Conservation and Restoration Ecology Flashcards
7 cards from real Ecology practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Conservation and Restoration Ecology flashcards as text
In conservation planning, 'systematic reserve design' uses which primary approach?
Answer: Using algorithms to identify the minimum set of areas that represent all biodiversity targets
Systematic reserve design uses spatial algorithms (e.g., Marxan) to find cost-efficient networks of reserves that meet biodiversity representation targets.
Which ecological process is most directly restored when large predators are reintroduced into an ecosystem?
Answer: Trophic cascades
Reintroducing apex predators restores top-down trophic cascades, regulating herbivore populations and indirectly benefiting vegetation and other species.
Which legal instrument in the US provides the primary framework for listing and protecting threatened and endangered species?
Answer: Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 requires the listing of threatened and endangered species and mandates recovery plans and critical habitat designation.
What does 'additionality' mean in the context of conservation offsets and carbon markets?
Answer: Ensuring that conservation actions produce benefits beyond what would have occurred anyway
Additionality requires that conservation actions generate real, measurable benefits that would not have happened without the intervention or funding.
Which island biogeography principle most directly informs the design of protected area networks?
Answer: Larger and closer patches support higher species richness
Island biogeography theory shows that larger habitat patches and shorter distances between patches support higher species richness and reduce extinction rates.
What is the concept of 'half-earth' proposed by E.O. Wilson?
Answer: Protecting half of Earth's land and sea to halt mass extinction
Wilson proposed protecting half of Earth's land and ocean surfaces as interconnected reserves to preserve the majority of species and prevent mass extinction.
Which restoration approach prioritizes re-establishing ecosystem function over recreating historical species composition?
Answer: Novel ecosystem management
Novel ecosystem management accepts that some systems cannot return to historical states and instead focuses on restoring functional processes using available species.