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Conservation Bio ch.1
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Biology
Undergraduate 2
02/08/2010

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Term
conservation
Definition
use of resources in a sustainable way by humans for humans
Term
preservation
Definition
advocacy of allowing some cland creatures to exist without human intervention
Term
environmentalism
Definition
a movement concerned with the impact of humans on the environment, esp on air and water quality
Term
ecology
Definition
field studying the relationships b/w organisms and the physical and biological environment
Term
global change biology
Definition
scientific study of the nature, causes, and interactions, and solutions to global scale impacts of humans on bio systems
Term
Romantic-transcendental Preservation Ethic
Definition
John Muir. communion with nature brings people closer to God. morally superior to cutting down timber or grazing livestock. high premium on establishing parks
Term
Resource Conservation Ethic
Definition
Gifford Pinchot. Nature consists of natural resources to be used for greatest good by largest number of people . dichotomy between humans and nature. advocacy of wide use of natural resources
Term
Evolutionary-ecological Land Ethic
Definition
Aldo Leopald. humans are just one product of evolution, not distinct from evolutionary creation. value of species is intrinsic and instrumental. very fundamental to field of conservation biology
Term
what is conservation biology?
Definition

applied science of maintaining Earth's biological diversity.

application of biology to the care and protection of plants and animals to prevent their loss or waste

Term
biodiversity
Definition
the structural and functional variety of all life forms at genetic, population, species, community, and ecosystem levels of organization
Term
biological species concept
Definition
group of interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other groups under natural circumstances
Term
reproductive species isolation
Definition
phenomenom in which populations come to be so isolated from other populations that they essentially cease to enounter and thus cease to exchange genes
Term
cladistic species concept
Definition
species grouped by number of shared, derived traits rather than primitive ones. the more similarities two entities have, the more closely they are related
Term
endemic species
Definition
found only in a certain area
Term
biotic integrity
Definition
function of all elements in proper proportions and ecological processes at appropriate rates. emphasizes whether all elements present
Term
ecosystem integrity
Definition
health. includes elements of physical environment ex. soil erosion, sedimentation,etc
Term
sustainability
Definition
potential to maintain something over time. for example, maintaining natural resources( timber, water,fisheries)
Term
intrinsic value
Definition
independent of value to humans
Term
instrumental value
Definition
to humans. economic/scientific/educational/ecological
Term
strategic value( flagship,umbrella, indicator)
Definition

flagship species- beloved species(Giant Panda)

Umbrella species- surrogate for other species by needing large area

Indicator species- species responsive to environmental degredation

Term
what have we learned from effort to catalog species richness?
Definition
  • lots of diversity to be lost
  • we still know very little about what is the diversity of species on this planet
  • most of our interest focuses on species most closely related to us, not on most diverse or representative species
Term
Patterns of Biodiveristy
Definition
  • more species in mainland areas vs. islands
  • more species in low latitudes(tropics) vs higher latitudes
  • more species at low elevations vs. mountains
  • more species in wetter climates vs. dry
  • more species where plant productivity is greatest
Term
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
Definition
species richness greatest at intermediate levels of disturbance ( such as fire, flooding,disease,draught)
Term
rarity(restricted habitat, restricted population abundance, restricted geographic range)
Definition

rarity threatens persistence of population and species

restricted habitat:restricted in habitat but have locally abundant populations

restricted geographical range: restricted to few habitats or endemic to specific site

Term
biodiveristy hotspot
Definition
area rich in species, rich in endemic species, and species threatned by humans
Term
ecosystem vortex
Definition
positive feedback of different factors for extinction: genetic factors, demographics, birth rates, death rates
Term
ecosystem
Definition
group of organisms interacting with each other and with physical environment at given point in time and space. fuzzy boundaries
Term
eco-region
Definition
group of ecosystems with greatst plant similarity index. multiple eco-regions per biome. 6 eco regions in Louisiana
Term
keystone ecosystems
Definition
ecological impacts disproportionally greater tahn their area
Term
coarse filter approach
Definition
idea is to save species and other forms of bio-diversity by saving examples of all ecosystems
Term
fine filter approach
Definition
focuses on particular species that need individual protection
Term
Clementsian view of ecosystems
Definition
ecosystems are tightly connected, synergistic systems of closely co-evolved species plus environment( aka. belief that they are real)
Term
Gleasonian view
Definition
ecosystems are haphazard, loosely structured assemblage of species, temporarily sharing region. species interact, but often weakly
Term
functional redundancy
Definition
two species fullfilling the same function in an ecosystem
Term
keystone species
Definition
species that has disproportionately large effect on ecosystem compared to its abundance or biomass
Term
ecosystem services
Definition

