Ecological Principles and Processes. Self-evaluations. Name. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 1

Transcription

1 Ecological Principles and Processes Self-evaluations Name Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 1

2 Chapter 1. Introduction At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Understand the historical development of ecology as a scientific discipline Describe the types of approaches that ecologists use to study organisms and their environment Appreciate the importance of scale in ecological study 1. Into which sub-disciplines of ecology might an ecological study of a single species of plant fall? What does this imply about the nature of ecology? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 2

3 At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Chapter 2: Unique New Zealand Describe the major events in New Zealand s geological history that have influenced our biota Understand why New Zealand is missing some groups of species common elsewhere and why we have so many endemic species Understand the unique aspects of New Zealand s biogeography Give examples of biogeographic patterns within New Zealand and suggest their causes List unusual features of New Zealand s ecology 1. Fill in the following table. Jurassic Cretaceous Oligocene Miocene Pliocene Pleistocene Approximate time period Major geological and climatic events Consequences of these events for biota 2. Fill in the following table with a species in each cell. Endemic Indigenous Introduced Bird Insect Plant Fish Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 3

4 3. Although the UK and New Zealand are about equal in area and each is composed of two main islands, they are biogeographically very different. How is this so? 4. What other places in the world have high levels of endemism? Why? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 4

5 5. What would a Northern hemisphere ecologist find odd about New Zealand s ecology? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 5

6 Chapter 3: Adaptation and Habitat At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Define habitat and niche and understand the difference between them Understand how species are adapted to their environment Describe how ecologists measure the suitability, availability and quality of habitats for species Understand how habitats are classified Describe the pre-human and current vegetation types in New Zealand 1. Summarise your general knowledge of a plant and an animal by listing their requirements for shelter, food and reproduction in each of the four seasons of the year. Draw up separate tables for immature and adult organisms. Plant. SEEDLINGS AUTUMN WINTER SPRING SUMMER SHELTER FOOD REPRODUCTION Adults Autumn Winter Spring Summer SHELTER FOOD REPRODUCTION Animal. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 6

7 SEEDLINGS AUTUMN WINTER SPRING SUMMER SHELTER FOOD REPRODUCTION Adults Autumn Winter Spring Summer SHELTER FOOD REPRODUCTION Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 7

8 2. For one of the species (perhaps the one for which you can supply the greatest detail) design a survey form for recording the presence or absence of members of the species at sites near where you work. Which environmental variables are you most doubtful about? Which ones would you need to research in order to devise a scoring system? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 8

9 3. This survey form can only be used in places where the target organism is living. What can be done to assess the suitability of a site for a plant or animal that is not actually there at present? Try to come up with strategies for dealing with this problem. 2. Discuss your ideas with your colleagues and focus on a patch of bush, coast, or wetland in your area. How would you assess its suitability for the introduction of a plant or animal that is absent at the moment? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 9

10 3. In a region familiar to you, identify distinct habitats and try to recognise the ecotones dividing them. Assess the extent to which adjoining habitats interact by way of wind, water, propagules and animals. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 10

11 Chapter 4: Population Principles At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Define a population and describe its characteristics Understand how population size is measured Describe how populations may change through time Understand how the carrying capacity and density dependence influence population size Describe different life history strategies 1. Have a look in your backyard and choose three species a bird, a tree, and an invertebrate. For each, construct a table to compare and contrast the three species in terms of population characteristics (spatial pattern, age-structure, potential for emigration and immigration, potential growth rate (r). Name Bird Tree Invertebrate Spatial Pattern Age structure Potential for emigration Potential for immigration Potential growth rate (r) Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 11

12 2. For these three species, how might you measure population size or density? Which is more meaningful? Why? 3. Consider the brown kiwi population of Box 4.4. Under scenario 4 (Operation Nest-egg), the graph shows a rapid population recovery and the kiwi density is expected to exceed 200 birds per km 2 within 15 years. Explain why this outcome is unrealistic. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 12

13 4. What sort of population growth is likely to be exhibited by long-lived, threatened species? What features of the environment could have devastating effects on such species (e.g. Resources, predators)? Why? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 13

14 Chapter 5: Communities and species interactions At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Describe how food webs are constructed and interpreted Understand why decomposition is important Understand how competition, predation, parasitism and symbiosis influence communities Appreciate the complexity of multi-trophic interactions 1. Consider a species living wild in your backyard. List the types of interactions this species has with other species in the backyard community. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 14

15 2. Build a food web for your backyard including the species you chose above. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 15

16 3. What factors (biotic and abiotic) most limit the population size of your chosen species? 4. What might be the consequences of this species disappearing or rapidly increasing? 4. If you were to intervene, how could you influence these increases or decreases? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 16

17 Chapter 6: Ecosystems At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Understand how energy flows and nutrients cycle through ecosystems Understand the limits to primary and secondary production Appreciate why keystone species are important Describe the causes and effects of succession Assess the ways that ecologists detect succession 1. Figure 6.4 shows a biomass pyramid for the animals in a modern Orongorongo Valley forest. Try to modify the pyramid to (a) include plants, (b) show a pristine (pre-human colonisation) New Zealand forest. a b Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 17

18 2. Attempt a biomass pyramid for a New Zealand estuary 3. What are the main sources and ecological roles of nitrogen and phosphorus? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 18

19 4. Imagine a molecule of Nitrogen fixed into ammonia by nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the root nodules of a matagouri bush on a South Island high country station. Draw a diagram to summarise the possible eventual fates of that ammonia molecule as it passes through the ecosystem. 5. Have a look at the food web you constructed for the self-evaluation of Chapter 5. Modify your food web into an interaction web. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 19

20 6. In an area familiar to you, identify a succession in progress and attempt to estimate the time required to reach a climax state. a. Location and general description of community b. Is this primary or secondary succession? What event initiated succession? c. What stages of succession are present? d. Time to reach climax (with brief reasons) Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 20

21 At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Chapter 7: Phases of Human Impact Describe the overall pattern of human impact on New Zealand natural systems Understand some of the history of early human settlement of New Zealand Understand the social and ecological roots of present-day management problems in the conservation estate Describe the ways in which people alter ecosystems Appreciate the complexity of the present problems in the conservation of biodiversity in New Zealand 1. In what major ways have people modified the ecosystems that they first found in New Zealand? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 21

22 2. What were the major events, or periods, in the history of human modification of New Zealand s natural systems? 3. What are the major threats to New Zealand ecosystems now and in the future? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 22

23 4. Imagine that human activity ceased and the people deserted your local area or region. What could happen to the flora, flora and ecological processes, over what length of time? Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 23

24 Chapter 8: Restoration and Species Management At the end of this chapter you should be able to: Understand what restoration is and why it is so important in New Zealand Compare single species management to ecosystem-focused restoration Understand the differences between restoration on offshore islands and on the mainland Understand why pest control is so crucial to New Zealand restoration Understand the methods and key issues involved in revegetation and translocations 1. Consider an area that could potentially be restored. What are the key ecological features of that site that have been lost or altered by humans? Consider ecosystem processes, not just species. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 24

25 2. Outline the restoration potential for that site. That is, how would you restore it if you had an unlimited budget? 2. Write a prioritised list of restoration procedures that you propose to undertake. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 25

26 3. Write a prioritised list of monitoring procedures and explain how this monitoring will be used to assess the success of the restoration programme. Ecological Principles & Processes workbook - self-evaluations.doc 26