EEB 2100 UConn Final Exam
questions and answers
Overexplotation✔✔overharvesting natural resources faster than their replacement
is a main cause of biodiversity loss
Overexploitation-Cod Fishing✔✔Atlantic Cod fishery is depleted by 1920's
technological advances such as diesel engines that allow for larger boats
Georges Bank✔✔Inundated, highly productive island where the Gulf Stream causes
upwellings of nutrients as they are removed from the bottom of water bodies
Largest source of fish for Europe, and then the America's from 1500-1900's
Fish landings(Ships) in tons✔✔Increase during times of more effort to get fish;the
great acceleration.
Ultimately crashes in 1992 because Atlantic Cod population becomes so depleted.
Cod population has never rebounded, this is due to either changes in ecology(food
web) or evolution
Fishing down the food web✔✔Fishing for large, apex predators first (e.g Tuna). Then
fishing smaller and smaller as the apex predators get over fished
Overhunting: megafaunal extinctions(Bison)✔✔Large scale extinctions of large
mammal species
Population reduced from 50 million to 500 due to ecological trap that makes them
easy to kill with guns
Now subject to genetic bottleneck because so low populations have reduced genetic
variation and adaptability
Overhunting: Government Sponsorship✔✔Bounties placed on gray wolfs in North
America as late as 1965, $20-50 per wolf
Last wolf of Connecticut killed in Pomfret
Tragedy of the Commons✔✔Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons- When consumers
maximize their gain on shared resources they destroy those resources
Self interested customers deplete a shared resource
Tragedy of the Commons: Origin✔✔Towns have common greens which were
originally a place townspeople could keep their cattle
,Each townsperson then adds more cattle until the green is overgrazed
Each consumer acts rationally in their own self interest but irrationally for global
interests
Maximum Sustainable Yield✔✔Harvesting only up to the rate of replacement.
Limited Entry(fishing)✔✔Only a set number of commercial fishing permits are
provided at a time to maintain populations
Sustainable Harvesting: Maine lobster✔✔Sustainable practices used for over 100
years.
Limited entry utilized
Trap limit-800 traps per person
Slot limit- let the largest and smallest lobsters go
Consumer knowledge: *Potential exam bonus question*✔✔In New England you
should avoid Cod and Bluefin Tuna because they are endangered species
Introduced, alien, or non-native species✔✔Species established far from their natural
range
Usually from a different continent or biogeographical range(really different place)
Invasive species✔✔Species established far from their natural range WITH adverse
effects on the invaded habitat
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Kudzu✔✔Mile a minute vine that originated in
Japan and is now in Southern US.
Introduced purposefully to inhibit soil erosion, but is now out of control because it
outcompetes native plants
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Norway Rat✔✔Originated in tropical Asia and is
now worldwide
introduced via ships and outcompete native mammals and preys on bird eggs, also
carrier of the plague
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Asian Longhorn beetle✔✔Originated in China and
Korea
Introduced into eastern US via wood packing material from china. Threatens 30% of
trees: $700 billion in damage
Ecological opportunity✔✔Open niche not filled by native species that allows invasive
species to fill in
,Competitor or enemy release✔✔A non-native species may be leaving behind a biotic
limitation or abundant predators for a safer place that allows it to thrive
Toads are heavily parasitized by ticks in south america so if the toads move away
from the enemy tick population they do much better.
Traits of invasive species✔✔Good dispersers/persisters (rats can live on ships for
generations)
Associated with humans(live well with us)
Generalist diets(Can eat whatever)
Deal with human disturbances(can withstand degradation of habitats)
Invasive genotypes✔✔Marsh grass(phragmites)
native to America but European genotypes used in packing material were
transported to America and outcompete American genotype.
Effects of Invasive Species to Native Species✔✔70% of native aquatic species
extinctions in the US, and 30% in the world, are caused by invasive species.
