Deck 13: Conservation Ecology

Question 1

What remains the most likely cause of biodiversity loss?

A) Acidification of oceans
B) Deforestation
C) Eutrophication
D) Acid rain

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which country,according to Figure 13.10c,has had the highest percent gross forest cover loss?

A) Brazil
B) Canada
C) USA
D) Russia

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In general which group of species likely has the greatest number of species that have yet to be named?

A) Insects, centipedes, and millipedes
B) Fungi
C) Plants
D) Mollusks

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The term biodiversity can include?

A) Species richness
B) Genetic diversity
C) Community types
D) All of the above

Question 5

What is the simplest way to describe biodiversity?

A) It is simply all the animals of the rainforest
B) It is all the bacteria and animals of the tropical biomes
C) It is the number of species found in a defined geographic unit
D) It is the percentage of rare species in a defined geographic unit

Question 6

According to research published by Beaumont and Hughes (2002),butterflies in Australia would suffer reduced distributions in the future if temperatures increased by 0.8 to 1.4 degrees Celsius by 2050.Which of the following is one reason why?

A) They are specialists and the plants they specialize on may be displaced from one another
B) All butterfly species will experience reduced population sizes
C) Coevolving relationships with ants will be disrupted
D) None of the above

Question 7

What umbrella term is used to describe the various actions taken to slow down or reverse the loss of species and biodiversity?

A) Preservation
B) Conservation
C) Restoration
D) Remediation

Question 8

Which geographic region is currently seeing the greatest threats to amphibian diversity?

A) Africa
B) North America
C) South Africa
D) Europe

Question 9

Describe the relationship between population size and probability of extinction for island bird species.

A) It is a linear relationship; the probability of extinction is constant regardless of the number of pairs
B) There is no relationship
C) It is an exponential relationship; the probability of extinction increases much more when populations fall below 100 pairs
D) The relationship is hump-shaped; probability of extinction increases when number of pairs is high or low.

Question 10

It is documented that some introduced species can assimilate into communities without an obvious effect.However,many have caused significant alterations to native communities.Which of the following is an example of an accidentally introduced species that has reduced biodiversity?

A) Finches on to the Galapagos Islands
B) Tasmanian devils on to Australia
C) Brown tree snakes on to Guam
D) All of the above

Question 11

Florida panthers experienced an inbreeding depression and the effects of this were observable in offspring,which showed a susceptibility to mange and morphological deformities.What is an inbreeding depression?

A) The inheritance of harmful alleles due to breeding between close relatives
B) Decreased breeding due to reduced population health
C) Breeding between subspecies
D) Breeding between hybrids

Question 12

In which type of scenario would genetic drift have a more significant effect?

A) A population with 1,0000 individuals and an effective population size of 300
B) A population with 1,0000 individuals and an effective population size of 30
C) A population with 100 individuals and an effective population size of 30
D) A population with 10,000 individuals and an effective population size of 300

Question 13

Why might it be important to preserve rare alleles in a population?

A) Because these alleles may be selected for in the future if environmental conditions change
B) Because these alleles are mutations that increase fitness
C) Because these alleles will confer immediate advantages
D) These alleles are not important to populations

Question 14

Which biome is currently experiencing the greatest rate of destruction?

A) Temperate
B) Dry tropics
C) Humid tropics
D) Boreal

Question 15

What is the total number of Earth's species that have been identified?

A) 10 million species
B) 12 million species
C) 200 million species
D) 1.8 million species

Question 16

When is a species is considered to be critically endangered?

A) If there is a 50% probability of extinction in 5 years or 2 generations, whichever is longer
B) If there is a 50% probability of extinction in 10 years or 3 generations, whichever is longer
C) If there is a 20% probability of extinction in 20 years or 3 generations, whichever is longer
D) If there is a 20% probability of extinction in 20 years or 5 generations, whichever is longer

Question 17

The fossil record tells us

A) That extinction is a rare biological event
B) That more species are alive today than have ever lived in history
C) That birds are likely going extinct more slowly today than historically
D) That more than 99% of species that have ever lived are now extinct

Question 18

You have studied a bird species in Costa Rica and there is a greater than 20% probability that it will go extinct in approximately 4 generations.Should this species be classified,and if so with what status?

A) No, it should not be classified
B) Yes, it should be classified as near threatened
C) Yes, it should be classified as critically endangered
D) Yes, it should be classified as endangered

Question 19

Which of the following would be a method used by biologists to rescue small populations from the loss of genetic diversity?

