Heidi Marcum Baylor- Wildlife Ecology Exam #1

How did Native Americans impact the environment

irrigated SW deserts and E deciduous forests

what animal did the Native americans drive to extinction?

Mastodon

how did the earliest colonialists impact the environment

cleared flood plains for farming

ruthlessly hunted

cleared forests

how did settlers moving westward impact the environment

degraded land by farming

land was cheap

how did the earliest european colonialist view the environment and wildlife?

not very concerned with is as long as it didn't disappear entirely

everyone owned wildlife

trees were protected and chopped for need

how did the romantic movement and transcendentalists view the environment and wildlife?

it was sublimely chaotic

tried to set soil and water conservations acts

wilderness captured in art

how did the early recreationists durning the gilded age view the environment and wildlife?

people lived by river valleys and costal plains

depleted timber and animals and minerals

deforestation

how did the Federal government manage public lands during the Westward Expansion

they kept buying up land 80%

they explored and surveyed it

how did the Federal government manage public lands during the Gilded Age

Homestead Act of 1862

land grants

forest protection laws

General Mining Law

closed the frontier eventually

how did the Federal government manage public lands during the Progressive Period

They abused them and converted them into farmland primarily

how did the Federal government manage public lands during the Neoprogressive Period?

more stabilized

restored some grassland and woodlands

demand to clean up polluted areas

Water Resources Research Act

How did social issues during the late 1890s influence workers lives?

Due to terrible living conditions and even worse working conditions with minimal pay, many people began expanding west.

How did closing the frontier affect workers and the environment?

People began demanding better working conditions because there was no longer any way for them to escape.

How did the Dust Bowl and Great Depression affect federal activities regarding social and environmental issues?

Started protecting land and developing it.

What caused the government of the late 1800s-1930s to become much more active in managing the environment and wildlife?

It was becoming harder to grow crops because the land was being so abused.

Describe the evolution of environmental regulations and the influence of the Presidents during the 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s and Present

this one is just too long and its 1:15am so...

Describe the environmental impacts of the following on the American landscape: Farming Logging

destroyed the land and caused deforestation

How did technology (railroads, refrigeration, canned goods, the telegraph) affect wildlife?

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Carter

created Dept. of Energy

created CERCLA

tripled land in National Wilderness System

land preservations

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Reagan

undermined environmental laws

appointed anti-environmentalists to gov positions

took away fed funds for renewable energy research

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Bush 1

anti-environmental

ignored population growth, global warming and loss of biodiversity

ignored laws

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Clinton

appointed Al Gore and other environmentalists

vetoed anti bills

supported national forests

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Bush 2

anti-environmental

removed millions of acres from

wilderness designation

expanded drilling and logging

lowered pollution standards

made progress with Global warming issues

Describe some major environmental activities (pro and con) of president Obama

prevented anti-environmental bills to be signed

opened areas in Oregon to logging

created lots of public land

Discuss the current viewpoints of the US Congress - has it been pro protection of wildlife and the environment?

What is different about current species extinctions, compared to previous extinction events?

Previous species extinctions were due to natural causes, but recently, it has been due to humans. They're also going extinct more frequently.

Describe the 5 mass extinction events.

Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction:

- 500 mya

- 2 mass extinction events 100,000+ years apart

- Most life existed in sea

- 84% species lost; 50% animal families.

Late Devonian mass extinction:

- 345 mya

- 75% species lost; 30% animal families.

Permian mass extinction ("Great Dying"):

- 96% species lost; 50% animal families

Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction:

- 201 mya

- Climate change, "flood basalt eruptions" and an asteroid impact.

- 50% species lost; 35% animal families

Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) mass extinction:

- 65 mya

- Wiped out dinosaurs

- Asteroids?

- 80% species lost

- Ended Mesozoic era and began Cenozoic era

What caused the 5 mass extinction events?

It was all natural causes/natural selection

How is this 6th extinction event different?