42% of endangered species in the US are there because of invasive species
50% of vegetation is non-native
Biotic Homogenization✔✔Biological communities become more similar to each other
through extinctions, invasions, and changes in abundances
Invasive species replace local ones
generalist species replace specialists
fewer local species, less even abundances
Invasive species numbers✔✔17k established globally
>500 more being established every year
SIR models✔✔susceptible-infected-resistant model of disease transmission
susceptible contract from infected, resistant do not contract, and dead or recovered
no longer transmit
Vectors(epidemiology)✔✔species that carries the disease but is not infected, such
as mosquitos that carry malaria
Reservoir host✔✔The organism that becomes infected by a pathogen and serves as
a source of transfer of the pathogen to others
Lyme in ticks and mice
, Resting spores✔✔disease that hides dormant in spores, in the soil, and then come
back when the conditions are right
Anthrax
R(nought) of diseases✔✔reproductive rate of a disease and is equal to how many
people a single infected is to infect on average. One or above indicates a self-
maintaining disease
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)✔✔335 new EIDs from 1940-2004
new diseases- SARS
new strains- Drug resistant TB
Increasing prevalence- Lyme
60% originate in animals
23% are vector-borne(transmitted by an intermediate animal)
Biodiversity increase vs. disease prevelance✔✔Biodiversity increases the chances
of a new disease because there are more opportunities for the disease to make the
jump
Factors that increase wild hosts and disease reservoirs✔✔Human population growth
Activities that increase human contact with wildlife
Intrusions into wilderness
Contact X Biodiversity X previously low contact = chance of new disease
Ebola✔✔Mostly sub-saharan Africa
likely transmitted from primates to bats to humans
Traced to a tree filled with bats
SARS-COV-2✔✔Intermediate host between bats and humans unknown
96% similarity to Bat-COV but can't bind to humans
Single jump from animal to human that eventually evolved in humans to spread
Dilution effect (Lyme)✔✔Some hosts are better at passing on Lyme disease to ticks
than others- competent hosts are better at doing this
Dilution effect is when other species who are not competent hosts increase and
reduces the prevalence of Lyme.
Environmental effects on disease transmission✔✔resting spores die in very dry or
wet conditions
questions and answers
Overexplotation✔✔overharvesting natural resources faster than their replacement
is a main cause of biodiversity loss
Overexploitation-Cod Fishing✔✔Atlantic Cod fishery is depleted by 1920's
technological advances such as diesel engines that allow for larger boats
Georges Bank✔✔Inundated, highly productive island where the Gulf Stream causes
upwellings of nutrients as they are removed from the bottom of water bodies
Largest source of fish for Europe, and then the America's from 1500-1900's
Fish landings(Ships) in tons✔✔Increase during times of more effort to get fish;the
great acceleration.
Ultimately crashes in 1992 because Atlantic Cod population becomes so depleted.
Cod population has never rebounded, this is due to either changes in ecology(food
web) or evolution
Fishing down the food web✔✔Fishing for large, apex predators first (e.g Tuna). Then
fishing smaller and smaller as the apex predators get over fished
Overhunting: megafaunal extinctions(Bison)✔✔Large scale extinctions of large
mammal species
Population reduced from 50 million to 500 due to ecological trap that makes them
easy to kill with guns
Now subject to genetic bottleneck because so low populations have reduced genetic
variation and adaptability
Overhunting: Government Sponsorship✔✔Bounties placed on gray wolfs in North
America as late as 1965, $20-50 per wolf
Last wolf of Connecticut killed in Pomfret
Tragedy of the Commons✔✔Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons- When consumers
maximize their gain on shared resources they destroy those resources
Self interested customers deplete a shared resource
Tragedy of the Commons: Origin✔✔Towns have common greens which were
originally a place townspeople could keep their cattle
,Each townsperson then adds more cattle until the green is overgrazed
Each consumer acts rationally in their own self interest but irrationally for global
interests
Maximum Sustainable Yield✔✔Harvesting only up to the rate of replacement.
Limited Entry(fishing)✔✔Only a set number of commercial fishing permits are
provided at a time to maintain populations
Sustainable Harvesting: Maine lobster✔✔Sustainable practices used for over 100
years.