A) Breeding with the last common ancestor
B) Cloning individuals
C) Controlled breeding in captivity and subsequent reintroduction
D) There is no way to rescue a small populations with lost genetic diversity

Question 20

Which of the following choices is a reason why it is important to ensure that genetic diversity is preserved in small populations?

A) Because increasing genetic variation in small populations will ensure higher reproductive potential
B) Because increasing genetic variation in small populations will ensure long-term evolutionary potential
C) There is no reason why genetic diversity needs to be preserved in small populations
D) Because increasing genetic variation in small populations will confer immediate advantages

Question 21

Choosing between either "land sharing" or "land sparing" farming practices depends on which of the following choices?

A) Relative yields between organic and conventional farms and relative values for conservation of different land uses
B) The two are identical
C) Relative yields between organic and conventional farms
D) The value of land for conservation to purchase and the relative yield between organic and conventional farms

Question 22

In which ways can habitat disruption result from anthropogenic influences?

A) The habitat can be destroyed for development
B) The habitat can be degraded by pollution
C) The habitat can be altered by climate change
D) The habitat can be converted to agricultural lands

Question 23

Which of the following are accurate statements regarding taxa threatened with extinction (whether being critically endangered,endangered,or vulnerable)?

A) 50% of archaea are threatened with extinction
B) 20% of mammals are threatened with extinction
C) 32% of amphibians are threatened with extinction
D) 65% of birds are threatened with extinction

Question 24

Which of the following explains why conservation biologists would be particularly concerned about the effects of introduced species on an island?

A) Conservation biologists are not concerned with introduced species on islands
B) Because islands tend to have high amounts of endemism
C) Because island populations will always be genetically homogenized
D) Conservation biologists are concerned with intense intraspecific competition on islands

Question 25

The introduction of brown tree snakes to Guam reduced the visits per tree per day of insect and bird pollinators.Which of the following choices explains what happened as a result of this reduced pollinator activity?

A) Recruitment of new trees increased
B) There was no effect on to the species or community as a result of this reduced pollinator activity
C) There was low recruitment of new mangrove trees on Guam relative to non-invaded islands
D) There was high recruitment of new mangrove trees on Guam relative to non-invaded islands

Question 26

It is often difficult to identify populations at risk because?

A) Populations often fluctuate a great deal over time.
B) Models fail to take into account the life history data of species
C) It is impossible to follow populations over time
D) There are usually few genetic data available to examine genetic diversity

Question 27

Which organization established globally recognized categories of protected areas?

A) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
B) The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
C) International Union for the Conservation of Nature
D) None of the above.

Question 28

The percentage of Atelopid tropical frogs going extinct is:

A) Not associated with the Chytrid disease or temperature
B) Positively associated with air temperature increasing above average, which leads to Chytrid driving more frogs to extinction
C) Is negatively associated with air temperature increasing above average, which leads to Chytrid driving more frogs to extinction
D) Due to Chytrid and the data show no evidence to suggest temperature has any contribution

Question 29

Which of the following can make populations occupying smaller habitat more vulnerable?

A) Genetic factors
B) Time since divergence from a last common ancestor
C) Demographic factors
D) Habitat reduction

Question 30

You have been researching a very small population of Tasmanian Devils.What uncertainties about this small population should be of extreme importance and interest to you when prioritizing your research?

A) The number of individuals born male or female
B) The number of individuals that die or reproduce in a given year
C) When the species evolved
D) The genetic diversity of individuals in the population

Question 31

Which of the following are classifications of risk in conservation biology?

A) Critically threatened
B) Endangered
C) Vulnerable
D) A species of least concern

Question 32

Which factors can contribute to an extinction vortex?

A) Fragmenting populations
B) Overharvesting of a species
C) A catastrophic event
D) A large effective population size

Question 33

Penn et al.(2000)and Lacy (1993)used a population viability analysis (PVA)to investigate whether two populations of koalas were declining in Queensland.Which of the following is true regarding this study?

A) The model showed that both populations had a similar probability of extinction
B) The predictions of their PVA were able to be checked for accuracy because researchers had tracked the populations since the 1970s
C) The one population was experiencing an inbreeding depression
D) The PVA predictions were similar to the actual population trends

Question 34

Which extinction threat is gaining in importance as likely cause of extinction?

A) Invasive species
B) Loss of habitat
C) Over fishing
D) Hunting

Question 35

Which of the following are explanations as to how a species may be introduced to a nonnative habitat?

