IBIO/PLB 355 Ecology Lecture Final Exam PDF

Christina Daniela Joscillynn Final Exam Ecology Lecture IBIO/PLB 355 Name(s) __Christina Adams, Daniela Velazquez-Hernandez, Joscillynn Moody___ *Remember to answer all pa...

Christina Daniela Joscillynn Final Exam Ecology Lecture IBIO/PLB 355 Name(s) __Christina Adams, Daniela Velazquez-Hernandez, Joscillynn Moody___ *Remember to answer all parts of the questions and to look at the points provided for an indication of how much to write (i.e. for 5 pts, three well-written sentences should suffice). Q1) A hypothetical non-native fish species, the Silverfin Snapper, has recently been introduced to your region's freshwater lakes. This species is highly adaptable, reproduces rapidly, and thrives in both shallow vegetated areas and open water. It is a generalist feeder, consuming algae, aquatic plants, and small invertebrates, which make it a strong competitor against native fish species. (17pts) Key characteristics of Silverfin Snapper: ​ Reproductive strategy: Broadcast spawner, reproduces in the spring. Releases eggs and sperm into shallow, slow-moving areas with dense vegetation. ​ Lifespan: Up to 10 years, with rapid growth in the first two years. Eggs will only hatch in waters between 60–75°F. ​ Behavior: Forms dense schools, often in shallow, nearshore waters.​ ​ In 3-5 sentences, design a method to monitor the population size and trends of the Silverfin Snapper. Your plan should include an explanation of the plan’s feasibility, data quality, and potential limitations (5pts). ○​ To monitor the population size and trends of the silverfin snapper, it would be best to use a tagging method, placing the tag under their skin to ensure that it does not impede their natural functions. ○​ This plan is easy to implement, cheap, and the tagging can be quick with only a short catch/release period. The possible limitations could be tags fall off, tagged fish die off, or the fish migrate away and don’t show up again. ​ Propose two specific ways to target this fish population to reduce their reproductive success or survivability. How might each of these methods affect the behavior or physiology of the Silverfin Snapper? (4pts) ○​ The first way to reduce this fish population would be to advertise fishing registries that reward/promote fishing this specific species. There could be some kind of incentive for capturing, having different values for ages caught. Release should be prohibited or advised against. ○​ Another way would be to find a specific species of plant that is toxic to these fish and disguise these plants around their natural food sources. If they are not willing to eat the plants, we could change to making the toxic substance into a solution and treat the water around spawning time when the population will be most dense. ​ Provide two examples for how the presence of the Silverfin Snapper could influence existing species interactions within a lake community (these can refer to broad trophic levels like “apex predators”). (2pts). ○​ One: The presence of these fish decreases the primary producers in the community which will take away resources for other herbivores. This can cause destabilizing effects on the trophic levels/food web. ○​ Two: There would be an increase in competition for resources on all trophic levels between consumers. As the number of SIlverfin Snappers increases in the lake community, there is less space available for other species and in turn, competitors must fight for the remaining food sources. ​ For one example provided in part c, hypothesize whether disruptions in that interaction could lead to trophic cascades or other changes in community stability in a highly biodiverse lake compared to a lake with low biodiversity and explain your reasoning (2pts). ○​ When the invasive species takes effect in a community, the lake with the lowest biodiversity is likely to face a more severe trophic cascade because there is less niche space for this invasive species to join in which will disrupt the current community equilibrium. The trophic levels in the highly biodiverse  community will not be affected as severely due to the organisms having other food sources to fall back onto when one is quantitatively low. ​ Large populations of the Silverfin Snapper have led to smaller populations of primary producers. Design an observational study to infer how this change disrupts energy transfer across all trophic levels in an ecosystem and be sure to use adequate controls. (4pts) ○​ To determine the change in energy transfer due to the large population of Silver Snappers it would be best to use quadrat sampling on a landscape level. This will allow observers to see how the amount of Silver Snappers is affecting the diversity and amount of the native species in the community. If fewer primary producers are present, it could be inferred that less energy transfer is happening because fewer organisms are receiving light energy, or uptaking energy from the soil from decomposing organisms. ○​ Some adequate controls in place would be to conduct random sampling of quadrants and record observations. This will allow for a better estimate of the available population densities. The size of the quadrants must be big enough to find at least one Silverfin Snapper to record in observation. There should be at least a few samples conducted of random sampling to ensure enough data is collected. ​ Q2) Coral reefs, including the third largest one found in the Florida Keys, are incredibly biodiverse ecosystems that are built around coral polyps and their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae. These reefs provide food and shelter for various organisms including fish (some that eat algae and some eat other fish), invertebrates, and microbes. The health and stability of these ecosystems depends on low nutrient levels in the water, moderate wave action, and constant temperatures. However, human activities in the Florida Keys such as overfishing, pollution, sea wall development, chemical deposition from sunscreen, and climate change have disrupted this ecosystem. This has led to issues such as an increase in coral bleaching (when coral expel their zooxanthellae) and subsequent coral die-offs, algal overgrowth, and the introduction of an invasive starfish that eats corals. For all those reasons, the Florida Keys habitat is highly degraded. (17pts) a.