Exam 22: Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, and Global Biodiversity

Researchers studying soil conditions and plant species between 1 and 500 metres from former Roman settlements found that sites closer to settlements had

North and South America were joined by the Isthmus of Panama

PET is a measurement that combines the amount of solar radiation and

Islands at equilibrium that are farther from the mainland contain fewer species than nearer islands at equilibrium because farther islands have

Given average temperature and humidity, potential evapotranspiration is the amount of water that could be

The number of species in a relatively small area of homogeneous habitat is called

How does habitat fragmentation increase the total edge habitat? Describe the effect of habitat fragmentation on a 600-metre by 600-metre forest plot that has been divided into nine 200-metre by 200-metre sections using calculations of edge size.

Smaller islands at equilibrium contain fewer species than larger islands at equilibrium because smaller islands have

According to the _____ hypothesis, sites with higher amounts of energy are able to support more species.

Small intervening patches that dispersing organisms can use to move between large favourable habitats are called

Which is NOT a way that edge habitat differs from interior habitat?

All of the species in all of the habitats that constitute a large geographic area are called

Which of the following is NOT a Southern Hemisphere biogeographic region?

In which biogeographic region is Canada?

Which biogeographic region is also called the Oriental region?

How can we apply the theory of island biogeography to determine which characteristics might give a nature reserve the highest probable success rate in preserving a region's biodiversity? Discuss size, number, proximity, spatial arrangement, connectivity, and shape of the reserve.

Time since glaciation is one possible predictor of species diversity. Explain how time since glaciation leads to differences in terrestrial diversity between polar and tropical regions.

(Figure 22.24) As you can see in the figure, species richness for animals and plants increases with average potential evapotranspiration, but the curves level off at high levels of evapotranspiration. Why are high levels of evapotranspiration associated with a plateau in species richness?

In North America, amphibian diversity is greatest in the

When habitat is fragmented, a(n) _____ forms along the edges.