Introduction - Mountains and Plains: The Ecology of Wyoming Landscapes - page 9

Transpiration

SOLAR RADIATION

Atmosphere

Photosynthesis
Heat

Herbivores

Leaves Carnivores

Evaporation
to atmosphere

Fruit
Seeds

Omnivores

Rain
Snow
Surface
runoff

Nitrogen
fixation

Stems

Detritus D etritivores

Soil surface

Roots
Mycorrhizae

Herbivores Carnivores

Soil organic
matter

Soil
solution

Omnivores

Mineral
soil

Decomposers

Subsurface
runoff

Weathering

Conservation Biology

Fig. 1.6. Major components (indicated by boxes) and interac-
tions (arrows) of a terrestrial ecosystem. Arrow width indicates
the relative amount of energy or water moving along a path-
way. temperature, water and nutrient availability, and grow-
ing season length determine the rates of transfer between
components. the irregular shapes indicate sources of water
and nutrients. complex food webs exist above and below the
soil surface, both of which are linked by the organic matter
on the soil, known as detritus, litter, or mulch. Such simple
diagrams do not convey the complexity caused by the diverse
group of organisms represented by each box. changes in one
component or process cause changes in others.

As for ecologists, conservation biologists can take sev-
eral approaches to their research. in general, they are
experts on rarity and what, if anything, can be done
about it. Some species are rare because their habitat has
been degraded by human activity; others are naturally
rare and are found only in one or a few small areas. Ulti-
mately, conservation biologists work to facilitate sound
management programs that lead to the maintenance or
recovery of threatened species, thereby reducing the need
for the strict mandates of the endangered Species Act. in
Wyoming, seven plants, six mammals, six birds, six fish,
and one amphibian are currently protected by federal law
or are under consideration for protection (figs. 1.7-1.9). 1.7-1.9).
others are of special interest because they are endem-
ics, that is, they are found nowhere else. 5 Such species—
along with those that are common and widespread, and
all the varieties in each species—compose the biological
diversity of an area.
the conservation of rare and endangered species
requires information gained by scientists in ecology as
well as other disciplines. More specifically, biologists
with expertise in evolution and species identification are
needed to verify that so-called rare species are verifiable
species and are indeed rare. Some of them are difficult to

Fig. 1.5. (left) Major vegetation types plus cultivated
land, lakes, reservoirs, and urban and industrial develop-
ments. Sagebrush-dominated shrubland is most widespread
(33 percent of the land area), followed by mixed-grass prairie
(18 percent) and lodgepole pine forest (7 percent). Some
categories are not shown, because they occur in patches too
small for the scale of this map. these include most riparian
woodlands, shrublands, and meadows; most subalpine mead-
ows; most aspen groves; small woodlands of ponderosa pine
and limber pine; woody draws; playas with greasewood; small
cultivated fields; white spruce groves in the Black Hills; and
foothill grasslands and shrublands. Subheadings indicate as-
sociated species in the foothills (fh), the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem (gye), the Black Hills (bh), and the Sierra Madre
(sm). Adapted from the national land cover map (2011) of the
U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program. Land cover
percentages are from Driese et al. (1997). cartography by Ken
Driese.