​ Using all the steps in an adaptive management framework, design a restoration/regeneration/rewilding plan that addresses at least one problem at the population, community, and ecosystem level. You should incorporate at least three ecological theories/concepts discussed in our course to guide your plan (state the theory and describe how it connects to your actions). Be sure to address how you will navigate non-ecological stakeholder interests in your plan. (11pts). ​ The restoration plan to restore the Florida Keys coral reefs will involve coral nurseries and planting to increase the coral population, then the removal of invasive starfish species, and finally would promote the need/requirement for the implementation of a protective order that would prevent certain chemical sunscreen (much like what already exists) and/or limitations on snorkeling and fishing near reefs. ​ At the community level, by increasing the coral population through the methods above the algae, Zooxanthellae, will increase due to their symbiotic relationship. A way to help these corals resist climate change would be to breed heat-resistant corals. This can be done through gene banks, using PCR or CRISPR. Then the genetically modified coral should be placed into the structures of the water and observed to record their growth. This will help to determine how many survived in the environment and continue to grow. ​ At the ecosystem level, some things to assist the restoration would be to balance water quality and nutrients, while removing the invasive species and algae. By doing so, the net surface water will help to clear invasive algae and reduce the amount of coverage on the coral. After, the population of the invasive algae should be monitored to determine if there is a change in their population. ​ There would need to be laws set in place to reduce human disruption, which would allow for less pollution and overfishing to occur. This can be done by working with local conservation offices to implement the needed regulations. Once the regulations have been decided, then they should be implemented,  and monitor the public’s reaction to these new regulations. Some considerations would be the business’ in charge of snorkeling trips near the corals. ​ Considering all these steps, each of them after being monitored should be evaluated and adjusted to assess for any further problems or identify solutions that are not working. ​ To guide our plan, we will consider niche theory, community assembly, and succession theory. Niche theory will assist in terms of interactions between species and their specific roles while considering how to re-establish the needed conditions for their niche. Such as the need to reduce invasive species in the current ecosystem to help the native species survive. In this case, getting rid of the invasive algae and starfish. Community assembly considers how species will interact with their restored ecosystem and helps guide us on how to reintroduce native species. In this case, the heat-resistant coral and for us to consider the way they will react to the coral reef’s environment. Lastly, succession theory must be considered, in restoration the species introduced must mimic the natural succession stages in their normal environment. This way the pioneer species will help better improve conditions for the species that arrive later. Such as the corals will help the Zooxanthellae survive, which in turn helps the corals obtain food. ​ To address working with non-ecological stakeholders, we would have to find some way to make them care. Setting regulations will likely upset a large portion of the stake-holders so we would have to plan a way to still make an income without allowing mass groups on coral reefs. One way would be to have registration fees for fishing liscenses, or snorkeling zoning. This would provide money back from the restrictions set forth. While there probably is not a way to make the sunscreen company happy, we could discuss with their PR to make it seem like less of a law, but more of a notion of good character to make people see them and want to buy their products  b.​ Design a public outreach campaign to communicate the importance of your restoration actions to a diverse audience, from scientists to beachgoers. This should include a slogan (+1pt EC if we think the slogan is REALLY catchy), a description on how you will spread your message (including any scientific communication and outreach components) and be sure to incorporate ecological knowledge into your pitch. (6pts) ​ Slogan: Stars can’t replace scars! Bring back the sandbars! ○​ Reefs Alive, Ocean Thrives! ​ Description: One major way in today's age to spread awareness is through social media campaigns. We can create an Instagram page to post photos of the degradation of the coral reefs and create a TikTok page to make small videos that explain what the problem is and what efforts can be taken to fix it. When doing this, it is important to include easy-to-access links where people can donate to the cause. Using the TikTok algorithm by making videos to trending songs can help us reach more people who might not usually see things about environmental concerns. Q3) The scenarios below address conservation issues in a specific ecosystem. Choose one of the hypothetical scenarios below. Discuss why this is a conservation issue (i.e. what are the ecological consequences of the scenario) and develop a plan to protect the existing populations of species. Your answer should demonstrate the knowledge you have learned throughout the course and your ability to critically think about multiple aspects related to the scenario. Include at least one example from case studies you have learned about in class or online and how your case study relates to the issue, or your plan to address the issue. If using