Question

a case study on isolated populations
a case study on isolated populations
in his childhood years in the ozark mountains, alan templeton loved watching collared lizards. these lizards are colorful and able to run fast on their hind legs. templeton went to further his education and earn a phd, but after returning to the ozarks as an adult, he found that the collared lizards had become difficult to find. their populations had declined.
upon further investigation, templeton realized the problem.
collared lizards live in small patches of desert called glades.
throughout the past 100 years, fire suppression had become a hot topic within the forest service. red cedar trees, which had been kept to small numbers prior to the firefighting efforts, had grown to create large patches of forest. these cedar forests divided the lizard populations.
templeton tried to help the collared lizard populations expand by bringing in new lizards to recolonize the glades. even templetons research on the declining populations was used to convince local residents that prescribed burns were needed on two mountains (stogal & thorma). this allowed greater dispersal of the collared lizards that remained.
discussion questions:

1. what type of isolation was occurring in the collared lizard population?
2. what might have happened to the collared lizard populations in the ozarks if templeton hadnt noticed a problem?
3. when did templeton attempt to reintroduce new lizards? were these methods successful? give evidence from the graph to explain your answer.
4. explain why the number of occupied glades rises quickly after 1994.
5. if you had lived in the ozarks during the time of templetons lizard reintroduction, would you have voted to allow prescribed burns in the forests? why or why not?

Explanation:

1. The red - cedar trees creating large patches of forest divided the lizard populations, which is a form of geographical isolation as it physically separated the lizards.
2. Without Templeton's intervention, the collared lizard populations would likely have continued to decline due to their restricted habitat and isolation, potentially leading to local extinction.
3. To answer this, one would need to analyze the graph for a spike in lizard - related metrics (such as population numbers or occupied glades) after Templeton's actions. If there is an increase, it could indicate success. Without seeing the graph, we can't give a specific answer.
4. After 1994, it is likely that actions like prescribed burns were carried out, which removed the red - cedar trees, opening up more glades for the lizards to occupy.
5. Responses may vary. Those in favor might argue that prescribed burns would restore the lizards' habitat and promote biodiversity. Those against might be concerned about potential negative impacts on other forest species or property damage.

Answer:

1. Geographical isolation
2. Likely continued decline and possible local extinction
3. Analyze graph for evidence of success
4. Prescribed burns or other habitat - opening actions
5. Varying responses based on different viewpoints