Chapter 1: introduction Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 1: introduction Deck (17)
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1
Q

Define biodiversity

A

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

2
Q

Why does biodiversity matter?

A

extinction rates
called the biodiversity crisis
-we’re in the greatest mass extinction since 65 mya (dinosaurs)

3
Q

Why have we started caring about biodiversity now? (2 reasons, explained)

A

large number of people (7 billion)

technological innovation

  • dams, claiming agricultural land = intentional
  • pollution = unintentional
  • all disturb natural lands
4
Q

What 4 factors cause us concern regarding biodiversity?

A
  • current threats to biodiversity
  • accelerating threats
  • many are synergistic threats
  • biodiversity affects us
5
Q

What is included in the current threats to biodiversity? What about accelerating threats?

A

things that cause rapid extinction rates

accelerating threats include the rapidly increasing human population

6
Q

How does biodiversity affect us?

A

we depend on natural environment for food, raw materials, medicine, water

7
Q

What are the 2 goals of conservation biology?

A

investigate human impacts on species, communities, and ecosystems

develop practical approaches to prevent extinction of species

8
Q

What is the 3rd odd goal of conservation biology?

A

to catalog biodiversity

9
Q

How old is conservation biology?

A

relatively new field in response to the biodiversity crisis (about 50s and up)

10
Q

Why is conservation biology called a crisis discipline? (2 reasons)

A

conservation decisions are made every day

  • under severe time pressures
  • made without enough information

general theoretical principles are very important
-applicable to many or all species

11
Q

Conservation biology is multidisciplinary. Name the academic disciplines that help develop general theoretical principles for CB.

A

Ecology, genetics, taxonomy, biogeography

“academic disciplines”

12
Q

Name the fields that contribute to the methods of management for recreation and commerce in CB

A

agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, fisheries, biolgoy

management for high yield of selected species often.

13
Q

What disciplines help with the real world application of conservation biology

A

environmental law and policy

14
Q

What disciplines help us gain respect and knowledge of/for the places that conservation biologists often have to work?

A

anthropology, sociology, and geography

15
Q

Describe conservation biology in broad terms regarding the main bullets.

A

there are 2 main goals.

it is a new field of science

it is a crisis discipline

it is multidisciplinary

it combines basic and applied research

it combines ecological and evolutionary time scales

there are underlying assumptions that diversity is good.

16
Q

Describe ecological vs. evolutionary time scales

A

sustainable populations = ecological time.
(is the population growth +, 0, or -)

Adaptation to changing environment = evolutionary time scale
-conservative genetics
(viruses, changing land.)

17
Q

Name the 4 underlying assumptions of conservation biology

A
  1. diversity of a species is good (complex interactions of sp in natural communities)
  2. extinction of sp. by human behavior is bad
  3. evolutionary change is good
    - adaptation
  4. biological diversity has intrinsic value.