions along a fragment’s edge are different than conditions in the interior

island biogeography theory

explains how species come to be distributed among oceanic islands

distance effect

the farther an island is from the continent the fewer species find and colonize it

area effects

large islands have more species than small islands

species-area curves

show the relationship between the size of an island and the number of species it holds

SLOSS (single large or several small)

it is dependent on the species, wildebeest v insects, which is better to protect species?