CONSERVATION BIOLOGY MIDTERM 2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Deterministic models - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅perform the same way for a given set of initial conditions.
Stochastic models - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅can give a range of outcomes from the same initial
conditions
1) Best of the stochastic predictions (population grew a LOT)
2) Deterministic prediction
3) Worst of the stochastic predictions (population declines)
Environmental stochasticity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk
bad years are bad for the average growth rate
strings of bad years can lead to extinction
Catastrophes - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk but are not predictable from historical
data
Demographic stochasticity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk and is strongest at small
population sizes.
Population Viability Analysis
(PVA) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Methods for predicting population trends and risk of
extinction
What are the methods for predicting population trends and risk of
extinction - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅include:
• Estimates of population size
• Predictions about trend in population
• Predictions about variability over time
,Are mobile species harder to protect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Very mobile species can be particularly
hard to protect
Stages of progression on Logistic Growth Model - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅1) Birth Exceed Deaths
2) Resources Abundant
3) Fastest growth of population
4) Resources becoming limited
5) Resources start becoming limited
6) Births = Deaths
Typical relationship between per-capita population growth
and population size - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Negative Linear
Lower population Higher per-capita population growth
Higher population Lower per-capita population growth
Who was Allee? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Studied animal behavior, was interested in the benefits of
living in groups
(flip side is costs of living alone, or at very low densities).
What is Allee effect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅An Allee effect occurs when per-capita population
growth rate is negative at low population densities
Example of an Allee effect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Has broadcast spawning (just put eggs and sperm
out into
the water). But if the animals are at low density, the eggs
and sperm almost never find each other and there is very
little successful reproduction.
When Allee effect is present, populations crash if below a critical level - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅True
, Example of Allee effect in Lynx - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Wiped out by hunting, reintroduced.
Led to another local extinction. With only a few lynx on the landscape, they couldn't find mates!
Conservation Genetics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Application of genetic techniques to conservation
problems
Techniques in conservation genetics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅• Get DNA from some individuals
• Sequence some portion of the genome
• Infer genetic statistics based on these loci
• Genomics becoming increasingly important for
management decisions
Polymorphism (allelic diversity) in a population - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"fraction of gene loci in which
alternative alleles of a gene occur in a population"
population heterozygosity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"proportion of gene loci at which the average
individuals in the population is heterozygous"
If some alleles are becoming fixed in the population then ..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅others are being
lost.
As alleles are lost, polymorphism is..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅going down
As alleles are lost, population heterozygosity is ...... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅going down
Genetic variation is important for conservation biology
because.... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Genetic diversity affects individual performance.
Individuals with more diverse genomes do better.
Deterministic models - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅perform the same way for a given set of initial conditions.
Stochastic models - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅can give a range of outcomes from the same initial
conditions
1) Best of the stochastic predictions (population grew a LOT)
2) Deterministic prediction
3) Worst of the stochastic predictions (population declines)
Environmental stochasticity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk
bad years are bad for the average growth rate
strings of bad years can lead to extinction
Catastrophes - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk but are not predictable from historical
data
Demographic stochasticity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅increases extinction risk and is strongest at small
population sizes.
Population Viability Analysis
(PVA) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Methods for predicting population trends and risk of
extinction
What are the methods for predicting population trends and risk of
extinction - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅include:
• Estimates of population size
• Predictions about trend in population
• Predictions about variability over time
,Are mobile species harder to protect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Very mobile species can be particularly
hard to protect
Stages of progression on Logistic Growth Model - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅1) Birth Exceed Deaths
2) Resources Abundant
3) Fastest growth of population
4) Resources becoming limited
5) Resources start becoming limited
6) Births = Deaths
Typical relationship between per-capita population growth
and population size - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Negative Linear
Lower population Higher per-capita population growth
Higher population Lower per-capita population growth
Who was Allee? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Studied animal behavior, was interested in the benefits of
living in groups
(flip side is costs of living alone, or at very low densities).
What is Allee effect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅An Allee effect occurs when per-capita population
growth rate is negative at low population densities
Example of an Allee effect - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Has broadcast spawning (just put eggs and sperm
out into
the water). But if the animals are at low density, the eggs
and sperm almost never find each other and there is very
little successful reproduction.
When Allee effect is present, populations crash if below a critical level - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅True
, Example of Allee effect in Lynx - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Wiped out by hunting, reintroduced.
Led to another local extinction. With only a few lynx on the landscape, they couldn't find mates!
Conservation Genetics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Application of genetic techniques to conservation
problems
Techniques in conservation genetics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅• Get DNA from some individuals
• Sequence some portion of the genome
• Infer genetic statistics based on these loci
• Genomics becoming increasingly important for
management decisions
Polymorphism (allelic diversity) in a population - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"fraction of gene loci in which
alternative alleles of a gene occur in a population"
population heterozygosity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"proportion of gene loci at which the average
individuals in the population is heterozygous"
If some alleles are becoming fixed in the population then ..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅others are being
lost.
As alleles are lost, polymorphism is..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅going down
As alleles are lost, population heterozygosity is ...... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅going down
Genetic variation is important for conservation biology
because.... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Genetic diversity affects individual performance.
Individuals with more diverse genomes do better.
