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| Issues with early prairie restoration |
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Definition
| Lack of understand w/r/t distribution, the role of disturbances like fire, too small populations over too great of separations, inadequate biodiversity |
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Definition
| the set of plant and animal species that occupy an area |
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Definition
a group of species that occupy a given area, interacting either directly or indirectly (spatial concept)
Or
a subset of species w/ relatedness or similarity among members |
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Definition
| number of species and their relative abundance, can be compared between communities |
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Definition
| the number of species occurring within the community |
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Definition
| the percentage each species contributes to the total number of individuals of all species |
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Definition
method for comparing patterns of species richness and abundance between communities
x= rank abundance
y= relative abundance
greater evenness in species abundance = more gradual slope |
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Definition
quantify the relationship between species number and relative abundance
e.g Simpson's index (D)=sigma(ni/N)^2
D ranges from 0-1, closer to 1 = less diverse |
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Definition
| the species (one or a few) that dominate a community by numerical supremacy or size or both |
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Definition
has a disproportionate impact on the community relative to its abundance
removal of a keystone species = changes community structure, usually = significant loss of diversity aka trophic cascade
e.g. elephants, sea otters, come coral, etc |
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Definition
a model showing flow of energy/feeding habits of a community
arrow (aka link) points away from consumed and towards consumer
e.g. Grass -> grasshopper -> sparrow ->hawk |
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Definition
| model showing the interwoven flow of energy/feeding habits within a community, allows for greater complexity that food chain model |
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Definition
aka producers aka autotrophs
do not feed on other species but are fed upon, usually plants, get energy from sun |
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Definition
the different feeding classifications in food chains/webs
producer->primary consumer->secondary consumer-> tertiary consumer->apex predator |
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Definition
| feed on species but are also fed upon by other species |
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Definition
| aka apex predators, feed on basal and intermediary species |
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Definition
aka secondary producers
trophic level of species that are not producers (herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore) |
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Definition
groups of species that exploit a common resource in a similar fashion — there is potential for strong interactions between the members
e.g nectar-eating birds
also, the part of neopets I never got into |
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Definition
group of species based on their common response to the environment
e.g. shade tolerant plants |
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Term
| physical structure of terrestrial communities is defined by |
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Definition
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| physical structure of aquatic communities is defined by |
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Definition
abiotic features(salinity depth, temp, oxygen)
also by dominant organisms |
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Term
| vertical structure of a forest |
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Definition
emergent layer
canopy (primary site of energy fixation and photosyn)
understory (only forms if enough sunlight breaks thru)
herb layer (depends on amt. of light and soil quality)
forest floor (site of decomposition) |
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Term
| vertical structure of aquatic environment |
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Definition
photic zone (light supports photosynthesis)
aphotic zone (no light, least amount of life)
benthic zone (decomposition and also life around volcanic areas on the ocean floor) |
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Term
| species composition in each layer of community |
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Definition
| changes with time of day, temperature, season, weather, etc. |
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Definition
spatial change in community structure
(e.g. top-of-hill vs bottom-of-hill in the same forest) |
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Definition
defined by tidal action
supratidal= above high tide
subtidal = below low tide
intertidal= in between high and low tide lines |
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Term
| 2 contrasting views on community species interactions |
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Definition
Organismic concept of communities
Individualistic or continuum concept |
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Term
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Definition
Clements - too big picture
concept that the communities at 2 hilltops will be more similar to each other than to the valley community separating them
concept developed in 1910 |
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Term
| organismic concept of communities |
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Definition
Gleason - fine scale, too hard to summarize
communities are integrated units
Development of a community through time (succession) was viewed as development of the organism
transitions between communities are narrow
suggests common evolutionary history and similar fundamental responses and tolerances for the component species
association and coevolution |
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Term
| individualistic or continuum concept |
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Definition
relationship among coexisting species (species within a community) is due to similarities in their requirements and tolerances, not to strong interactions or common evolutionary history
transitions are gradual, reflecting individual species' responses |
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Term
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Definition
| (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone) absorb thermal radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface and atmosphere |
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Definition
Is a natural process that keeps Earth surface air tempt aprox. 30 degrees higher
this process has been increased/exacerbated by humans |
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Term
| location of first major recordings of greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere |
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Definition
Hawaii, starting in the 1958
the levels vacillate depending on time of year b/c northern hemisphere has greater land mass and plants and therefore absorbs more gases during its summer than the southern hemisphere does |
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Term
| methods of measuring past levels of CO2 |
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Definition
| Ice cores' air bubbles in antarctica and glaciers, ocean floor, bat guano |
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Term
| major causes of CO2 increase |
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Definition
burning fossil fuels
deforestation (trees don't absorb CO2, other vegetion releases gases in decomposition) |
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Term
| sources of carbon storage/uptake that keep 5.3 of the 8.5 gigatons of CO2 released yearly out of the atmosphere |
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Definition
aka "carbon sinks"
oceans (via diffusion, only on warm top layer)
terrestrial ecosystems (via photosynthesis)
