Exam 8: Sustaining Biodiversity: Saving Species

There are an estimated 61,000 orangutans in the wild that are ____ at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 per year.

What is currently the most important threat to the survival of polar bears?

A species of barnacle is transported by boat to a new port, where it begins to colonize boats and piers. If the species begins to outcompete other species and cause harm, then it would be considered a(n)____________________ introduced species.

Please list at least two methods of limiting the harmful impact of invasive species as described in your text.

A habitat that is isolated by roads, agriculture, or urban development is called a(n) ____________________.

Pollution from human activities has only minor effects on the environment, so the primary concern when pollution occurs is that it affects human health.

Describe the three primary challenges for scientists when attempting to estimate extinction rates.

Species can be more vulnerable to storms and forest fires because of habitat fragmentation.

A particular species of endangered bird distributes seeds for plants and is an important food for other animals, so it may be considered a keystone species and especially important to target for conservation efforts.

Biologists conservatively estimate that the current extinction rate is at least ____________________ times the normal background extinction rate.

List four things that you do that can contribute to help protect wild species.

What is the cause of extinction and reduction in wild species that compete for resources with humans?

Recoveries after mass extinctions can ____.

With the absence of emergency action to curtail ____ and preserve tiger habitats, few if any tigers, including the Sumatran tiger, will be left in the wild by 2022.

Recent genetic research indicates that ____ or more individuals are needed for an endangered species to maintain its capacity for biological evolution.

The primary reason that polar bear populations are declining is because the higher temperatures resulting from climate change cause them to overheat due to their thick fur.

A small orchid plant that is found only on a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Florida, has been listed as an endangered species. Which agency was responsible for listing this plant as endangered?

Various plant species provide value as food crops, fuelwood, lumber, paper from trees, and useful scientific knowledge. What term best describes this type of value?

You are trying to decide on a conservation plan for a large national park. Which of the species below is likely to be the biggest conservation concern and important to consider first?

A male lion in Kenya generates more money through ecotourism than if killed for its skin.