PLAN 341 - FINAL TEST

Question 1

what is biodiversity

Answer 1

the variety of life, and composed of three levels,
communities, species, and genetic types

Native and non-native species included in urban biodiversity

Question 2

what is species richness

Answer 2

Species richness (number of different species in an area) often used to simplify and measure biodiversity

Question 3

what are the types of diversity

Answer 3

Alpha diversity – diversity of microhabitats within a site (e.g., yard)

Beta diversity – degree of difference between sites

Gamma diversity – product of alpha diversity and beta diversity, which represents total block or residential area diversity

Question 4

what are the ways to classify the different types of urban habitat

Answer 4

Cultivated versus uncultivated

Cultivated, natural and naturalized

Remnant native, managed/constructed, and ruderal or adaptive

Trampled, along linear features (e.g. roads), industrial, nutrient-poor, and nutrient-rich

Natural/semi-natural, managed, abandoned, and bare ground

Remnant natural, agriculture, designed; and spontaneous

Question 5

What are the 3 mechanisms used to classify urban habitats?

Answer 5

Wet-dry gradient

Spontaneous or planted

Human maintenance versus natural disturbance or ecological succession

Question 6

what are communities/assemblages

Answer 6

considered to be all the species present in an area, and is normally restricted to a relatively homogeneous area

Question 7

explain interactions among species

Answer 7

Interactions among the species suggests the amount of time that the community has coexisted

More interaction = more stability

Urban communities usually have relatively low interaction

Question 8

5 layers or strata in a natural forest

Answer 8

Canopy
Subcanopy
Understory
Shrub layer
Herbaceous

Question 9

are there more or less shrubs and herbs, and understory in urban forests than in non-urban forests?

Answer 9

Urban forests typically have less shrubs and herbs and potentially less understory than non-urban forests

Question 10

what are the 5 stages of succession

Answer 10

• low herbaceous vegetation to
• grass-dominated vegetation to
• shrubby vegetation to
• small-tree cover to
• taller-tree woodland or forest

Question 11

What are the forces that structure communities in natural environments?

Answer 11

Dispersal of organisms

Species interactions

Local environmental conditions

Natural disturbance regimes

Question 12

What are the forces that structure communities in urbanized landscapes and not in natural environments?

Answer 12

Anthropogenic disturbance

Modification of habitat connectivity

Anthropogenic modifications to local environmental conditions

Human management and maintenance

Question 13

Which of the following are types of interactions between species?

Answer 13

Mutualism

Predation

Symbiosis

Competition

Parasitism

Question 14

what do wildlife refer to?

Answer 14

Wildlife refers to “all vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians) and invertebrates (insects and other groups), except for
pets, farm animals, fish, and diverse aquatic animals.”

Question 15

how are urban vertebrates distinct from vertebrates in natural or agricultural areas

Answer 15

Food from humans and switch diets frequently/easily

Structures from humans

Move frequently

Habituated or accustomed to humans

Generalists

Question 16

how are urban vertebrates different from others

Answer 16

Food from humans and switch diets frequently/easily

Move frequently

Generalists

Structures from humans

Habituated or accustomed to humans

Question 17

What does territory refer to?

Answer 17

a small area around the den or nest that is defended, especially against other individuals of the same species

Question 18

what does home range refer to?

Answer 18

a large area covered in day-to-day movements, particularly in foraging for food

Question 19

what does animal dispersal refer to?

Answer 19

a sub-adult animal moving away from its birth home range to mate and establish its own new home range

Question 20

what does migration refer to?

Answer 20

the cyclic movement of certain animals that avoids a stressful environment, such as winter, and provides suitable living conditions throughout the cycle

Question 21

what are urban spatial features

Answer 21

Corridors – “function as conduit, filter or barrier, source, sink, and
habitat” (Forman 1995)

Stepping stones – “are small green patches used sequentially in movement”

Networks of corridors, stepping stones, etc.

Some patterns are facilitators (i.e. enhance movement); others are inhibitors (i.e. reduce movement)

Question 21

key characteristics of birds

Answer 21

Three major groups :
* Raptors and waterbirds (falcon, owl, duck, goose)
* Songbirds (robin, cardinal)
* The “big three” city birds

Highly mobile and constantly adjusting

Some used rock faces, etc. in natural environments

Area of wood, building and shrub density, distance from trails important for determining bird species richness

Question 22

what are the “big 3” urban birds

Answer 22

sparrow
starling
pidgeon

Question 23

what are common characteristics of the big three birds

Answer 23

spread droppings
originate from rocky cliffs
clean the city
feed in flocks
pidgeons reduce species richness of native birds

Question 24

what are examples of urban predators and omnivores

Answer 24

- racoon - red fox - coyote

Question 25

characteristics of coyotes

Answer 25

* Larger than a fox, but smaller than a wolf * Extreme generalists in terms of habitat and food sources * Greenspaces are important for urban coyotes * River corridors important for long-distance movement * Eat rodents, but also fruits

Question 26

characteristics of red fox

Answer 26

* Play key roles in cities without other top predators * Also, extreme generalists in terms of habitat and food * Move around significantly and have high mortality due to vehicles

Question 27

What are types of general human structures with relevance to urban ecology?

