Conservation Study Guide Exam 2 1 Lecture 16 1 Make sure you define the following types of species interactions a mutualism symbiotic interaction between species in which both benefit double positive inter action the fig wasp lays eggs inside their fruit inside out flowers eggs hatch larvae eat developing seeds wasps mate and find another fig pollination the wasp cant survive for very long away from a fig tree so if there is a gap between fruiting trees the wasps die and therefore the trees decline finalogy b competition species compete with each other for resources c predation hunting another species for food can reduce density of prey species house gecko is invasive species that lowers the foraging success of the native gecko the exotic gecko is a better competitor for limited food resources Wolves Canis lupis reintroduction to Yellowstone gray wolves used to cover almost all of the united states linked tightly into the interactions between many herbivores predators etc we killed all of them until there were only 400 left in a small part of northern America Impact impact on soil trees beavers due to ungulate deer and elk browsing elk populations increased over 500 herd reduction d herbivory interaction in which an herbivore eats parts of a plant or alga specialist Monarch eats milkweed need the conservation of the milkweed to ensure the butter fly s survival generalist Armyworm eats almost anything e disease disease causing agent pathogen 2 3 class not cats and plants What is an indirect effect Describe an example of a real indirect effect that was discussed in indirect effect you get one species influencing another species with no direct interaction between the two See answer to 3 Channel Island Fox Using the Channel Island fox situation describe one example of the role of predation one exam ple of the role of competition and one example of the role of an indirect effect in this conservation problem Channel Islands of Southern California has populations of foxes skunks grasshoppers and mice Pigs were introduced to the habitat they are a huge conservation problem everywhere Eagles never went to the island until the pigs were introduced because baby piglets made an easily obtainable source of food The eagles also eat the foxes on the island decreasing the fox population The population of skunks is increasing due to the decline in their predator the fox There is an indirect effect of pigs on the foxes and a direct effect of eagles on the foxes Bald ea gles normally only eat fish but there have been some observed behavioral interactions between the two eagles 4 Give an example of a species that is a specialist explaining what it is a specialist on Why might specialists be of more conservation concern than generalists Herbivory specialization is important Conservation Study Guide Exam 2 2 specialist Monarch eats milkweed need the conservation of the milkweed to ensure the butterfly s survival generalist Armyworm eats almost anything The conservation of specialists is of more concern to conservation biologists because they only eat one plant If that plant is removed from a habitat or declining the popula tion of the specialist species will decline or become locally extinct Lecture 17 1 The red cockaded woodpecker was once common in the southeast including Florida It is now on the endangered species list What has caused the woodpecker to decline its preference for longleaf pine and the destruction of that habitat have resulted in the wood pecker becoming an endangered species Pine woods with a palmetto understory is common in Florida but this is not the original state of Florida s natural areas What was the original pre European settlement understory in Florida s pine woods why is palmetto considered to be of lower conservation value and why is palmetto now so common Original understory of florida pineland and wetlands wiregrass Aristida beryrichiana un derstory Palmetto dead leaves remain on the plant for a year or more are extremely flammable and make fuel that increases this plant s ability to support a fire After burning new leaf tissue emerges within a week naturally drought and insect resistant burning will not kill the plant Why do red cockaded woodpeckers have to live in family groups a family of woodpeckers excavates a number of cavities within their territory the breeding male roosts in the best one the eggs are laid here and the male incubates them at night the small group is composed of one breeding pair and several helpers The extra birds are usu ally sons from pervious breeding seasons the helpers assist in raising young including incubation brooding and feeding the entire family forages as a group moving from tree to tree What happens to red cockaded woodpecker nests after the woodpeckers stop using them the cavities are used by a number or birds and mammals who move into them Lecture 18 1 What is the difference between a minimum viable population size and an ecologically functional population size Why might it be better to use ecologically functional populations as a target for con servation than minimum viable populations a minimum viable population size the smallest isolated population that for x probability b ecologically functional populations populations large enough to maintain their im can remain viable for x time given typical stochastic demographics etc portant interactions with other species c The ecologically functional population size takes MVP one step further and measures how rare a species can become while at the same time keeping its ecological roles intact In other words what population size do other species that are depending on the subject species go extinct The 2 3 4 Conservation Study Guide Exam 2 3 ecologically function population size is more relevant than MVP when making conservation policies and setting goals for species abundances 2 What is the difference between a dominant species and a keystone species a dominant species have large effects because they are abundant or have large biomass b keystone species have effects disproportionate to their abundance or biomass i e starfish beaver parrot 3 The equilibrium theory of island biogeography ETIB describes the diversity in a com munity as a function of what two rates Draw the graph showing the equilibrium diversity as a function of these two rates equilibrium is reached when colonization and extinction are equal the rates of colonization and extinction are related to the number of species S