The Changing Biosphere Exam 2
What is primary productivity basic to?
all growth in an ecosystem
What is a population?
all members of a species living in a given area at the same time
What is an ecosystem?
all of the organisms and their physical and chemical environments
What is a species?
all organisms that are genetically similar enough to breed in nature and produce live, fertile offspring
What is a community?f
all populations of organisms living and interacting in area
Seconday Succession
an existing community is disrupted an a new one subsequently develops at the site
zoochory
animals that disperse seeds and pollen
Ecosystem change is...
essential and inevitable
Threats to biodiversity
extinction and natural causes
What are some biodiversity benefits?
food, drugs and medicine, aesthetic and cultural benefits
What do provisioning services provide us with?
food, water, air
What does erosion affect?
forest loss and water
Why is the long leaf pine fire adaptive?
grass stage 3 regeneration
What is outflow?
heat and materials like carbon
What are some resource conflicts?
housing boom, watersheds, wildlife, recreation
hydrochory
offspring grow faster and stronger b/c of water
existence/intrinsic value
organisms have value in themselves
What is at the base of all ecosystems?
photosynthesis
What is primary productivity?
photosynthesis
What do serotinous cones do?
pops out seeds during fire
Vulnerable
populations down, habitats impacted
What is productivity
the amount of biomass produced in a given area at a given point of time
What is the most endangered cat?
The amur leopard
How many extinctions are caused by rainforest clearing?
60%
How much of the smokies is logged?
90%
What must flow in and out of the ecosystem?
energy and matter
What is inflow?
sunlight and materials like carbon, nitrogen and water
Who does disturbance usially disrupt?
superior competitors
What is a better alternative to sustainable development?
sustainable retreat
What are seasonal changes?
temperature, moisture
What was the African Gold Toad used for to contract fungus?
testing in hospitals
What is the most visited National Park?
the Smokies
What is species richness?
total number of species in a community
How many forests, grasslands, ad wetlands are lost?
1/2
How many frogs face extinction?
1/2
How many amphibians are threatened?
1/3
How many mammals face extinction?
1/4
How many billions do Americans spend annually on wildlife recreation?
104
Pioneer Species
1st colonists
HOw much of agriculture shows signs of degradation?
2/3
At what number is population very endangered and hard to save?
200
What Lake Tai feed?
China
What is an example of primary succession?
El Malpais National Monument in NM
What is a special Amazon species?
Freshwater Dolphin
Why are amphibians in a state of collapse?
Fungus is spreading and they have sensitive skin from the African Toad
What does Lake Mead feed?
Las Vegas
Is conservation a wealthy western idea, a luxury, or fantasy even?
No, developing countries are concerned but the Western countries control the issues
What is the rarest HImalayan mammal?
Snow Leopard
Where has air quality especially worsened?
Southern Asia and India
How can habitat destruction and poaching wipe out a population?
They are forced to marginal habitats that are difficult to survive in
Why are ecosystems studied without humans?
They behave differently
What does environmental science study?
all aspecs of the environment and problem solving
What is the Ethiopian national symbol?
Walia Ibex
What is a windshear?
a logged area taht creates pocket for windspeed to accelerate and knock down trees
Strip barking
a tree only produces enough to photosynthesize and produce bark on a strip of trunk
What does ecology study?
abundance and distribution of organisms
supporting services
basic ecosystem processes
What are four target points to maintain human well-being?
basic needs, good health, social stability, personal freedom
Point source pollution
can be tracked
Non-point source pollution
cannot be tracked
What's been done in fisheries?
catch limits, lake stocking
What is a hydrochory example?
coconut tree
Primary succession
community begins to develop on site previously occupied by living organisms
climax community
develops last and remains the longest
What are most landscapes made of?
disturbance adapted species
What do regulating services control?
important conditions and services
In an open system what do you start with?
individual from a population within a species
How is food distributed?
inequitably
What kind of systems are ecosystems?
integrated
What is important of ecosystems?
interaction with others
Who does disturbance allow to persist?
less competitive species
Simple food chain
links basic plants and animals
What are biota?
living organisms
What has new knowledge led to?
management
What is an anemochory example?
maple trees, propeller seeds
What is transformed and exchanged in photosynthesis?
matter and energy in biota and abiotic environ.
Species diversity
measures number of different kinds of organisms within a community
Ecological Diversity
measures richness and complexity of a commuity
Genetic diversity
measures variety of different versions of same genes within a species
What is sustainability?
meeting the needs of the present in an equitable and fair fashion without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
How many prescriptions have natural products?
more than 1/2
Of all the endangered species why do we concentrate on the big, beautiful, and charismatic species?
most attractive, flagship species, umbrella species
Do most landscapes reach a climax?
no
What are abiotic?
nonliving elements of the environment
endangered
probably gonna be extinct
What are plants called?
producers
What is species evenness?
relative abundance of individuals within each species
What's been done in forestry?
replanting
Why do ecosystems constantly change?
response to internal/external actions
How are ecosystems defined?
scales
How are ecosystem processes regulated?
self regulation
What's an incentive to preserve native species?
sharing profits
food web
shows how plants and animals are interconnected by different paths
What are some issues at the Smokies?
smog, trash and sewage
threatened
steady population decrease
Why are most ecosystems open?
they exchange materials with other ecosystems
What has happened to managing resources?
they have dwindled, behaviors have changed
What animal do polar bears now hunt?
walruses
What are the most critical issues of the 21st century?
water quality and quantity
anemochory
wind pushes seeds around