Answer 27

Hard surfaces and cracks House plots Roads Railways Buildings

Question 28

what do diverse human structures mean?

Answer 28

Diverse human structures in an area typically mean there are diverse habitats available to species

Question 29

what are the types of habitat found in house plots

Answer 29

Gardens Lawn Trees/shrubs Building cooridors along borders

Question 30

how does vegetation in cracks change over time? - explain crack succession

Answer 30

from quiz: Vegetation in cracks typically changes from mosses and algae to herbaceous plants over time crack succession from lecture slides: 1. Mosses and algae 2. Herbaceous plants 3. Shrubs 4. Trees * Cracks can widen and deepen from plant establishment leading to a positive feedback loop accelerating successional processes * Conflict between successional processes and management regime

Question 31

what is the primary barrier for large and medium animals?

Answer 31

traffic volume is the primary barrier for large animals

Question 32

what are railways?

Answer 32

Corridor connectivity is complete: conduit, barrier/filter, source, sink, and habitat Habitat heterogeneity * Outer fence/wall/bank * Open strip * Ditch * Slope/embankment * Nutrient-poor rail bed

Question 33

what are roads?

Answer 33

Fragment the land and cut corridors Important for small animals, but dangerous to mid-size and larger animals Traffic disturbance (e.g., noise) inhibits species for a considerable distance

Question 34

what is the primary barrier for small animals

Answer 34

Road width is the primary barrier for small animals

Question 35

what are issues with road mitigation (de-icing/road salt) for wildlife

Answer 35

De-icing compounds degrade soils, contaminate groundwater, and damage plants Harms amphibian populations from their permeable skin De-icing contaminants persist in groundwater and wetland soils for years after each event

Question 36

what is the key to house-plot biodiversity

Answer 36

Plant productivity is usually high due to human intervention (e.g., fertilizers, compost, etc.) Multiple microhabitats = habitat heterogeneity = increased biodiversity

Question 37

what are the two types of green roofs and what are the benefits of green roofs

Answer 37

two types: 1. Extensive green roof - soil substrate <10 cm (4 in) 2. Intensive green roof - deeper soil substrate than extensive benefits: * Cools the air * Humidifies the air * Reduces stormwater runoff * Reduces noise * Filters air pollutants * Reduces UV radiation * Habitat for some species

Question 38

what are the three keys to an effective greenspace system

Answer 38

1. source areas - protect large natural lands at urban periphery 2. arrangement - greenspaces within wildlife movement distances across metro 3. internal design - semi-natural patches, water features, shrub cover for ecology

Question 39

explain ecology in high and low rise areas

Answer 39

High-rise and low-rise residential areas are ecologically impoverished impervious surfaces dominate, some semi- natural vegetation, and fauna is limited to human-commensal species Per unit area, these perform worst by their environmental effects Per capita, these perform best * large-lot suburban housing consumes far more space, impervious surface, chemicals, and water per resident than high-rise

Question 40

what is a suburb

Answer 40

Suburbs – “originally were settlements that appeared just outside and downslope of the city wall of medieval hilltop towns or cities” Today they are mostly residential areas that adjoin cities Suburbs are like nested systems from an ecological perspective

Question 41

examples of planned communities

Answer 41

* Social neighborhoods * Architectural villages * Diverse communities * Designed enclaves * Ecoburbs/agriburb * Ecocities * Technovilles * Net-zero communities

Question 42

explain ecology in warehouse distribution centres

Answer 42

* Biodiversity hotspots in reverse * These centres drive biological globalization * Neighbourhood commercial streets are the most ecologically benign commercial form

Question 43

explain ecology in brownfields

Answer 43

* After industry ends, crack succession expands from pavement crevices to entire derelict buildings * Among the most biodiverse sites in a city * Ground beetles and spiders thrive in the dry, structurally complex, undisturbed conditions; stormwater and chemical pollutants continue spreading outward long after air pollution ends * Redevelopment for greenspace rather than intensive use is typically both an ecological and social gain

Question 44

what are alternatives to brownfields

Answer 44

* Biomimicry or biomimetics – create products that mimic the way natural products work or function * Interdependent industries – “the output of one industry is used as raw material for a second industry, and the output of the second is used as input for the first (or a third) company” * Industrial-site approach – “industries are aggregated at designated sites, in contrast to the “industrial city” concept, where pollutants bathe the whole metro area”