"unidentified sink" (scientists don't know where it goes) |
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Term
| plants react to higher CO2 levels |
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Definition
more water efficiency
some crops gain biomass
allocate more carbon to roots
decompose quicker, releasing more g.h. gasses
may respond positively initially, then adjust with extended exposure
(still limited by nutrient and water availability) |
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Term
| General circulation models (GCMs) |
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Definition
| help scientists determine how increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases may influence large-scale patterns of global climate |
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Term
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Definition
small particles suspended in the atmosphere, absorb solar radiation and scatter it back to space = reduction in the amount of radiation reaching Earth’s surface
e.g. dust, volcanic ash, sea spray, also sulfate from coal burning |
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Term
| other explanations for data showing increased global temperatures (besides greenhouse gas effect) |
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Definition
most measuring facilites are near urban areas (heat islands)
may be part of vast, unmeasurable warming of earth after last ice age
sunspots and Earth cycles
(these explanations have been disproven/overridden by the IPCC) |
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Definition
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
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Definition
if ocean temperature too warm, coral eject the zooxanthellae that help keep them alive, turn pale, and die
major issue w/warming ocean trends since coral reefs are key to ocean biodiversity |
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Definition
= coral bleaching and species redistribution
= rising sea level from ice melt and expansion w/temp
=eroded shores, destruction of costal cities, floods/storms, salinization of estuaries/wetlands/ water tables, high water tables= unsteady ground, bad for underground species |
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Term
| Climate change effects of human health |
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Definition
| heat stress, asthma, respiratory issues, more insects=more communicable diseases, more deaths from natural disasters, changes in diet |
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Term
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Definition
| snow's ability to reflect solar radiation back into space |
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Term
| end of 19th century theory on CO2 and atmosphere |
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Definition
assumed the atmosphere was stable
additional CO2 in atmosphere would cause warming b/c CO2 has the ability to absorb more long-wave radiation from the Earth (not from the sun)
fluctuation in CO2 levels = fluctuation in temp in lower atmosphere |
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Term
| mid 20th century climate change study developments |
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Definition
1958 beginning of continuous measurements of atmospheric CO2 levels in Hawaii
1000s of related studies in the last 50 yrs |
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Term
| scientific consensus on climate change |
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Definition
| 4750/5000 studies find climate change is real |
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Term
| scientific method in climate change research |
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Definition
| many studies test and validate initial hypothesis from Hawaii only in that they don't disprove it |
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Term
| long-wave radiation and climate change |
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Definition
| mechanism for Earth to cool off at night after sun absorption = milder winters, warmer nighttime temps |
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Term
| why are there high dew points in spring and summer? |
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Definition
| plants are alive and evapotranspiration is happening |
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Term
| dew point and its 4 sources |
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Definition
amount of moisture in air
-water released by plant evapotranspiration
-Gulf of Mexico/ocean
-evap. from lakes and rivers
-soil moisture |
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Term
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Definition
snow melt close to ground= small layer of fog
at night fog refreezes onto trees |
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Definition
research suggests human heat tolerance is adjustable
heat deaths from lack of cooler nights and prolonged high temperatures
mine's pretty high, if you know what i mean... |
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Term
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Definition
Cretaceous era-meteor hit Yucatan peninsula 70% extinction
Permian Era
Right now-from humans (hunting but mostly through habitat destruction) |
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Definition
It's not necessary to kill every single individual, just reduce gene pool past the ability to recover
also, if you kill kenny, you're a bastard |
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Term
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Definition
climate change affects even protected coral reefs
MPA = marine protected area
scientists hope protecting reefs from overfishing and pollution will be enough because climate change is so hard to stop/reverse |
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Term
| how does overfishing affect coral? |
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Definition
| fish eat seaweed on forest floor which can harm baby coral |
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Term
| Isle Royale Wolves article |
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Definition
wolves and moose on I.R. are key for predator
only 9 wolves left
debate over intervention/reintroduction
1980s dog brought to island by visitor brought disease
climate change =affecting moose, the wolves' key food
=no ice bridge to canada allowing in new wolves
when to reintroduce? |
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Term
| Monarch butterflies article |
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Definition
aprox. 10% of monarchs that make it to southern Canada came directly form Mexico, making the whole migratory trip themselves
Milkweed habitats being destroyed
monarchs of "special concern" in Canada"
many born in central US, on the way |
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Term
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Definition
"first leaf" has moved 3 days earlier since 1980s
early warmth makes plants and animals more vulnerable to sudden frosts
also, worse tornadoes |
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Term
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Definition
| Eurasian milfoil, zebra mussels, buckthorn, emerald ash borer, asian carp, faucet snail, curly pondweed, gypsy moths, japanese beetle, spotted knapweed |
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Term
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Definition
A natural process, but cultural eutrophication isn't
excess fertilizers runoff into lakes, streams, ocean where they cause a burst of growth, esp. in algae. Algae decomposes, absorbing all the oxygen in the water and thus a hypoxic or "dead" zone where no aquatic species can survive. There's a huge dead zone at the mouth of the Mississippi |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| an environmental factor will likely be the most important for species survival and also perhaps the most rare or difficult to secure (e.g. water or nutrient availability, or presence of predators) |
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Term
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Definition
| a species role in the ecosystem (herbivore, carnivore, producer etc), its tolerance limits (e.g. climatic controls, abiotic constraints) and requirements for shelter, nesting sites etc. (habitat needs) |
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