It is happening over a significantly shorter period of time and is being caused by humans

Overexploitation

Animals are killed for their fins, fur, feathers, meat, or for fun

Climate change

Causing increased average temperatures, melting ice and glaciers, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, and changed reproductive patterns and ranges

What is market hunting?

The darkest era of wildlife exploitation. Hunters would get paid for killing specific animals by selling their pelts, plumes, tongues, or other valuable parts.

How did market hunting cause some species to go extinct?

Due to the extremely heavy rate of hunting of these species, and no regulations on hunting, the species were over-hunted and went extinct.

What parts of animals were particularly prized by market hunters?

Their tails, hides, plumes, and even meat.

Name some

species that suffered as a result of market hunting

Robins and Waterfowls

Describe how humans impacted passenger pigeons

When the settlers moved to America, we hunted them so viciously and unforgivingly, that they became extinct - the most populous bird species.

Describe how humans impacted Labrador ducks

When the settlers moved to North America, we impeded on their breeding grounds and settled on their habitat. In addition to this, they also hunted them without any hunting restrictions

Describe how humans impacted heath hens

We would hunt them for food and harvest their eggs. The government eventually tried to protect them legally, but it was just too little too late.

Describe how humans impacted Carolina parakeets

The Carolina Parakeet was very destructive to crops, so farmers would shoot and kill them relentlessly.

Describe how humans impacted bison

Humans hunted bison for buffalo fur and tongues, and also to reduce food for indians. We killed 60 million in a fairly short period of time

Describe how humans impacted wood ducks

Humans settled in their habitat, humans would destroy their habitat for wood (they live in trees), also, they had very very attractive plumes.

Describe how humans impacted turkeys

Turkeys were hunted heavily and almost caused them to go extinct. We hunted them because they were very easy to kill, tasty, and they were intriguing. Eventually there were hunting regulations, and programs to help the species from going extinct.

Discuss specific ways that many of passenger pigeons, Labrador ducks, heath hens, Carolina parakeets, bison, wood ducks, and turkeys were saved from going extinct.

We began restoration programs in order to help replenish all of the animals we had killed. WE also started regulating hunting via hunting seasons, and a limit on the number of animals that are to be hunted each season.

How did managers bring back bison from the brink of extinction?

The creation of Yellowstone National Park and a Bison Park in Alberta, Canada. Also, humans trapped bison in Poland and brought them to America and re-introduced them to America.

What are some current problems with managing bison?

Many of the natural predators are gone which produces a surplus of bison, therefore causing a food shortage and grasslands get overgrazed. Hunters don't enjoy hunting them either because they aren't afraid of humans, so it's no fun and dishonorable.

What are some solutions to the problem of bison overpopulation?

What other species have been restored in the US?

Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Sea Otters, and Gray Whales

Describe the purpose of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

To keep marine mammals from going extinct due to over hunting.

Discuss the issue of sea otters and the current behavior of killer whales towards sea otters

Humans, natural predators, decreasing breeding ground, lack of food, and oil spills are all threatening otters to extinction. Killer whales eat sea otters

What factors contribute to the decline and restoration of gray whales?

We would hunt gray whales for their blubber, and we restored them because they were going extinct. It is now illegal to poach whales.

What caused millions of ducks and geese to die?

Lead Poisoning

Why do ducks and geese eat lead shot?

They mistake it for seeds, corn, or grit, which is a part of their diet.

What is another source of lead poisoning?

An animal being wounded by a lead pellet, but not dying immediately after being hit.

What is an alternative to lead shot?

steel shot

Describe how deer populations have exploded in size

Because we killed most of the deer's predators, they have increased in population without anything to stop them.

why have deer populations increased

We killed all their predators

What problems result from these overpopulations like deer

Overgrazing and destroyed vegetation.

List some concerns regarding certain species of blackbirds.

They are extremely noisy, they kill crops, and they poop everywhere.

Describe the history and beliefs behind predator control programs.

