Conservation Biology Exam 2

Front 1

Demography

Back 1

The study of the size, distribution, density, and growth rate of populations

Front 2

Intrinsic Demographic Factors

Back 2

BIDE

Birth + immigration = death + émigration

Additional factions: sex ratio and age structure

Front 3

Growth Rate

Back 3

dN/dT = rm

Rm= intrinsic growth rate

K = carrying capacity, when function approaches this density dépendant favors slow pop growth

Front 4

Density-Dependent Factors

Back 4

Increase mortality from predation/paratsitism/disease

Decreased birth rates bc territory restrictions

Decreased fitness due to strong competition

Front 5

Density Independent Factors

Back 5

Extreme weather events

Catastrophic events

More likely to cause big fluctuations in small populations

Front 6

Population density graph

Back 6

Back (Definition)

Front 7

Deterministic Extinctions

Back 7

Inexorable changes that provide no hope for escape. Occurs when something essential is removed or something lethal is introduced.

Front 8

Stochastic Extinctions

Back 8

Result from normal random changes or environmental perturbations. Don't usually cause extinction in large populations.

Front 9

Allee Effect

Back 9

Positive correlation between population density and individual fitness

Front 10

At very small N

Back 10

-Increased likelihood of uneven sex ratios

- collapse of social structure (ex flocks)

- plants also suffer, decreased likelihood of pollen transfer

- reproduction may require minimum number of individual (ex lekking for birds)

Front 11

Demographic Calculations

Back 11

Back (Definition)

Front 12

Phylogenetic Species Concept

Back 12

Monophyletic groups defined by synaptomorphies define species

Front 13

Predicted number of alleles remaining after one generation of genetic drift is a function of

Back 13

Original number of alleles present, effective population size, frequencies of each allele

Front 14

Which invasive species was intentionally introduced to the wild?

Back 14

Mosquitofish

Front 15

Two components of habitat fragmentation

Back 15

1. Decrease in total amount of a habitat type in a landscape

2. Restriction of remaining habitat to small, isolated patches

Front 16

Fragmentation

Back 16

Increase of patchiness of landscapes due to human presence

Front 17

Characteristics of Naturally Patchy Landscapes

Back 17

Complex internal patch structure

Less contrast b/w adjacent patch types (weak edges)

Not a strong barrier to movement b/w patches

Proportion of landscape in a patch type is relatively stable in ecological time

Mean disturbance is relatively constant

Front 18

Characteristics of Human Fragmented Landscapes

Back 18

Very simple patches (concrete/grazed fields)

Strong edge effects

Few suitable unoccupied patches available for recolonization

Increasing isolation and reduction of remaining patches

Front 19

Why are fragments so species-poor?

Back 19

Decrease in habitat heterogeneity

Low local effective population size

Fragmented area may be smaller than territory of home range of an individual

Front 20

Species likely to persist in fragmented landscapes

Back 20

Species adapted to anthropogenic matrix (ex: weeds, deer, raccoon)

Species with small area requirements

Highly mobile species

Front 21

Demographic Sinks

Back 21

Many species continued presence reliant on dispersal from higher quality source habitats

Front 22

Species vulnerable to fragmentation

Back 22

1. naturally rare species

2. wide-ranging species that must move through highly fragmented landscapes

3. poor dispersers

4. species with low fecundity

5. interior species (small fragments have no interior)

6. species vulnerable to human exploitation

Front 23

Increased light and wind in forests due to fragmentation can lead to

Back 23

Drier habitats and increased fire frequency

Increase in understory vegetation

Front 24

Biological changes in forests due to fragmentation can lead to

Back 24

1. Increased nest predation of birds

2. Increased parasitism of insects

3. Increased understory vegetation

4. Increased tree mortality (water stress, blowdowns etc)

Front 25

What factors determine the impacts of invasive species

Back 25

Competitive ability, growth rate/fecundity, freedom from population regulation (pathogens, predators, competition etc), prey nativity

Front 26

Characteristics of successful invaders

Back 26

High fecundity, long-lived, high variability, broad native range, habitat generalist, broad diet, human commensal

Front 27

Characteristics of invadable communities

Back 27

Early successional, low diversity of native species, absence of predators, absence of history of fires, low connectance food web

Front 28

Impacts of an introduced species on local community structure depend on

Back 28

It's uniqueness locally, the intimacy of its interactions, is trophic position

Front 29

Impacts of an introduced species on local community structure depend on

Back 29

It's uniqueness locally, the intimacy of its interactions, is trophic position

Front 30

Important markers of genetic diversity

Back 30

1. Heterozygosity

2. Allelic diversity

Front 31

Why are genetics important for conservation

Back 31

1. Evolution depends on genetic diversity R=h*h*s

2. Heterozygosity - high levels indicate increased fitness

3. Global pool of genetic diversity command information for all biological features on the planet, an irreversible loss equals a loss of potentially valuable information