Conservation Biology
Which field concentrates more on causes of population decline: conservation biology or restoration ecology?
Conservation biology
What is an ecosystem?
Abiotic and biotic factors interacting in one location
Roughly how much energy is transferred to the next trophic level? (percent)
10%
name two ways that carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere
respiration, combustion, decomposition
Name one thing that limits photosynthesis
water, sunlight, soil nutrients, herbivory, disease, competition
What are ecosystem services?
Ecosystem services that benefit humans
What is the term for the factors that cause ecosystem patterns?
State factors
What is detritus? Provide an example
Leaf litter, bones, horns, bark, branches
True or false: lignin is difficult to decompose for most soil organisms
True
What are the outputs of photosynthesis?
Which threat to biodiversity is the largest?
Habitat loss
Which state factor is the most important?
Climate
If a shrubland has 4 g/m2 of biomass in the herbivore level and 55 g/m2 of biomass in the primary producer level, what is the trophic transfer efficiency? Round to nearest whole number
7%
If leaf A has 15% mass remaining after 100 days of being in the field and leaf B has 30% mass remaining, which leaf has a higher decomposition rate?
leaf A
20
Briefly describe one major difficulty with restoring ecosystems besides cost
answers vary but could include: unable to obtain reference information for prior state, habitat fragmentation, climate change, mismatches, etc.
What's one way that parent rock and soil affect ecosystem patterns?
parent rock contains minerals (inorganic components), texture affects vegetation, and organic matter & decomposition affect fertility?
A nature reserve is experiencing a decline in snake populations due to hunting by humans. What is the expected effect on the plant species in the food chain?
Increase
Name a form of Nitrogen that plants take up
Nitrate, ammonium
How can you determine if an element is limiting?
If you add it, a limiting nutrient will result in higher production
Provide an example of two supporting or regulating ecosystem services
nutrient cycling, evolution, soil formation, spatial structure, primary production, climate regulation, flood regulation, disease & water regulation, water purification, pollination
What are 2 ways that topography affects ecosystem patterns?
Mountains mediate the amount of solar radiation, precipitation, wind, and soil type
Slope aspect (facing direction of slope) is also important: north and east facing slopes receive less solar radiation
A centipede consumes 15 J of energy a day. If 1 J is emitted as waste and 4 J are taken in as biomass/net productivity, what is the production efficiency? Round to nearest whole number.
(2/15-1)*100 = 14%
artificial fertilizer, acid rain
If NEP is negative, is the ecosystem emitting or storing more carbon?
emitting