Environmental Science

Give examples of competitive exclusion and its impact on the ecological niche of an animal. Describe the idea of resource partitioning in response to competitive exclusion.

(Interspective exclusion) Is the competition between two species fighting for niches, examples being people putting two ice cream places next to each other and fighting until one leaves. Also bad bacteria vs good bacteria in the stomach bc room not filled by good will be filled by bad. Can share w eachothers (barnacles on a cliff) or can be timing bc fruit ripening at different times.

Hotspots?

25 biologically rich areas around the world that have lost at least 70 percent of their original habitat.

Know how many species are probably on earth, how many we have identified, and what are most of them.

7 million to 10 million species are on earth. identified: 2 million. most of them are insects.

Define Biological Species Concept.

A group of individuals who can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. (Black and Brown Bears, Dogs)

Explain the value of being able to predict population growth over time for a population.

Allows for management and conservation for those populations

What is an Ecotone?

An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes. It is where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional.

Use the theory of natural selection and the competitive exclusion theory understand biological diversity.

As species evolve and separate they create an increase in biological diversity.

CITIES focuses on addressing what?

Banning hunting, capturing, and selling threatened + endangered species.

Discuss the process of evolution through natural selection with examples such as pesticide resistance. Explain if natural selection could happen to a population of clones.

Basically, the environment changes causing the best traits to be passed onto the next generation of creatures. As this cycle continues the bad traits fade into eventual disappearance while good traits increase. In evolution, natural selection, or the process where the environment naturally selects traits that affect the reproductive rates of the individuals, gets rid of many species. One way that this happens is through pesticides. Most of the bugs will die from these pesticides and the ones that survive have a natural immunity to the pesticide so when they reproduce they have kids that are also naturally immune. Natural selection would not be possible in a group of clones bc of a need for variation

Describe the need for increased biodiversity. Explain the potential impacts of decreased biodiversity in a given area.

Biodiversity is needed because complex food webs are more resistant to change. Without biodiversity, a species has little variation that would allow for the continuation (or evolution) of a species. Decreased biodiversity can lead to increased extinction rates

Give examples of how humans disturb these biomes.

Bulldozing, forest fires, urban development, Industrialization.

Tropical rainforests are primarily cleared/burned for__________

Cattle grazing and large soybean plantations

Describe how populations are dispersed in an ecosystem and describe the factors that affect the dispersion.

Clumped: high densities, resource-rich areas and low density everywhere else such as rainforests, cities, cattails in a marsh and oak trees. Uniform: Spacing between individuals tend to be equal aka territorial animals or penguin, rural areas, and bears. Random: no compelling features pushing species together or apart aka dandelions in a field.

Explain how predator-prey relationships influence the gene pool of the population. Describe how competition and predation shape the evolution of the species involved (coevolution).

Coevolution: when a predator grows so does the prey, if predator gets stronger prey gets faster. Genes: They are effected by natural selection by having the best adaptations in gene pools increase in frequency for predator and prey (curved beak +curved flower)

How do conservationists reduce risk of local disasters like fires or terrible weather?

Creating wildlife refuges and protecting lands where endangered species live. (eagles spread to avoid complete extinction by storms)

What are fires called that reach the tops of trees?

Crown fires

Describe the factors that affect population density. What are the density dependent factors and what are the density independent factors.

Density Dependent Factors: factors that depend on the density of the population ( disease, competition and predators. BIOTIC) Density Independent Factors: limit population and do not depend on density. Aka natural disasters, habitat destruction and climate(ABIOTIC).

Describe the characteristics of the different types of deserts, grasslands, and forests. Know their soil composition based on decomposition and nutrients for the different types of forests versus grasslands (permafrost and savannas).