case studies from online research, you MUST include a link to the website/article where you have obtained this information. (12 pts) a)​ A non-native organism is reducing the population size of a native species. b)​ A small, isolated species with little genetic diversity can only exist in their specialized habitat that is frequently disturbed by human activity, threatening the species survival. c)​ A species of ectotherm is at the upper limit of their thermal tolerance and increasing temperatures are restricting the time they can be active, decreasing their time for foraging, mating and ultimately their population size. A breakdown of the points awarded for this question are below: ​ 4 points for addressing and discussing why this is a conservation issue. ​ 6 points for developing a plan to tackle the problem- your ability to critically think about how your plan will work and potential limitations to your plan will be marked here. ​ 2 points for including at least one case study example that relates well to your chosen scenario. ​ Scenario a: o​ This is a conservation issue because invasive species can cause ecological harm and disrupt existing ecosystems, which can lead to a loss of biodiversity. Non-native species reduce the number of native species which leads to the extinction or reduction of these species and habitat loss. ​ Plan: o​ One way to reduce a non-native species is to capture and kill these species. One potential limitation of this is how easy this is to do. If we are dealing with a fish species, for example, it may be difficult to capture mass amounts of these fish without potentially harming native species around them. If we are dealing with a plant species, we can pull the invasive plant by hand to create more room for the native species to grow, but we must make sure that we take the season of the plant into consideration. If we pull the plant while they are spreading their seeds, we risk spreading the population more. In this situation, we are also limited by the amount of people who are willing to volunteer their time to pull the invasive plant. o​ Another way would be to bring public awareness and create policies to ensure that people don’t continue the spread of this species. By bringing attention to this, the public can become aware of how this non-native species is causing ecological harm and disrupting ecosystems. o​ Once the non-native species population has decreased, another step would be to restore native species. By reintroducing native species, it can help to increase biodiversity once more. Which, in turn, rebuilds food webs, and helps to bring back stability to the ecosystem.  ​ Example of case study: o​ Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes, used in the conservation ecology lecture is a good example of non-native organisms reducing the population size of native species. Zebra mussels outcompete the native mussels in the Great Lakes and their large numbers reduce the amount of plankton found. This affects other native species that depend on the plankton as food. o​ This case study relates to the scenario chosen because similar to the Zebra Mussels, there is a non-native species in our scenario decreasing the population of native species. Q4) Design a new animal species to introduce into an ecosystem of your choosing. Follow the steps below to describe your species and its ecological role in that ecosystem. (30 points) Species characteristics a)​ Describe or draw your animals’ physical traits, such as size, shape, and unique adaptations (i.e. does it have a tail, does it have sharp teeth, does it have fur, etc.). Include at least five traits. If you are drawing your species, you must label these traits (5 points, +1 bonus point if we think your species is VERY creative). ​ Species Name: Snatter Fly (Papilionaspis) ○​ Physiology: ​ Skin/Fur: the body of the Snatter Fly has soft, fine fur that prevents damage upon landing from flight ​ Tail: Instead of the usual snake tail/end, this species tail is more flat and light to allow for aerial steering ​ Body: long, thin body around 1.5 feet in length. Head is shaped like arrows tip to ensure proper dynamics ​ Wing Span: Average is around 12 inches ​ Unique Adaptations: ○​ Retractable Wings: Because this species is limbless, their wings fold into a thin scaled layer on their body to prevent any damage to the delicate fibers ○​ Glide-and-Attack: The snatter can fly high into the air, in which it will spread it’s dazzling wings to both ward off predator birds, but attract  prey attention for an easier swoop down and grab​ b)​ Is your species ectothermic or endothermic? Why? Relate your answer to the traits you have specified. (2 pts) ○​ This species is ectothermic due to their relationship to other reptilian species on the phylogenetic tree. Knowing this, the snatter will fly closer to the sky when feeling cold to warm themselves back up. They can also reflect the sun on their wings to expedite this process. Habitat and Niche c)​ What type of biome does your animal species inhabit (i.e., forest, desert, ocean, grassland)? (1 pt) ○​ The snatter inhabits a forest biome because it is exclusively built for living within trees and dense forests. It lives in the tops of these forests to get past some of the canopy so it can thermoregulate itself in the sun.​ d)​ Choose two traits your species has and describe how these traits make it well suited to its habitat. (4 pts) ○​ Its long, thin body allows it to move on tree branches to live and hide from predators. ○​ Its wings allow it to fly from tree to tree, so it doesn’t have to live on the forest floor where it would be more at risk from predators.