Limited entry utilized
Trap limit-800 traps per person
Slot limit- let the largest and smallest lobsters go
Consumer knowledge: *Potential exam bonus question*✔✔In New England you
should avoid Cod and Bluefin Tuna because they are endangered species
Introduced, alien, or non-native species✔✔Species established far from their natural
range
Usually from a different continent or biogeographical range(really different place)
Invasive species✔✔Species established far from their natural range WITH adverse
effects on the invaded habitat
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Kudzu✔✔Mile a minute vine that originated in
Japan and is now in Southern US.
Introduced purposefully to inhibit soil erosion, but is now out of control because it
outcompetes native plants
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Norway Rat✔✔Originated in tropical Asia and is
now worldwide
introduced via ships and outcompete native mammals and preys on bird eggs, also
carrier of the plague
IUCN 100 worst invasive species: Asian Longhorn beetle✔✔Originated in China and
Korea
Introduced into eastern US via wood packing material from china. Threatens 30% of
trees: $700 billion in damage
Ecological opportunity✔✔Open niche not filled by native species that allows invasive
species to fill in
,Competitor or enemy release✔✔A non-native species may be leaving behind a biotic
limitation or abundant predators for a safer place that allows it to thrive
Toads are heavily parasitized by ticks in south america so if the toads move away
from the enemy tick population they do much better.
Traits of invasive species✔✔Good dispersers/persisters (rats can live on ships for
generations)
Associated with humans(live well with us)
Generalist diets(Can eat whatever)
Deal with human disturbances(can withstand degradation of habitats)
Invasive genotypes✔✔Marsh grass(phragmites)
native to America but European genotypes used in packing material were
transported to America and outcompete American genotype.
Effects of Invasive Species to Native Species✔✔70% of native aquatic species
extinctions in the US, and 30% in the world, are caused by invasive species.
42% of endangered species in the US are there because of invasive species
50% of vegetation is non-native
Biotic Homogenization✔✔Biological communities become more similar to each other
through extinctions, invasions, and changes in abundances
Invasive species replace local ones
generalist species replace specialists
fewer local species, less even abundances
Invasive species numbers✔✔17k established globally
>500 more being established every year
SIR models✔✔susceptible-infected-resistant model of disease transmission
susceptible contract from infected, resistant do not contract, and dead or recovered
no longer transmit
Vectors(epidemiology)✔✔species that carries the disease but is not infected, such
as mosquitos that carry malaria
Reservoir host✔✔The organism that becomes infected by a pathogen and serves as
a source of transfer of the pathogen to others
Lyme in ticks and mice
, Resting spores✔✔disease that hides dormant in spores, in the soil, and then come
back when the conditions are right
Anthrax
R(nought) of diseases✔✔reproductive rate of a disease and is equal to how many
people a single infected is to infect on average. One or above indicates a self-
maintaining disease
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)✔✔335 new EIDs from 1940-2004
new diseases- SARS
new strains- Drug resistant TB
Increasing prevalence- Lyme
60% originate in animals
23% are vector-borne(transmitted by an intermediate animal)
Biodiversity increase vs. disease prevelance✔✔Biodiversity increases the chances
of a new disease because there are more opportunities for the disease to make the
jump
Factors that increase wild hosts and disease reservoirs✔✔Human population growth
Activities that increase human contact with wildlife
Intrusions into wilderness
Contact X Biodiversity X previously low contact = chance of new disease
Ebola✔✔Mostly sub-saharan Africa
likely transmitted from primates to bats to humans
Traced to a tree filled with bats
SARS-COV-2✔✔Intermediate host between bats and humans unknown
96% similarity to Bat-COV but can't bind to humans
Single jump from animal to human that eventually evolved in humans to spread
Dilution effect (Lyme)✔✔Some hosts are better at passing on Lyme disease to ticks
than others- competent hosts are better at doing this
Dilution effect is when other species who are not competent hosts increase and
reduces the prevalence of Lyme.
Environmental effects on disease transmission✔✔resting spores die in very dry or
wet conditions
