Conservation Biology (W460)

Exam I (100 pts.) Name: KEY

1. In a single, coherent sentence, define each term below. (3 pts. each)

 

Allele- specific genetic information (gene) found at a locus, one allele comes from the mother and one from the father. Different alleles at a locus are usually denoted as A and a (or p and q).

Endangered species- a species that is threatened with extinction in part or all of its range.

Alpha Diversity- number of species in a specific habitat or homogeneous area.

 

Effective Population Size- Effective population size is size of an ideal population that loses genetic variation at the same rate as the real population.

 

2. Define the biological species concept and the phylogenetic species concept. Describe how they differ with respect to: 1. estimates of the number of species on the planet, 2. the design of nature reserves, and 3. reintroductions. (10 pts)

Biological species concept (BSC). "groups of actually or potentially interbreeding organisms that are reproductively isolated from other such groups".

Phylogenetic species concept (PSC). "the smallest diagnosable cluster of individual organisms within which there is a parental pattern of ancestry and descent" (Cracraft 1983).

1) Estimates of biodiversity. BSC favors lower estimates than PSC.

2) Nature reserves. BSC requires less land and fewer reserves than PSC.

3) Reintroductions. Because the PSC considers each population as a potentially a separate evolutionary unit, reintroductions of external stocks or establishment of gene flow between populations must be considered much more carefully under the PSC than the BSC.

 

 

3. In his essay, Templeton uses the reintroduction of the ibex (Capra ibex) into Czechoslovakia as an example of the potential consequences of outbreeding depression. What is outbreeding depression and how did it affect the ibex reintroduction in Czechoslovakia? (10 pts)

Outbreeding depression is a decline in fitness associated with matings between genetically distinct populations. It may result from local adaptation or coadaptation. A reintroduced population of Ibex in Czechoslovakia was doing relatively well until animals from a desert environment were released to augment the population. The offspring from these matings were poorly adapted to the cold environment and the population quickly went extinct.

 

 

4. What is a section 7 consultation, what agencies must be consulted, and when must it be done? (8 pts)

Section 7 of the ESA requires consultation between federal agencies regarding activities that would result in a "take" of threatened or endangered species. All federal agency actions and federally funded projects are to be undertaken in consultation (formal and informal) with USFWS (terrestrial or freshwater species) or NMFS (marine species).

 

5. Compare the utilitarian with the intrinsic value perspective on conservation ethics. What are the consequences (as suggested by Meffe and Carroll) of adopting one or the other approach for conservation of biological diversity? (12 pts)

Utilitarian Value – the value of a species is based on the benefits it provides for

humans.

Intrinsic Value - the idea that all species have value regardless of the benefits they may provide to humans.

Meffe and Carroll suggest that the instrumental value perspective places the burden of proof on those seeking to protect biological diversity while the intrinsic perspective places the burden of proof on those seeking to destroy it.

6. Most predictions about the number of species that may go extinct on the planet in coming decades are based on the species-area relationship. Give two reasons why the species-area relationship may underestimate the actual number of extinctions. (6 pts)

Any two of the following:

  1. Does not account for fragmentation of habitat
  2. Does not account for edge effects.
  3. Does not account for species with low dispersal abilities.
  4. Does not account for species with small ranges.
  5. Does not consider variation in habitat quality.

7. When did the "Cambrian Explosion" occur and why was it unique? (4 pts)

600 mya, it was characterized by many phyla with a diverse array of body plans most of which went extinct.

8. The G1 rating of the Natural Heritage Program applies to species with __c____ (2 pts)

  1. 6-20 Element Occurrences (EO) or 1000-3000 individuals or 2000-10,000 acres.
  2. Secure populations.
  3. < 6 OE’s or less than 1000 individuals or less than 2000 acres.
  4. <6 OE’s or < 500 individuals or < 1000 acres.
  5. None of the above.

9. Name one taxonomic group that does not reach its highest species richness in the tropics. (2 pts)

Any of the following: conifers, Anseriformes (waterfowl), salamanders

10. What is the "God Squad" and what is its function? (6 pts)

The God Squad is appointed by the Secretary of Interior to weigh the environmental, economic and social impacts of protecting an endangered species and decide whether to approve a federal project that may cause the extinction of the species.

11. Explain Fisher’s Fundamental Theorem and why is it important to Conservation Biology. (6 pts)

Fisher’s Fundamental Theorem states that the rate of evolutionary change is proportional to the amount of genetic variation in a population. Because evolution is the key process in producing and maintaining biological diversity it is crucial that populations maintain their potential for evolutionary change.

12. The stability hypothesis is one of several hypotheses that has been proposed to explain patterns of species richness. Describe the stability hypothesis and give an example that supports the hypothesis (or was thought to at one point) and one that contradicts it. (7 pts)

The stability hypothesis states that diversity is higher in more stable environments. The increase in benthic diversity with water depth on the continental shelf was thought to provide support for this hypothesis but further studies have shown that benthic diversity declines in very deep locations despite the greater stability of these environments. The high diversity in intertidal environments also contradicts this prediction because they also suffer very high rates of disturbance.

Name:__________________________

You may consult your notes, your text, and any other reading material but you may not consult with others when completing these questions. These questions are due by 5 pm on Friday October 6th (you may give it to me, put it under my door, or ask someone in the Wildlife office to put it in my box).

Please read the following statement and sign before you hand in the test. I have upheld the HSU honor code and I have not collaborated with others while completing these questions.

Signature ______________________________________

Given the following allele frequencies, calculate hj for each locus. Using these values of hj calculate H for the population. (7 pts)

Proportion of allele

Locus

p 1

p 2

p 3

hj

1

1

0

0

0

2

0.7

0.2

0.1

0.46

3

1

0

0

0

4

1

0

0

0

5

0.9

0.1

0

0.18

6

0.8

0.1

0.1

0.34

7

1

0

0

0

8

1

0

0

0

9

1

0

0

0

10

1

0

0

0

11

0.95

0.05

0

0.10

12

1

0

0

0

13

0.98

0.02

0

0.04

H=

0.086

If this population were maintained at an effective population size of 20 individuals for 10 generations, what would the expected value of H be? Would this value of H be normal for an ungulate population? (5 pts)

Assume that one of the loci had 5 alleles with the following frequencies: 0.9, 0.03, 0.03, 0.02, and 0.02. Calculate the expected number of alleles remaining after one generation with an effective population size of 15. (3 pts)