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Tropical Ecology Exam 2
Study for the second test
22
Biology
Undergraduate 3
11/14/2011

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Term
What drives fires?
Definition
1. Economic feedback loop
agroforestry losses then extensive systems, accidental fires.
2. Forest Flammability loop
susceptibility, logging, forest fires
3. Climate feedback loop
smoke, reduced ET=drought, fire
Term
Resource Availability Theory
Definition
1. Plant growth rate
2. resource availability
3. carbon/nitrogen availability

Assumptions:
defense is costly, herbivores are selective, maximum growth rate is determined by amount of resources, herbivores consume fixed amount of plant matter
Predictions:
high N envir. = less allocation to defense, fast growing do best, defenses are N based
Low N envir. = greater allocation to defense, defense C based, defenses not recoverable, immobile, slow growing does better,
Term
Effects of Frags
Definition
1. low species diversity: animals with low repro rate, lg body size, can't travel btw frags, tropic position, rare distribution, specialists.
2. Pop abundance: some spp. do better some do worse.
3. likelihood of extinction
4. change in envir conditions: hotter, more edge effects, lower moisture.
5. Edge effects.
6. change in behavior and physiology
7. change in spp. interaction
8. matrix is important: burn vs. non burn. whats in btw frags.
Term
Insect pollination
Definition
Best.
bees most important - highest number of species visiting single plant

Cost: Energy to attract insects.
Benefits: Insects plentiful, allows plants to be more generalists.
Term
Benefits of Bird Pollinators
Definition
Birds travel long distances and pollinate a large VARIETY of plants.
Term
Important fruit attributes. what attracts animals?
Definition
Color, ripeness, sugar content, pulp to seed ratio, fruit and seed size, placement on plant, size of crop on bird.
Term
Benefits of Animal Pollination
Definition
Cover larger distance instead of wind.
Term
Chemical Plant Defenses
Definition
General and Specific Toxins,
Term
Seed dispersal.
Definition
Get away from parent plant. Better chance of survival. Start new plant in a new area, spread genes.
Term
Deforestation
Definition
Highest amount= americas
Highest rate = asia
SLOSS: Single large or several small
Term
Cross Pollination
Definition
More diversity &
Co-evolution
Term
Rewards of Pollination. Why do it?
Definition
Mutualism.
Shelter, food, place to reproduce, good place to lay eggs, attract mate.
Term
Why do herbivores eat some plants and not others?
Definition
Plant defenses
Term
Animal Pollination Costs
Definition
Plants use more energy to attract animals and protect against damage from animals.
Become dependent on certain species for pollination and then if species goes extinct the plant is SOL.
Term
How can the world be so green with so many herbivores?
Definition
Predation on herbivores and plant defenses.
Term
Small vs. Large seeds
Definition
Small: less nutrients, require gaps. can be eaten by more animals = better chance of dispersal, Can be dispersed over larger distances.
Large: more nutrients, less of them, better chance of survival once deposited. only larger animals can disperse them,
Term
Biological Plant Defenses
Definition
anit-digestability, anti nutritive.
Term
Physical Plant defenses
Definition
feeding deterrents like barriers (toughness, wax, etc) and structures (thorns, spines,etc)
Term
Fire
Definition
important and natural part of tropical ecosystems.
increase in frequency: soil degradations, altered spp. compostion, invasive/exotic spp., reduced tree and shrubs.
reduction consequences: soil degradtion/loss of nutrients, competitive exclusion of native app, increased biomass, increased risk of huge fires.
Term
What happens when you remove wildlife?
Definition
less predators , more seed predation.
less seed dispersal.
Term
Problems of cross pollination in the tropics
Definition
self incompatible
low densities
1-2% wind pollinators
Term
Costs of Bird Pollination
Definition
some birds are nectar robbers
Energy used to attract birds: nectar, colors, smell, ect.
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