Conservation Biology Chapter 7

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts from the lecture notes.

Applied population biology

The study of a species' ecology, distinctive characteristics, population status, and dynamic processes affecting population size and distribution to enable effective protection and management of rare and endangered species.

Habitat types

It is important to know what habitats the species is found and how human activities affect the environment.

Species distribution

It is important to know where the species is found in its habitat, how efficient it is at colonizing new habitats, and how human activities have affected its distribution.

Biotic interactions

It is important to know what other species compete with the observed species for resources and what predators, parasites, or mutualists affect its populations size.

Morphology

The study of the shape, size, color, surface texture, and function of an organism's parts and how these relate to survival.

Physiology

The study of the amount of food, water, and minerals an individual needs to survive, grow, and reproduce, and how efficiently it uses its resources.

Demography

The study of the current effective population size, its past size, whether it is stable, increasing, or decreasing, and the age at which individuals begin to reproduce.

Behaviour

The study of how an individual's actions allow it to survive in its environment, including cooperative or competitive interactions and the time of day or year the species is most visible.

Genetics

The study of how variation is spread across a species range, including gene flow between populations and the rate of inbreeding.

Interactions with humans

The study of how human activities affect species, including harmful and beneficial activities and local knowledge about the species.

Peer-reviewed literature

Journal articles and textbooks that provide researched existing information to ensure that a particular ecosystem or species has already been studied by others.

Gray literature

Reports written by wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and conference presentations that provide researched existing information to ensure that a particular ecosystem or species has already been studied by others.

Fieldwork-based research

Essential for determining the conservation status of a species, developing conservation plans, and gaining deep satisfaction, although it can be time-consuming, expensive, and physically arduous. It is becoming less common due to the 'publish or perish' culture and limited funding.

Citizen-scientists

Volunteers that extend the range and intensity of monitoring by providing minimal equipment and financial support.

Monitoring

Plays an important role in conservation biology by identifying when populations may be in trouble, determining response to conservation efforts, measuring the health of an ecosystem, and providing a witness.

Census

A count of the number of individuals present in a population.

Survey

Use of repeatable sampling method to estimate the abundance of a population or species in a part of a community.

Population demographic studies

Following known individuals or different ages and sizes in a population to determine their rates of growth, reproduction and survival.

Molecular monitoring

Using markers in DNA or proteins to detect the presence of, estimate the abundance of, and even detect the rates of inbreeding or immigration among populations.

Ecosystem processes

Environmental parameters such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil acidity, and water quality which affect population numbers.

Community characteristics

Environmental parameters such as species present, percentage of vegetation cover, and amount of biomass present at each trophic level which affect population numbers.

Population Viability Analysis (PVA)

A process whereby average mortality rates, average recruitment rates, and distribution of population are calculated to construct a mathematical model that estimates the ability of a population to persist in the future.

Minimum Viable Population (MVP)

The smallest population size that can be predicted to have a very high chance of persisting for the foreseeable future, stochastic events included.

Minimum Dynamic Area (MDA)

The area of suitable habitat necessary for maintaining the MVP, estimated by studying the size of the home range of individuals.

Metapopulations

A population of populations, often consisting of source populations (bigger, more stable) and sink populations (smaller, more sensitive to changing conditions).

IUCN Conservation Categories

Established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to mark the status of rare and endangered species for conservation purposes using quantitative information, including area occupied and number of mature individuals.

IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature) Green Status of Species

Complements the Red List by providing a tool for assessing the recovery of species’ populations and measuring their conservation success based on conservation legacy, dependence, gain, and recovery potential.

Focal species

Rare, endangered, keystone, or culturally significant species. If we protect these ones, an entire biological community may protected.

Indicator species

Focal species that is associated with an endangered biological community or set of unique ecosystem processes.

Flagship species

Focal species that captures public attention, has symbolic value and is crucial to ecotourism.

Umbrella species

Indicator and flagship species that are umbrella species, as their protection automatically protects other species

DUE

Another way for species approach which stands for Distinctiveness, Utility, Endangerment.

Representative sites

Sites that include the species and environmental conditions characteristic of the ecosystem for protection.

Rapid assessment programs (RAP)

Training that biologist receives so immediate decisions can be made to determine park boundaries as well as species and ecosystems protected.

Wilderness approach

Wilderness areas are more likely to contain species and populations that need protecting because they are large blocks of land, that have been minimally affected by human activity and not likely to be developed in the near future.

Biodiversity indicators

Essential objects that indicate high density of mosses, spiders, fungi and other organisms and also found in endemism.

Endemic species

Species that occur somewhere and are not found anywhere else. High diversity areas often have endemism

National laws

National governments protect designated endangered species, within their borders, establishing national parks, and enforce legislation on environmental protection.

International agreements

Provides a framework for countries to cooperate in protecting species, ecosystems, and genetic variation and only have power through the implementation and enforcement of national laws.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

Important agreement that involves international cooperation.