contribute to intrinsic values

emphasize "functional" aspects of bioDiversity

Term
trophic cascade
Definition

topdown, indirect effect of predator impacting lower trophic level

ex. predators help plants by eating herbivores

Term
loci
Definition
regions coding for particular gene, such as a protien product) except identical twins and clones
Term
Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
Definition
describes frequency of alleles that persists indefinitely in population, as long as it doesn't evolve it
Term
heterogygosity
Definition
proportion of genes at which the average individual is heterozygous
Term
polymorphism
Definition
proportion of loci in a population that are significantly polymorphic. locus not considered polymorphic if p=96%
Term
bottleneck
Definition
small size that a population experiences following a crash( or upon colonizing a new area). results in loss of heterogeneity and loss of rare alleles.
Term
genetic drift
Definition
random change in gene frequencies that results in finite population due to "sampling" of genes represented in previous generations by small number of individuals that breed generation after generation; effect of staying in bottleneck
Term
effect of population size on genetic variability
Definition
smaller population size results in faster decline in genetic variation
Term
effecitve population size( Ne)
Definition
number of individuals of an ideal population( in which all individuals mate with all others)that has same magnitude of random genetic drift as that actual population censused. assumptions of ideal population:sexually reproducing, non-overlapping generations, constant population size, equal number of males and females, etc.  need to correct for assumption violation.
Term
founder effect
Definition
loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population
Term
indbreeding
Definition
mating and breeding by relatives. probability that two copies of same allele are identical in an individual due to descent from a recent common ancestor
Term
inbreeding depression
Definition
reduced reproductive success and/or survival due to inbreeding. leads to expression of poor genetic traits in individual homozygous for recessive traits. ex. sickle-cell anemia
Term
hybridization
Definition
mating between two different species.genes of rare species often get diluted by matings outside the group
Term
effects of hybridization( negative and positive)
Definition

beneficial: plant hybrids are often fertile, help maintain genetic variability via introgression

 

negative effects similar to swamping effect of common species on rare one in animals

Term
introgression
Definition
movement of new genes into a population via hybrid matings
Term
outbreeding depression
Definition
loss of fitness resulting from breeding by two different or more differentially adapted populations or races of the same species. offspring likely to have poor fitness when the local populations have co-adapted gene complexes that are broken up by matings among differentially adapted local populations
Term
allozyme
Definition
Variant forms of an enzyme that are coded for by different alleles at the same locus . slightly different protiens
Term
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Definition
chain refers to cycles of copyimg more and more versions of a shrot nuclear DNA segment. Allows genotyping individual animal
Term
Minisatellites
Definition
distinctive regions of repetitive DNA sequences . repeated sequences 10-100 base pairs-- can be highly variable among individuals, this allowing fingerprinting
Term
microsatellites
Definition
short sequences of tandem repeats of only 2-4 nucleotides in length
Term
applications of satellite markers and DNA fingerprinting
Definition

used in forensic work

paternity tests

useful for gene flow in local populations

Term
mitochondrial DNA=mtDNA
Definition
powerhouses that have own DNA inherited maternally within cytoplasm of egg cells. circular, relatively small molecule. tends to evolve sequence differences in populations rapidly and independently compared to nuclear DNA.
Term
haplotypes
Definition
populations with reduced gene flow that have geographically distinctive mitochondrial DNA groupsperson's individual footprint of all tested genetic markers. Even the difference of a single genetic marker delineates a distinct haplotype.
Term
pedigree
Definition
information representing parents of all offspring produced in a small, trackable population
Term
starch gel electrophoresis
Definition
uses electric current applied to protiens placed in starch gel so as to seperate them( based on slight deferences in their electric charge and shape) and to reveal them using stains.
Term
Population variability analysis
Definition
estimation of extinction probabilities by analyses that incorporate identifiable threats to population survival into models of the extinction process. evolved out of risk assessment based on probabilities
Term
deterministic models
Definition
behave precisely as described mathematically, with no chance elements. not entirely realistic
Term
stochastic models
Definition
having property that outcome of model depends at least in part on chance occurances. modeled using random numbers. esentially all PVAs are stochastic
Term
demographic stochasticity
Definition
random variation in birth, death, and reproductive rates in small population
Term
environmental stochasticity
Definition
random variations in parameters that determine habitat quality( climate, nutrients, pollutants, prey availability, etc.). usually link one or more demographic variables to environmental/habitat variables.
Term
catastrophe
Definition
extreme form of environmental stochasticity( failure to breed following a hurricane,etc)
Term
Genetic stochasticity
Definition
random variation in gene frequencies of a population due to genetic drift, bottlenecks, inbreeding,etc.
Term
minimum viable population
Definition
population needed for 95% chance of surviving 100 years. Soule's rule of thumb: population should be in several thousands to have 95% probability to survive 100 years
Term
sucess stories based on PVA
Definition

Eastern Barred Bandicoot- in 1989, PVA predicted population would go extinct in 10 years. actions taken helped predator control, planting of cover, captive breeding program.

Grizzly Bear- PVA predicted adult female death rate,but now population is increasing due to better protection of mother cubs

Term
criticisms of PVA
Definition
  • most models based on poor empirical estimates of basic population parameters
  • models rarely tested for accuracy or realism in controlled lab settings
  • too simplistic
  • rarely set up to assess the impact of humans indirectly on populations
  • long-term population projections may be risky due to long term changes in environment

 

Term
recommendations for future PVAs
Definition

1. use models to evaluate relative rather than absolute rates of extinction

2. don't form policy based just on absolute extinction values from models

3. use short term period projections

4.use models to compare outcomes of different scenarios

5. use models to diagnose causes of population decline

Term
ecological holocaust
Definition
extinction of entire community( coined by E.O. Wilson)
Term
Cenitnelan extinction
Definition
out of sight ecological hemorrhage. Species that have not yet been observed by scientists going extinct. Makes it difficult to estimate extinction rate
Term
Rifleshot extinction
Definition
extinction of a single species
Term
Mass extinctions
Definition

extinction is normal. six mass extinctions in fossil records...largest, best known Permian and Cretaceous-Tertiary

humans causing 7th mass extinction

Term
HIPPO
Definition

habitat loss

invasive species

pollution

population of humans

overexploitation

Term
background rate of extinction
Definition
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