Deserts: Little rain, intense sun, cold nights, bad soil. Tropical - few plants, wind-blown, HOT/DRY. Temperate - Higher elevation, hot in summer/cool in winter, more rain than tropical, drought resistant shrubs/cacti/succulents. Cold - Summers warm/winters cold, low precipitation. Grasslands: Too much moisture to be desert, seasonal droughts, grazing by large herbivores, occasional fires. Tropical (Savanna)- widely clumped trees, warm year-round, dry and wet seasons, grass/twig eaters. Temperate - Cold Winters, Hot/Dry summers, rain is uneven, GOOD soil (grass decomposes each winter leaving deep fertile topsoil. Roots hold topsoil together. Drought and fire do not destroy roots) Cold grassland/Tundra - Low rainfall, low daylight, treeless, windy, south of Arctic Circle. Contains permafrost. Forests: Get sparse as elevation increases, changes with latitude. Taiga - cold, subarctic, wet, few conifers, low plant diversity, acidic-low nutrient soil. Temperate - Diverse trees, hot summer, cold winter, trees lose leaves, slow decomp = rich soil. Tropical - 50% of all species, High NPP, low soil nutrients, broad leaf plants, wet.

The transition zone between two ecosystems or biomes is called an___________

Ecotone

Define endangered versus threatened species.

Endangered - in danger of extinction. Threatened - in danger of becoming endangered

Discuss the 3 conventions/acts that governments have to save biodiversity around the world.

Endangered species act (ESA): All endangered= covered. prevent extinction, promote species survival + recovery. Manage species to become delisted. Convention on international trade in endangered species (Cities): no international trade so it does not affect animals survival. Convention on biological diversity: (we are not signed) But! It encourages conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

Discuss how to reduce demand for timber and reduce deforestation.

Full cost pricing, or just reducing/removing subsidies and tax breaks that encourage degradation, replacing them with economic rewards for sustaining the forest. Purchase only FSC certified lumber. DON'T WASTE: up to 60% of the wood consumed in the US is wasted unnecessarily. Tree-free paper, small plantations of fast-growing trees and shrubs for fuelwood.

Describe the environmental conditions where generalist species would have an advantage over a specialist with examples of each.

Generalists would have a greater advantage over specialists in a broader niche and in changing environments. Raccoons have an advantage over koalas because they can eat more things and can live in more places. Specialist: stable

Identify three factors that must occur prior to speciation. Based on these factors, discuss why your teacher thinks humans are not evolving.

Geographic isolation of gene pools of populations of the species. Acquire new traits through randomized mutations in their DNA. Reproduction isolation, where they no longer make fertile offspring.*We are not isolated; therefore we do not have divergence.

Describe the limits to evolution.

How fast an organism's generation is and how many offspring it has each time (bugs vs elephants). Things do not often grow out of evolution fast enough which is why we have unnecessary traits such as wisdom teeth. (constrained by biology)

Midwater Trawling

Huge nets meant to catch schools of fish but damage through bycatch or catching of unwanted fish

Know the 4 roles that species can play and be able to give examples of each.

Indicator - Shows signs of habit change first (Frogs) Invasive - Takes up resources of native species with little competition or predators (quagga muscles) Keystone - Strong species that is essential to an ecosystem's survival (Wolves) Generalist - Have broad niches and live in many places with different environmental conditions (Raccoons and Wolves) Specialist - narrow niches (Koalas and Pandas)

Describe the four observations that led to the idea of natural selection and give examples for each.

Individuals must vary: in humans and non-humans including visual and nonvisual traits. Some variation can be passed down to offspring: darwin found that exaggerated traits could occur through selective breeding. (lil brown bats nose fungus) Pops of organisms produce more offspring than will survive: if advantage in breeding, they'll pass on more of their alleles. Slow breeding organisms can produce large populations. Survival + reproduction = not random

Explain the two possible outcomes of competition between species A and Species B and which is more common in nature.

Instraspective: competition within same species. Interspective: competition between different species. What typically occurs is either extinction of one species (super rare). Or Niche shift of one or both species (way more common)

A trait that creates a specific advantage for some organisms in the struggle to survive_________.

It enables individuals with the trait to leave more offspring than the other members of the population leave.

Describe the necessity of seed banks around the world.

