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Conservation Biology Exam 1
N/A
44
Biology
Undergraduate 2
04/15/2014

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Term
Conservation Biology
Definition
The applied science of maintaining the Earth's biological diversity
Term
Three main threats to species...
Definition
  1. Destruction of habitat
  2. Invasive species
  3. Hunting and over-exploitation
Term
How many species do we think actually exist? About how many do we know of currently?
Definition
We think there are about 8.7 million species on the planet. We know of 1.8 million, which means roughly 80% of species on the planet are undiscovered.
Term
What are the 3 goals of coservation biology?
Definition
  1. Document the full range of species diversity
  2. Investigate te impact of species, genetic variation, and ecosystems by humans
  3. Protect bio diversity and ecological processes
Term
Why is it a normative AND crisis discipline?
Definition
It embraces certain values and uses the scientific method to achieve them, but also has to act under tiem pressure without completely understanding (while looking at long-term effects)
Term
What are the five assumptions of the field (ethical principles)?
Definition
  1. Diversity is good (biophili hypothesis)
  2. Untimely extinction is bad
  3. Evolution is good
  4. Ecological complexity is good
  5. Biiological diveristy has intrinsic value (i.e., species have the right to exist)
Term
Who is John Muir?
Definition
He started the Sierra Club (big deal) and created the preservation ethic (we are a part of nature and that is has an intrinsic value that values it far above any materialistic views because it's spiritual, symbolic and inspirational).
Term
Who is Gifford Pinchot?
Definition
He created the resource conservation ethic: we should use resources responsibly, without destroying the environment, through efficient use.
Term
Who is Aldo Leopold?
Definition
He created the evolutionary-ecological land ethic: we should integrate ourselves into ecosystems, not destroy or replace them. There needs to be "harmony" between humans and land.
 
The beginning of modern ecology.
Term
Who is Rachel Carson?
Definition

Fueled the movement against pesticides with her extensive research and book.

 

Was also a very large figure in the ecology/conservation biology field in general due to her literary genius along with her love for the sciences.

Term
What is the Jacobson model of conservation biologyThe ?
Definition
There is an overlap between basic biological sciences and managements sciences; this field is not one or the other; there are a lot of politics as well.
Term
What is the difference between alpha, gamma, and beta?
Definition
  • Alpha: refers to the number of species in a local area (e.g., a single mountain peak)
  • Gamma: refers the number of species on a very large scale (e.g., the entire rocky mountains)
  • Beta: is the rate of change along an environmental  gradient (done by dividing gamma by alpha)
Term
What is the difference between Simpson's and Shannon-Wiener?
Definition

Both measure diversity in a given ecosystem, but...

 

  • SW measures overal diversity by using species richness as well as evenness; the higher the value the better
  • S measures diveristy differently, but by using the same concepts; this gives the chance that 2 animals taken from a ecosystme will be the same species; closer to 0 is more diverse
Term
What are the four levels of the triage?
Definition
  1. Minor
  2. Delayed
  3. Immediate
  4. Morgue
Term
What's the acronym used to help decide which species should specifically be helped?
Definition

DUE...

 

  • Distinctiveness: how different are they?
  • Utility: what value do they have (i.e., economic; ecosystem; etc.)
  • Endangerment: how much trouble are they actually in?
Term
What are the four types of "species" in the utility category of DUE?
Definition
  1. Keystone Species
  2. Indicator Species
  3. Umbrella Species
  4. Flagship Species
Term
Keystone Species
Definition
Also called ecosystem engineers, they have a disproportionate affect on the ecosystem where they live relative to its abundance; often times are predators, but they don't have to be. If they are taken out, there would be a massive impact. Ex: wolves in Yellowstone changing the rivers!
Term
Indicator Species
Definition
The presence or absence of these species are important signs to look for because they are very fragile and prone to effects of pollutants; basically indicate change within an environment
Term
Umbrella Species
Definition

Protecting one of these species will indirectly protect many other species

 

Ex: to protect bears you must conserve their habitat, and by conserving that specific habitat you are protecting many other species that live within it.

Term
Flagship Species
Definition

These species draw attention to conservation efforts

 

Ex: panda bears and baby seals attract attention to conservation because they're "cute"

Term
Ecological Economics
Definition
The study of the interaction between economic and ecological systems; the goal is to achieve sustainability while continuing to use ecological resources (if possible to do both)
Term
What are externalities?
Definition

Hidden costs or benefits that come with "transactions" and resource use. Can be good or bad

 

Ex: raising bees for honey is the main economic goal, however, it also means more flowers will be pollinated in surrounding areas (a good externality).