​ e)​ What is your species role in the food web- is it a producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, or apex predator? Describe how at least one of its traits explains its role in the food web. (3 pts) ○​ The Snatter is a secondary consumer. Its arboreal lifestyle allows it to hide in trees from predators on the ground, while its dazzling wings allow it to ward off large birds that might wish to consume it. Due to its ability to fly and swoop at ease with the help of its wings and tail, it catches insects on the ground and in mid flight. ​ Community Interactions:  f)​ Explain how your species interacts differently with three other real organisms in the ecosystem. These interactions can include competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, or commensalism. (6 pts) ○​ The Snatter’s favorite food is grasshoppers. This is predation. It has no trouble catching them in the air or swooping down and catching them on the ground. ○​ The Snatter competes with the American robin for food and living space. American robins also eat insects and make their home in woodlands. ○​ The Kirtland Warbler and Snatter have a mutualistic relationship. The Snatter will make its home near Kirtland Warblers nest and ward off Brown-headed cowbirds that take over their nests with their own eggs. In exchange, the Snatter will eat some of the insects brought back to the nest. ​ Ecological implications g)​ Using research from a similar species, describe at least two potential consequences if the species that you have described were to become invasive or extinct. Explain why you think outcomes may align to your research on a similar species, and why these outcomes might be different for your species. Make sure you start your answer in a way that clearly states your question choice (e.g. If my species became invasive...). If you are struggling to think of a similar species, consider whether the traits you have described would make it more similar to a mammal, bird, reptile, fish, etc. Provide links below your answer from the source(s) you have used to answer this question (i.e. websites, books, articles, lecture slide titles). (9 pts)​ ○​ If the Snatter became extinct there would be an increase in insects that live in the areas the Snatter is found. Similar to the smooth green snake, the Snatter is known for eating insects and helping control their populations. If the snatter became extinct it would also take away a food source for many larger animals that live in the area. The smooth green snake, similar to the Snatter, is a food source for birds, small mammals, and sometimes even other larger snakes. Although these animals do have other forms of food and don’t specifically rely on the smooth green snake, it would take away a food source for these  animals and possibly make finding food harder. Differently, it doesn’t appear as if the smooth green snake has any animals that it experiences mutualism with. If the Snatter went extinct, then it would no longer be able to be mutually beneficial towards the Kirtland warbler. smooth_green_snake.indd​ Q5) You’re the teacher now! Come up with an exam question (worth 3-5 points) for an Ecology exam. Your question should have students apply their knowledge of ecological theory discussed in class to solve an ecological problem and be answerable in 1-3 sentences (not multiple choice or true/false). You cannot re-write or re-use a question written by one of the instructors. Include a brief key for how you would evaluate answers. (5pts) ​ Question: ○​ In the year 2028, a new species of rodent that resembles a mix of a racoon and possum have migrated into your local community. This species has been causing drastic destruction to native plants and is even outcompeting native secondary consumers due to their ability to catch and consume smaller rodents with ease. ​ How would the alpha diversity of your community be affected when this species has been around for more than a year? (3pts) ○​ Once this species has desiccated this community, they begin to disperse quickly into different directions. In an attempt to prevent this species from destroying another community, you and your fellow ecologist decide to come up with plans to stop the dispersion of this species. ​ What restoration scale would be the best for this type of plan? (1pt) ​ Key: ○​ Part 1: Alpha diversity would go down because this animal is outcompeting native species meaning that they don’t have food to eat to survive (worth 1 point). Also, they are able to easily consume smaller rodents, so diversity will go down as those populations go down (worth 1 point). They are also causing destruction to plants, meaning there will be less plant survival (worth 1 point).  ○​ Part 2: Landscape, because it is impacting neighboring communities (worth 1 point)​ Extra credit–if working in a group, each person must answer for full credit: Describe a concept from this course that changed how you think about the natural world and explain why. (2pts) ​ Christina: The concept that changed the way I think about the natural world is the idea that humans at this point in time have no ecological constraints. It is crazy to me to think that we don’t have anything ecologically holding us back, although it makes sense when you think about it. I think before this class, I was always thinking of human greed and other things that aren’t actually an ecological constraint. This concept really changed the way that I view human impact on the world and how we can impact it in the future. ​ Daniela: The concept that changed the way I think of the natural world is community establishment and stability. While I had thought of the way it applied to animals I didn’t think of the way it affected plant communities as well. The last half of the semester taught me how to understand the importance of better different species communities and their effect on the rest of the environment. ​ Joscillynn: A concept from this class that I think had the most impact on how I think of the natural world is species interactions and restoration ecology. Ecology in general has been an eye opening experience for me and has redirected me in a completely different path than what I had been going in. Besides this, the reason I think restoration and species interactions changed the way I think about the natural world is because we get to see just how important environments are. and then once we see the damage that has been done, we can see more into the organisms and how they interact differently because of this damage.