Exam 38: Conservation Biology

A regional assemblage of interacting ecosystems is a

If current trends in global warming continue for the next 50 years, where will the greatest effects of global warming likely be felt?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitors changes in global biodiversity. It is a network that is composed of both government and nongovernment organizations. The IUCN collects data on the status of the natural world and uses these data to make conservation and sustainable development recommendations. One widely recognized metric for evaluating organismal conservation is the IUCN Red List. This list uses several criteria to calculate the survival probability of organisms throughout the world. The aggregate Red List survival probability for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads in different geographic regions is summarized in the table. Table 1. Aggregate survival probabilities for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads according to the IUCN Red List. Region 1993 2016 Southern Asia 0.77 0.68 Southeastern Asia 0.83 0.72 Latin America and the Caribbean 0.79 0.74 Eastern Asia 0.83 0.75 Sub-Saharan Africa 0.82 0.75 Oceania 0.88 0.80 Western Asia 0.88 0.82 Northern Africa 0.92 0.86 Caucasus and Central Asia 0.92 0.91 Developed regions 0.88 0.82 Developing regions 0.81 0.73 World 0.82 0.74 Source: United Nations Statistics Division Statistical Services Branch. (n.d.). Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/Goal-15. -The data in Table 1 can be used to make scientific recommendations for prioritizing conservation efforts. Using Table 1, and considering the limited resources and great challenge in coordinating international policies, which regions should be prioritized for conserving biodiversity?

About one-third of all animal and plant species are concentrated on ________ of Earth's land.

Global warming is the result of

Araschnia levana is a species of butterfly that breeds several times a year. It has two distinctly colored pupae. Although the genes for pupa color do not differ, those that emerge in spring are orange and those that emerge in summer are brown. The seasonal color variations in pupae mean that the pupae blend into the colors in their environment. This is an example of

One result of Costa Rica's commitment to conservation is that

In Clackamas, Oregon, a stand of hybrid poplar trees was planted on an area of land that is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Why would someone purposely plant trees in an area with contaminated soil?

If wolves were now removed from Yellowstone National Park

Some populations, especially those with high genetic variability and short life spans, may avoid extinction as the climate changes through

To decrease air pollution created from sulfur emissions, your local power plant wishes to build tall smokestacks. The ultimate consequence of this would most likely be

According to this graph of changes in Earth's atmosphere, which change took place between the years 1800 and 2000?

The current rate of extinction may be as much as ________ times greater than the natural rate of extinction.

Rice is a staple crop across Asia; it serves as a main nutritional source for Asia's high population. In the 1970s, a pathogen called the grassy-stunt virus greatly decreased cultivated rice plant populations in Asia. Scientists found one wild relative of the rice plant in India that was resistant to the grassy-stunt virus, and today hybrid rice plants with that resistant gene are grown across Asia. To find this one rice plant species, approximately 17,000 rice plants samples were tested over the course of 4 years. If you were a scientist working on this project, how would you argue that the results of the research would be worth the time investment?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitors changes in global biodiversity. It is a network that is composed of both government and nongovernment organizations. The IUCN collects data on the status of the natural world and uses these data to make conservation and sustainable development recommendations. One widely recognized metric for evaluating organismal conservation is the IUCN Red List. This list uses several criteria to calculate the survival probability of organisms throughout the world. The aggregate Red List survival probability for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads in different geographic regions is summarized in the table. Table 1. Aggregate survival probabilities for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads according to the IUCN Red List. Region 1993 2016 Southern Asia 0.77 0.68 Southeastern Asia 0.83 0.72 Latin America and the Caribbean 0.79 0.74 Eastern Asia 0.83 0.75 Sub-Saharan Africa 0.82 0.75 Oceania 0.88 0.80 Western Asia 0.88 0.82 Northern Africa 0.92 0.86 Caucasus and Central Asia 0.92 0.91 Developed regions 0.88 0.82 Developing regions 0.81 0.73 World 0.82 0.74 Source: United Nations Statistics Division Statistical Services Branch. (n.d.). Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/Goal-15. -Which region had the least amount of change in species survival from 1993 to 2016?

You are a climate scientist who wants to investigate climate change. Which measurement would be the least useful?

As the climate warms, the population ranges of organisms may shift to different areas that are cooler. However, as humans continue to fragment large tracts of land, species will face increasing challenges in adapting their ranges to new climates. For example, movement corridors may not be able to be built if the amount of land needed for a species' range is fragmented due to cities and roads. One alternative to creating movement corridors is called managed relocation. This requires physically moving species to cooler climates. -What is an advantage of using managed relocation?

Captive breeding

While habitat destruction by humans creates fragmented ecosystems, fragmentation can also occur due to natural processes. Which natural process would most likely create a fragmented ecosystem?

Which result is an observed effect of global warming on organisms?