EXAM 2 STUDY GUIDE

As soon as possible, after attending lecture, complete the part of the study guide that was covered in
lecture. This will help transfer the information from your short term memory to your long term
memory. EACH DAY review the study guide. If you don’t understand something, ask me.

BIODIVERSITY
List 4 ecosystems that support a tremendous amount of biodiversity.
Tropical forests, tropical coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries
What is the difference between Background Extinction and Mass Extinction?
mass- catastrophic back-low rates as conditions change
What is a BIG difference between the current mass extinction and the 5 mass extinctions of the past?
caused by 1 species
What is the difference between an indicator species and a keystone species?
frog early warning/ crucial to ecosystem like otters
Be able to give examples of different indicator species, and be able to explain why they are indicator
species.
frogs, trout
Be able to give examples of different keystone species, and be able to explain why they are keystone
species.
otters, beavers
What does the acronym HIPPO stand for?
habitat fragmentation, introduced species, population, pollution, overconsumption
Why is habitat destruction a MAJOR factor in loss of biodiversity?
less space for the species to live and separation supports inbreeding
Why are migratory songbirds considered indicator species for Habitat Fragmentation (i.e. what does a
decrease in numbers indicate)? What are some negative consequences of this habitat fragmentation?
they live in one nest and if there home is gone they can’t survive
Describe the American Passenger Pigeon and American Bison over-hunting cases that were covered
in class.
Bison 1850 60 million pigeon largest until over hunted and 1914 extinct
How are whale populations being protected now? What is currently the status of whale populations?
Why are some countries still allowed to hunt whales?
scientific research
What was a MAJOR goal behind the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species?
eliminate markets for endangered wildlife
Using salt water aquarium fish as an example, how does the pet trade impact biodiversity?

Biodiversity provides many ecosystem services. What are some of those services? (HINT: download
the pdf file from D2L)

The 1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act is extremely important in protecting species from extinction.
What are the 3 categories used to describe the risk of extinction of a particular species?
endangered, threatened vulnerable
What are the steps that are involved in establishing a recovery plan for an
endangered species? Why is the Endangered Species Act so controversial?
Preserve habitats, protect enough land so that entire ecosystem protected, accommodate use
Why are scientists trying to establish a new migratory route for Whooping
Cranes? Describe some of the details behind the Whooping Crane Project.
to establish a secondary rout in case one of two rout has problems
List 3 Ecosystem Management Goals.
protect critical animals Hot spots,
How is Gap Analysis used to prevent loss of biodiversity?
What are the 3 zones of a BIOSPHERE reserve and what happens in each?  How can this system
include local communities?  Why is the Biosphere concept more successful than a national park
concept? Core area Buffer zone and multiple use area

What is a habitat corridor?  How can habitat corridors be used to preserve biodiversity?
preserved land that connects park reserves

FORESTS
What is the difference between old-growth and secondary growth forests?
  old growth starts from nothing secondary grow back faster
What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
primary never been colonized
Explain the concept of climax community.
species composition no longer change
How do forests act like giant sponges?
they absorb the water that would have created mudslide
Extensive cutting and burning of tropical rain forests often result in a drastic and permanent lowering
of rainfall in the cleared area. Why?
because there is less water that stays in the location because of runoff
How do forests affect the global carbon cycle?  Why is the destruction of tropical rain forests a
serious problem for every one-not just the people living in tropical countries?
less trees less oxegen
Why are snags and fallen logs important to forest ecosystems?
brings back nutrients and
Although tropical forests only makeup about 6% of earth's land area, they contain   50-90 %  of
earth's terrestrial species.

What are 3 economic products of tropical forests?

fuel, food, medicines
How do government subsidies and land programs increase the rate of tropical deforestation?
give money to companies to build roads
Tropical deforestation usually begins with a logging road. That logging road then makes the forest
accessible to a wide variety of unsustainable activities. What are some of those activities and how do
they contribute to forest degradation?mining logging, ranching, dams, colonization
Why are tropical forest soils poor for agriculture?
low in nutrients, warm and humid high rainfall
Describe the sustainable process of Swidden agriculture. When does this type of agriculture become
unsustainable?
slash and burn builds nutrients
Describe methods (discussed in class) that can be used to help decrease tropical deforestation.
reduce roads, label timber, don’t buy illegal, agroforestry, fuel efficient stoves ecotourism
What are the 2 basic management systems used in U.S. forest management? 
clearcut,sustainablility
What is the cutting cycle for clear cutting?  Why do many logging companies like to use the clear-
cutting method? What are some MAJOR problems that clear-cutting causes?
20-50 years, easy, diseases, mudslides
What are the benefits of using sustainable forestry methods?
diversity, natural
Selective-cutting is a type of sustainable forestry. Describe how it is used and why it is sustainable.
they select cut and reduce ovecrowding
Which 2 factors create huge incentives for clear-cutting our U.S. Forests (public lands)?
money
In most cases, what type of forest management technique is used in our national forests, sustainable
or clear cutting? Explain. What is a “beauty strip”?
they leave a row of trees next to roads
Why did our national forests create a 6.6 billion dollar deficit from 1978-1994? Who paid for this
deficit?
below cost timber sales and logging rows
Why is fire a natural part of many forest ecosystems? 
kills shrubs and brings back nutrients
What are some differences between surface fires and crown fires?
crown fires destroy everything and surface are not as bad
How can fire suppression negatively effect forest ecosystems that "need" fire? 
accumulation of shrubs creating crown fires
How can prescribed fires be used to restore forest ecosystems?
they clear land for new plants to grow and kills invasive plants
GRASSLANDS
What are some characteristics of native (natural) grasslands?
fire protected, reservoir for diversity, 1/3 earths surface
Overgrazing is the single greatest threat to grassland ecosystems. What are some negative
outcomes of overgrazing?
desertification
You are in charge of the U.S. National Grasslands. What are some
grassland management techniques that you could use to restore native
grasslands (discussed in class)?
fense off damaged areas limit grazing

WETLANDS
Where are most wetlands located, along coasts or inland?
inland
What was the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on wetlands?  Why does this ruling severely effect
the preservation of prairie potholes and other non-navigatable wetlands? What has Wisconsin done
to protect these wetlands?