It helps us to preserve the biodiversity of crops as well as preserve species of plants. also, other benefits would be bringing species back in case of disease or drought (threats to extinction)

Discuss how we can manage fisheries more sustainably. Specifically, what types of fishing techniques are the least harmful and why.

Large net fishing is least harmful also known as Bottom Trawling. They can reduce damage through changing times of fishing through government regulation similar to hunting seasons, or changing places one can fish.

Draw tolerance curves and label the sections and what factors do they take into account and which factors do they leave out.

Leaves out abiotic factors. Account for number of individuals and biotic environmental factors

Biotic and abiotic

Living vs nonliving organisms effecting environment

Discuss what is threatening the bee population and how biodiversity is helping to save them.

Mites, viruses, and insecticides. habitat loss. Biodiversity (increase flowers) allows bees to evolve to become more resistant to these dangers.

How do conservationists reduce inbreeding?

More variation means faster adaptation to the environment. Separating species and keeping track of their genetic information. They often co-breed with other conservationist efforts in separate areas to increase diversity. Egg pulling. Captive breeding

Know how mountains and tropical rainforests can both affect local weather and longer-term climate.

Mountains - Rain shadow, moist air blows onshore meaning more rain on ocean-side dryer air on the rain shadow side. Rainforest - Increased rain bc they pump water into the air, cool down local weather

Describe the three types of interspecies interactions: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism: is when both organisms benefit. Commensalism: when one benefits but the other isn't affected. Parasitism: when one benefits and the other is harmed

Know why rainforests rain so much. And describe the different layers of the rain forest.

Positive Feedback Loop: Water leaves plants, causes clouds to form, it rains, more water in the ground, water goes up into plants, starts again.

Describe primary and secondary ecological succession. Describe their differences.

Primary - start with zero soil --- lichen, algae, and fungi as well abiotic factors like wind and water start to normalize the habitat. Secondary - where forest was before --- disturbance destroys forest --- soil is still viable --- grasses and other herbaceous plants grow back first.

Explain restoration/rehabilitation projects for damaged aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Protect species, establish reserves

Identify and understand what is happening in the phases of the growth curve: Lag phase, Exponential growth phase, overshoot and dieback phase, change along the carrying capacity phase.

R-adapted species (bc more babies) Environment may not support this many babies and they may die back, could be affected by weather as well.

Know where on earth you would find the most biodiversity.

Rainforests

Discuss what kinds of factors in a population could increase the likelihood of it going extinct.

Rapid loss of genetic variability.

Explain what YOU can do to help preserve biodiversity.

Recycle. Reduce meat consumption: more acres per pound than plants. Do not buy furs. Do not buy wood/wood products from tropical or old-growth forests. Do not buy pets or plants from the wild. Educate people you know. reduce fossil fuel use which would lead to global warming and habitat loss: not driving as much

Discuss strategies to manage grasslands more sustainably.

Rotational grazing, small groups are confined to one area for a few days then moved. Especially near riparian zones. Discourage unwanted vegetation with short term, controlled trampling with large numbers of livestock. (they destroy invasive plants root systems)

Explain the impact of large national parks versus smaller parks impact biodiversity.

Small parks are unable to sustain many large animal species, and many don't actually receive protection. Many are fragile islands of biodiversity surrounded by development, recreation, and pollution. They're invaded by harmful nonnative species. While native species are hunted or illegally removed. Large, unbroken protected areas sustain more species and greater biodiversity overall, potentially several well placed medium sized reserves could better protect a variety of habitats and biodiversity than a single large one. Corridors: good for migration and animals who need a large range, but can be bad: movement of fire, disease, pests, invasive species. Predators, hunters, pollution.

Cone-bearing trees are a characteristic of the ________

Temperate decisuous forest

Describe in general terms where in North America you would find the different biomes.

Temperate desert: Colorado. Temperate Forest: Michigan

Describe the biome here in Michigan and what kinds of winds effect us.