A) They were accidentally transported from one country to another during a delivery of exported goods
B) They were stocked in a persons private pond to prey upon pests
C) They were placed intentionally to provide a recreational opportunity
D) They were imported to produce a new agricultural product

Question 36

You want to determine how a small population of a species may survive in the future as development around their habitat increases.You have data on the survivorship and reproductive rates of this age-structured population.Ideally,you will use the results of your research to inform land managers of predicted population sizes year by year and the probability of extinction during those years.What method would you use to do this work?

A) A minimum viable population analysis
B) Estimate the proportion of heterozygous individuals and determine the effective population size
C) Use a model such as a population viability analysis
D) Use a Lotka-Volterra model

Question 37

Which of the following are threats to biodiversity?

A) Invasive species
B) Habitat disruption
C) Overexploitation
D) Global environmental change

Question 38

A population of frogs was reduced 60 years ago by a major outbreak of a disease.The population was reduced to a very small size (less than 300 individuals)and the frequency of mating with relatives increased.Recently,this population has been observed to have morphological defects and reduced survivorship.There has also been a reduction in fecundity.As a result the population is becoming smaller and smaller.What is happening to this population and how could it be helped?

A) There is nothing to do for this population. It is too small and sick.
B) Increase breeding in the population to offset the amount of competition.
C) Raise eggs in captivity and then release them later. Intra- and inter- specific competition is too great for this population
D) This population is experiencing an extinction vortex. The population may be rescued by introducing new alleles to increase genetic diversity.

Question 39

Which of the following are examples of a habitat that has been degraded?

A) Habitat that has been sprayed with pesticides
B) Habitat where native plants have been reintroduced
C) Habitat that has experienced acid rain
D) Streams where there is input from runoff of fertilizers from agricultural land

Question 40

At what scales can biodiversity be assessed?

A) Genetic diversity within species
B) Using phylogenetic analyses
C) Species within a community
D) Subspecies within a species

Question 41

A strategy to preserve biodiversity with several small reserves versus one large reserve would be effective if _________

A) Species are evenly distributed across the entire area
B) If species are distributed about the area in a heterogeneous manner
C) The area is dominated by species with very large home ranges
D) The region is very homogeneous

Question 42

The results of a study of southern dunlin in Sweden showed that _______.

A) As the population declined, mating pairs found individuals with rare alleles
B) As time progressed, the population size recovered
C) The offspring of mated close relatives were less likely to hatch
D) More eggs hatched from more closely related mating pairs than less closely related mating pairs.

Question 43

Agricultural land where synthesized nitrogen fertilizer is used impacts ecosystem services because _______________.

A) It allows for more crops produced per acre
B) There are compromises to high quality water that would otherwise be used for drinking and recreation
C) There are increases to species richness
D) There are improvements to the provisioning of water for drinking and recreation

Question 44

A no-take zone in a marine protected area specifically:

A) Still allows for fishing
B) Allows only for commercial fishing
C) Attempts to protect the area from human disturbance
D) Attempts to protect the area from land-based pollution

Question 45

A(n)_________ would be a function or attribute provided in support of human interests by ecosystems.Generally,it saves a cost that would otherwise have to be paid.

A) Net primary product
B) Ecosystem service
C) Regulatory service
D) Economical service

Question 46

A marine protected area is ___________.

A) All marine with no adjacent land area included
B) All or mostly marine area, sometimes with portions of adjacent land
C) All pelagic area
D) Only coastal areas with no deep sea space

Question 47

There is often a _______________ between agriculture production and biodiversity.

A) Tradeoff
B) Direct positive relationship
C) Complementary relationship
D) Synergistic relationship

Question 48

Irreplaceability to a conservation biologist would mean _______.

A) A measure of how much biodiversity is lost each year as a result of climate change
B) A value of how many rare plants and animals exist in a given area
C) A relative measurement of how important an area of land is for achieving regional conservation targets
D) How many individuals within a population have rare alleles that cannot be replaced

Question 49

The effectiveness of a marine protected area (MPA)may be limited by _____________.

A) The amount of regional nitrogen pollution
B) Global climate change
C) Overharvesting of marine species
D) All of the above

Question 50

With regard to the size of a marine protected area (MPA),you would expect a MPA that is 50% of the size of an adjacent MPA to be __________ at protecting a fish population.

A) Less effective
B) More effective
C) Just as effective as a larger MPA
D) 50% less effective

Question 51

Protected areas such as _________,are large unmodified or slightly modified areas,that retain their natural character and influence without permanent or significant human habitation,that are protected and managed to preserve their natural condition,but also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible,spiritual,scientific,educational,recreational,and visitor opportunities.

A) Wilderness areas
B) National parks
C) Natural monuments
D) Strict nature reserves