Humans think of predators as evil, so they put a bounty on their heads and hunters kill them

What species is the "most wanted" predator in the US?

Coyotes

Why are some species' populations, such as cottontail rabbits, increasing?

They increase in human presence. Probably because we don't really hunt them, but we do hunt their predators.

Who are "candidates for oblivion"?

Whooping Cranes, heath hens, wood ducks, and California Condors.

what is a "candidates for oblivion"?

A species that is easily pushed to extinction

What does the statement "abundance is relative" mean?

We have 40 million ducks today - seems like a lot right? Nah, man. We had 400 million ducks back in the day. That is a lot.

Ecology

scientific field that studies organisms and their relationship to environment

their relationship to each other

relationship to other organisms

biosphere

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

community

ecologists study interactions between species

ecosystem

consist o community plus environmental factors

biotic+ abiotic

food chains

plants--> Herbivores--> carnivores--> omnivores--> decomposers (eat dead organisms)--> detritivores (eat dead organisms that have been processed)

trophic levels

feeding levels in food chain

herbivores (primary consumer)

plant eaters, sometimes leads to overgrazing, erosion

carnivores (secondary consumer)

eat meat, and they eat meat that eats plants

secondary production

biomass produced by consumers from eating plants or other

consumers

primary production

organic material (biomass) produced by plants through photosynthesis

second law of thermodynamics

transformation of energy is not 100% percent efficient

2 consequences of energy transfer not being 100% efficient

less is available at each successive trophic (feeding) level

The number of "links" in a food chain is limited

10% rule

trophic level

feeding levels in the food chain

producer

plants, bottom of the pyramid

range of tolerance

Describes the environmental conditions that limit where an organism can live

stenothermal vs. eurythermal

Stenothermal: Can tolerate a narrow range of temperatures

Eurythermal: Can tolerate a wide range of temperatures

ecological equivalent

Species who share similar niches, but live in different areas.

partitioning

An alternative to competition; species co-exist with other species by sharing resources. Very rare.

climograph

-Used to predict where a species can survive.

- Represents the relationship between temperature and precipitation

- Plotted at monthly intervals throughout the year

niche

The unique role that eat species plays in its environment

succession

The orderly progression of changes through time in community composition

oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes

- Oligotrophic lakes have a poor nutrient supply and little to no plant life.

- Eutrophic Lakes have a high nutrient supply and a lot of plant life

diverstiy

A higher number of species in a community

stability

A constancy in number of individuals

List the various levels ecologists study

Individual, population, community, ecosystem

give examples of what would be studied by ecologists at each level (individual, population, community, ecosystem)

Individual: One animal

Population: One Species within an ecosystem

Community: Similar species within an ecosystem

Ecosystem: All organisms residing in an ecosystem

Describe the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems

The Sun gives plants energy, plants give herbivores energy, herbivores give carnivores energy, then carnivores die and give decomposers energy, and then plants utilize that energy, long with energy harvested from the sun.

What is a major difference between energy and matter flow through ecosystems?

Energy flow decrease as you raise through the food web, while matter flow increases to substitute for the loss in energy.

Describe the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and why they are relevant to wildlife ecology

1st law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can transform

2nd law: Transformation of energy is not 100% efficient.

This is relevant because it describes why there are lots of producers and few carnivores.

Describe the role of carbon as the basis of life, and an unusual ecosystem that does not use carbon

Carbon is the base of life as we know it. The galapagos rift has no carbon.

Define primary and secondary production

- Primary Production: Organic Material produced by plants through photosynthesis

- Secondary Production: Biomass produced by consumers from eating plants or other consumers

ecosystems

a part of the environment that has interactions between abiotic and biotic elements

biome

A worldwide grouping of similar communities, categorized by the dominant vegetation

List some areas considered "ecosystems" and other areas NOT considered ecosystems

not= cities, zoos, shooting preserves

are=forests, ponds, prairies

What makes one area an ecosystem, but not another?

have to be self sustaining