Temperate/Deciduous Forest Westerlies?

Describe what factors influence or shape biomes.

Temperature and Precipitation

Territorial animals tend to have _____________ distribution.

Uniform.

What is inbreeding?

When a species breeds within itself and they're basically related causing bad recessive traits to move forward and potentially cause infertility.

Describe an ecological niche. Explain why two organisms cannot occupy the same niche.

Where a species fits. not just a habitat but also how interacts with other species and the physical environment. If two species occupy the same niche, they will compete for resources (resource partitioning) one will either leave or become extinct.

Explain why low or no genetic variability in small populations leads can lead to low fitness.

Without genetic variability populations begin to inbreed causing lower fertility.

List strategies that will help save the species and reduce the number of extinctions going forward. Include the idea of zoos and their actions to preserve genetic variability.

Zoos attempt to hold endangered species and breed them in hopes to get them to get off the endangered species list while educating kids. Ecotourism

What is an old growth forest?

a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance

Divergence?

commonly defined as what occurs when two groups of the same species evolve different traits within those groups in order to accommodate for differing environmental and social pressures

Retention harvest:

diversity of vegetation kinda. focuses on protecting stands of older trees as well as creating a series of patch cuts that mimic the clearings created after a wildfire or other natural disturbance.

Taiga?

generally referred to in North America as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga or boreal forest is the world's largest land biome.

Long Lines

hooks capturing wrong creatures but supposed to catch tuna/swordfish

Give evidence that Earth is currently experiencing a mass extinction.

increased background extinction rate is .005% per year. especially losing 113/900 birds, and 83/4300 mammals. Habitat loss.

Discuss the resources and services that we lose through extinction and habitat loss that was discussed in the book and class.

loss of resources: wood/lumber, oils, clothing fibers, fruit/food in general. Chemical resources: medicine, perfumes, herbicides and insecticides. genetic: wild species have alleles not presented in domestic species and can increase the vigor of domestic species.

List major causes of extinction and describe how each is related to human activity. Which is the main reason for species loss? Discuss how we can reduce invasive species that were from the book.

more government involvement (regulations). Habitat loss: land development for human use. Fragmentation: Land segmentation for roads and buildings. Invasive Species: Introduce them to new places because of travel (Increased research, identifying harmful species, educating the public, and removing invasive species when caught or found). Population growth and resource use: Breeding and overuse of resources. Pollution: People are polluting. Overexploitation: Using animals faster than reproduction. Loss of Resources: wood, food, water, medicine, insecticides.

Bottom Trawling

nets used to catch fish can run over/damage wildlife

Know how grasslands are being degraded.

overgrazing, croplands.

Discuss how to reduce the harmful impacts of fire.

periodically setting surface fires (small, ground level) prevents crown fires (large, very hot, destroys most flora and fauna).

Describe characteristics for r-adapted and K-adapted species. Describe and explain the difference in the growth curves of r-adapted species and k-adapted species.

r-adapted - Emphasize lots of babies, no parental involvement, short generation time. k-adapted - Few offspring, deep parental involvement, larger body, strong competitors, long generation time

Describe how deserts and tropical rainforests are both caused by Hadley Cells.

rainshadows

Know how fire can be beneficial to a forest.

roots are not killed. Fires can open up pinecone seeds, regenerate some plants, free nutrients trapped in leaf litter, burns naturally flammable material. kill pests. *People burn these because it prevents build up for even larger fires out of one's control*

Use a species-area curve is to estimate species numbers in an area and what should be protected.

save 50% of the land and save 90% of the species.

Discuss how to manage forest sustainably for the timber industry. Compare and contrast management for Temperate versus Tropical Rainforests.

selective logging, reseeding forests, plant tree for each one taken

List reasons to preserve forests.

this way we have better oxygen, better soil, more rain, food.

Competitive exclusion principle:

two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist at constant population values

Gill Nets

walls of net, can accidentally catch sea turtles

Whats happening in isle royal?

want to bring back wolf population because moose are taking over