Term
What is market failure?
Definition

When initially a few people benefit from a transaction at a cost to the larger society, eventually leading to a net loss for everyone

 

Ex: the conversion of land from prairie/forest to agriculture too rapidly destroys the environment (the Dust Bowl).

Term
What is consumptive direct use?
Definition
When goods are consumed locally in small numbers; usually occurs in traditional societies; not a conservational threat.
Term
What is productive direct use?
Definition

When resources are harvested locally but sold on a national/international basis; often times medicine

 

Often times, this use is extremely threatening (ex: rhino horns to "cure cancer")

Term
What are indirect use values?
Definition

The have very little value and very little effect on ecosystems (most of the time); however, if envrionment is destroyed by this, almost impossible to rebuild

 

Ex: ecotourism (e.g., safaris)

 

Ex: loss of wetlands or flower populations are impossible to replace if exploited (wetlands are used to clean water)

Term
What are option values?
Definition
The prospect of future value of ecosystems; the genetic componenet is especially important
Term
Discount Rate
Definition

The rate at which society "discounts" the future; lowers future resources as well as their value.

 

Ex: a forest has the opportunity to grow and become very large, providing many resources and species habitat in the future. However, because timber is needed now, this future value is ignored.

Term
What are existence values?
Definition
Basically they say that nature has the right to exist no matter what; quantified by how much people are willing to spend to protect it.
Term
Precautionary Principle
Definition
Basically the principle that says it is better to err on the side of doing no harm
Term
Perverse Subsidies
Definition
Subsidies that provide a false sense of profit for activities that are destructive; often are provided by the government.
Term
Define globally extinct, extant, extinct in the wild, locally extinct, ecologically extinct.
Definition
  • GE: no living organism of the species anywhere
  • Extant: the opposite of extinct; it does exist
  • Extinct in the wild: plenty still exist, but none in the wild growing on their own
  • Locally extinct: no longer existing in its native areas
  • Ecologically extinct: no longer functioning in the ecosystems they orginally did; usually leads to global extinction (siberian tigers)
Term
Limited geographic range? Endemic, and it's two types?
Definition
  • LGR: when a species only exists in certain places around the globe

 

  • Endemic: naturally found in a single area

 

  • Neoendemic: exists only in one spot because it is a new species
  • Paleoendemic: only in one spot because it is an ancient species with very few living relatives
Term
What are some other risk factors to extinction? What is the allee effect?
Definition
  • The species are not effective dispensers (i.e., cannot leave their natural habitat)
  • Can only live in pristine environments (e.g., fish that live in coral reefs)
  • Species that need to form temporary aggregations to reproduce (i.e., when populations need to come together to reproduce)
  • Species without any/prior contact with people (e.g., the dodo bird)
  • Species with threatened or extinct relatives

 

The Allee Effect is when species that require aggregations to reproduce do not have large enough populations --> with not enough individuals, they will not reproduce.

Term
What are the imperilment ranks of the IUCN (the letters and the numbers)
Definition

Region: G = global, N = national, S = subnational

 

Level: 1 = critically impaired, 2 = imperiled, 3 = vulnerable to extirpation or extinction, 4 = apparently secure, 5 = widespread, abundant, and secure

Term
What are federal levels of impairment?
Definition

LE = listed endangered

LT = listed threatened

LELT = different listings for specific ranges of species

PE = proposed endangered

PT = proposed threatened

Term
What are the three requirements for dispersal/establishing a new population?
Definition
  1. Physiological potential: need the correct physiology to survive in the given environment
  2. Ecological Opportunity: there needs to be an open niche in the environment to fill
  3. Phsyical Access: need to the ability to actually move into the new environment
Term
What is the basic princple of the Island Biography Model?
Definition
There is an equilibrium between species arrival and extinction on islands; as one rises the other will fall.

The equilibirum point, K, represents when both values are the same.
Term
Why does extinction rate rise with more species on the island?
Definition
There are more species to go extinct; there are fewer resources available to each population; new arrivals bring disease or are predators
Term
What the factors that make arrival more likely on islands?
Definition
Being bigger/easier to "stumble upon;" being closer to mainland
Term
What is habitat fragmentation? Increased edge effect?
Definition
  • When continuous habitat area is divided and reduced in dize, leading to "land islands."
  • When conditions in the land island become different and more harsh due to the surrounding environment
Term
What is desertification?
Definition
Over using land and removing all of the vegetation, causing soil to dry out and be blown away, making land unusable (The Dust Bowl)
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