Term
| What are the human factors relating to decreased biodiversity? |
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Definition
| Habitat loss, degradation, invasive species, hunting/poaching/overfishing, sale of exotic species, pollution climate change |
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Term
| What are invasive species, and how do they affect biodiversity? |
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Definition
| Invasive species are non-indigenous species that can affect biodiversity by outcompeting indigenous species, hybridizing with indigenous species thus removing them from the ecosystem, and genetic pollution. |
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Term
| What example of human factors does the passenger pigeon represent? |
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Definition
| The passenger pigeon represents human overhunting, which eventually lead to the bird's extinction, and therefore a decrease in biodiversity. |
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Term
| What are some of the utilitarian uses of biodiversity that humans depend on? |
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Definition
| economic goods such as food, fuel, fiber, lumber and MEDICINE, photosynthesis, pollination of crops, soil maintenance, nutrient recycling, detox. Basically, the diverse organisms in ecosystems are responsible for keeping them stable, and with a decreased variety, agriculture, health, recreation and research industries could be affected. |
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Term
| What do the non-intrinsic uses of biodiversity relate to? |
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Definition
| the value in existence, and aesthetic beauty found in a diverse ecosystem. |
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Term
| What are the three key ways of measuring biodiversity? |
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Definition
| 1)GENETIC DIVERSITY 2)SPECIES DIVERSITY 3)ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY |
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Term
| What are the three key ways of measuring species diversity? |
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Definition
| 1) SPECIES RICHNESS (population density) 2)SPECIES ABUNDANCE (how many different species are there?) 3) TAXONOMIC DIVERSITY (how related are the species?) |
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Term
| What changes can be seen in species diversity, geographically? |
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Definition
| Closer to the equator: MORE diversity, decreased elevation: MORE diversity, deeper in the see down to 2000m: MORE diversity |
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Term
| Where are some of the most species rich environments? |
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Definition
| tropical rainforests and lakes, the deep sea and coral reefs |
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Term
| What are the four key types of species in an ecosystem? |
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Definition
| Native, non-native, keystone, and indicator |
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Term
| What is an indicator species, why is it important to an ecosystem, and which species usually play this role? |
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Definition
| Indicator species are species that show early warning of ecosystem damage. They are important because they are the first to exhibit response, and are very sensitive to change. This can help monitoring biologists to take precautions in the event of a change. Decline in bird and fish species usually signifies a effective habitat loss, or water pollution. |
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Term
| What is a keystone species, and why is it important to the ecosystem? |
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Definition
| A keystone species has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance. These species affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine the types and numbers of various others in a community. THese include: PREDATORS (population control), MUTUALISTS(pollination), ENGINEERS(habitat modification). |
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Term
| What are the 3 key ways to measure extinction rates? |
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Definition
| Minimum viable population estimates, minimum dynamic area, and population viability analysis (risk assessment) |
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Term
| What does minimum viable population refer to? |
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Definition
| the minimum population number to ensure the survival of a species in a certain time and area. Usually involves a few thousand individuals. |
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Term
| What does minimum dynamic area refer to? |
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Definition
| The minimum area of sustainable habitat to sustain the minimum viable population. |
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Term
| What does population viability analysis refer to? |
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Definition
| Population viability analysis is a sort of risk assessment, based on reproduction rates, interactions with other species, genetic variability, and resource needs to analyze the viability (mainentance) of a species. |
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Term
| What are the three key types of extinction? |
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Definition
| 1)Local extinction: species extinct from a local area. 2)ecological extinction: so few exist, they have no role in ecosystem. 3)biological extinction: gone. |
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Term
| What characteristics make species prone to extinction? |
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Definition
| Low reproductive rates, special niches (habitats), commercial value, narrow distribution |
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Term
| What outside stressors can lead to species extinction? |
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Definition
| environmental stress, large disturbances, extreme conditions, resource limitations, invasive species |
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Term
| Within an ecosystem are communities. What does this refer to? |
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Definition
| An ecosystem refers to all of the organisms in a specific place, and the environment with which they interact. communities is more specific, and refers to the different populations of species found in the ecosystem. |
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Term
| What are autotrophs and why are they important? |
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Definition
| Autotrophs are primary producers: they capture energy from the environment by way of chemo and photosynthesis. They are important because they convert the energy into substances that heterotrophs can process. |
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Term
| What are the 3 trophic levels, and how do they interact? |
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Definition
| 1st: primary producers (autotrophs) 2nd: primary consumers (herbivores) 3rd: secondary consumers. These trophic levels are important because they are what essentially form the food chain. |
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Term
| What is succession? what are the three stages of succession? |
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Definition
| succession refers to the change that ecosystems experience over time. the first stage is induced by the pioneer species: the first to move in and colonize. The climax stage is the most stable stage of the ecosystem. secondary succession is the effect of a disturbance. |
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Term
| How many mass extinctions were there, and how many species were wiped out? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the Lacey Act of 1900 and why was it important? |
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Definition
| the lacey act prohibited any transport of any wild animal, dead or alive, across a state border, It was important because it protected wildlife. |
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Term
| What is the endangered species act? |
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Definition
| The endangered species act protected endangered species so that they could not be hunted or killed, also promoting habitat protection and recovery plans. |
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Term
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Definition
| stopped trading of endangered species, hard to enforce, small fines.countries can exempt themselves. |
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Term
| What is the sanctuary approach to wildlife conservation? |
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Definition
| This approach attempts to set up habitats for species in which they can thrive. Old military bases, as well as zoos and parks are potential places for these sanctuaries. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM |
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Term
| What are some of the approaches used in zoos and aquariums to ensure the protection of species? |
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Definition
| captive breeding programs, AI |
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Term
| Even aged vs. Uneven aged management of trees |
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Definition
| even: same age and size plantations. Uneven: maintain variety of sizes, selective cutting, long term sustainability |
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Term
| What are the 5 main harvesting techniques for loggers? |
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Definition
| 1)build a logging road, 2)clear cutting 3) selective cutting, 4)shelterwood cutting (remove older treas in 2 cuttings over 10 years), seed-tree cutting |
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Term
| Soltuions to deforestation |
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Definition
| use of alternative fuels other than wood. maintain sustainable agroforestry: multilayered cultivation, strip cut forests with LONG cycles. |
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Term
| What does the US currently do to maintain diversity? |
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Definition
| long rotations, selective cutting, strip cutting, minimize fragmentation, reduce road building, leave dead trees |
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Term
| What are some of the main factors of an ecostystem to consider when trying to decide how to manage it? |
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Definition
| shape(circular is best), size(one large vs. many small), heterogeneity(is it all the same? sustainable?), bufferzones(to protect interior). |
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