Deck 10: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach

Question 1

Robert Costanza of the University of Vermont estimates the world's forests provide us with ecological services worth how much per year?

A)$4.7 trillion
B)$6.3 trillion
C)$11.9 trillion
D)$13.2 trillion
E)$15 trillion

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is not true of tree plantations?

A)They are biologically highly diverse.
B)They can return a fast profit.
C)They are usually clear cut when sufficiently mature.
D)The trees are often used for paper or reconstituted wood substitute.
E)The trees are uniformly aged.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Wildlife and mature trees are relatively unharmed by surface fires.
B)Surface fires increase the chance of a severe crown fire.
C)Surface fires release minerals that are locked up in vegetation.
D)Surface fires may benefit some plant species and some game animals.
E)Surface fires burn away flammable ground material, helping prevent destructive fires.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not true about surface fires?

A)They free valuable mineral nutrients tied up in decomposing litter.
B)They release seeds from cones of lodgepole pines.
C)They increase soil erosion.
D)Wildlife requires surface fires to maintain their habitats.
E)They help control diseases.

Question 5

Four of the following are true about tree plantations; one is not.Choose the one that is not true.

A)Repeated cycles of cutting and replanting deplete soil nutrients.
B)Soil may become so depleted it hinders any type of forest growth.
C)They probably are more sustainable than old-growth or second-growth forests.
D)They have less biodiversity than old-growth or second-growth forests.
E)They are controversial because of genetically engineered tree species.

Question 6

Which of the following is not among the countries with the largest areas of old-growth forests?

A)Russia
B)Canada
C)Brazil
D)Indonesia
E)United States

Question 7

Controlling or reducing the harmful impacts of tree diseases and insect pests on forests can be accomplished by all of the following except

A)introducing nonnative predators for the insects
B)banning imported timber that might carry new diseases or insects
C)developing genetically resistant tree species
D)applying conventional pesticides
E)using biological controls such as predaceous local bugs

Question 8

Which of the following is not a benefit coming from the Green Belt Movement begun by Wangari Maathai?

A)provides women an income to help them get out of poverty
B)provides fruits and building materials
C)provides fuelwood for cooking and heating
D)provides continent wide distribution of wood products
E)helps slow climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Question 9

Clear-cutting does all of the following except

A)eliminates most recreational value
B)destroys and fragments wildlife habitats
C)increases flooding and erosion
D)enhances biodiversity
E)increases pollution of streams

Question 10

An old-growth forest would be defined as

A)a commercial forest older than 30 years
B)a forest undisturbed for at least 50 years
C)a second-growth forest undisturbed for at least 100 years
D)a re-planted forest that has had little disturbance for 100 years
E)an uncut or regenerated primary forest undisturbed for several hundred years

Question 11

Removing intermediate-aged or mature trees from a forest is known as

A)intermediate cutting
B)selective cutting
C)partial cutting
D)clear-cutting
E)strip-cutting

Question 12

Four of the following are true about forests; one is not.Choose the one that is not true.

A)They are home to one-half of the world's people.
B)Traditional medicine, used by 80% of the world's people, comes from forests.
C)Chemicals from old-growth forests are used to make most medicines.
D)Forests are habitat for two-thirds of terrestrial species.
E)One-fourth of world's people depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Question 13

A second-growth forest is

A)an old-growth forest with lots of new seedlings
B)an old growth forest with lots of weeds
C)trees resulting from secondary succession
D)an old growth forest that has been cut down with only weeds remaining
E)grassland that has been planted with seedlings

Question 14

Which of the following is not an economic service provided by forests?

A)fuelwood
B)mining
C)reduce erosion
D)lumber
E)recreation

Question 15

Robert Costanza of the University of Vermont estimates the monetary worth of the earth's ecological services per year at which of the following?

A)$150 billion
B)$500 billion
C)$1.5 trillion
D)$33 trillion
E)$500 trillion

Question 16

Which of the following is the most dangerous type of fire?

A)surface
B)prescribed
C)ground
D)crown
E)designated

Question 17

Even carefully designed logging roads have harmful effects, including all of the following except

A)increased erosion
B)sediment runoff into waterways
C)habitat fragmentation
D)decreased access to farms, mines, and ranches
E)loss of diversity

Question 18

Four of the following are important ecological services provided by forests; one is not.Choose the one that is not.

A)Reduce soil erosion.
B)Release atmospheric carbon.
C)Purify water and air.
D)Influence local and regional climate.
E)Provide numerous wildlife habitats.

Question 19

Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement by encouraging which of the following?

A)protecting chimpanzees
B)planting of trees
C)developing grassy areas around houses
D)use of diesel instead of gasoline in taxis
E)cleaning up of rivers

Question 20

Forests, both natural and planted, occupy how much of the earth's land surface, other than Greenland and Antarctica?

A)40%
B)20%
C)30%
D)10%
E)5%

Question 21

Tropical forests in the Amazon basin and other South American countries are being cleared for all of the following except

A)tree plantations
B)cattle ranching
C)tropical hardwood lumber
D)soybean plantations
E)coffee and spices

Question 22

Ecologists and forest fire experts recommend several strategies for reducing fire-related harm to forests and people.Which of the following is not one of those strategies?

A)Encourage growth of young trees and underbrush.
B)Set small, contained surface fires in highest-risk forest areas.
C)Allow fires on public lands to burn as long as they do not threaten lives.
D)Thin a zone of 60 meters around houses and buildings in fire prone areas.
E)Thin forest areas vulnerable to fire by clearing away fire-prone trees and underbrush.

Question 23

Overgrazing occurs when too many animals graze for too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a rangeland area.Overgrazing causes all of the following except

A)reduced grass cover
B)exposure of the soil to wind erosion
C)increased retention of water
D)compacted soil
E)encourages invasion by inedible plant species

Question 24

With only 2% of its forests remaining, which of the following countries has gone from tropical paradise to ecological disaster?

A)Jamaica
B)Bermuda
C)Haiti
D)Cuba
E)Virgin Islands

Question 25

The demand for fuelwood is a major factor in the degrading of forests.Which of the following is not true about the use of wood for cooking and heating?

A)Used by more than 2 billion people.
B)Consumes about three-fourths of all the wood harvested in developing countries.
C)Causes rings of deforested lands around urban centers.
D)Is heavily sold on the black market.
E)In less than 50 years demand may be 50% greater than sustainable supply.

Question 26

In the United States, about ____% of the forests are protected.

A)10
B)20
C)30
D)40
E)50

Question 27

Brazil's government has stated that the percentage of Amazon basin that has been deforested or degraded has increased from 1% in 1970 to ____% in 2008.

A)2
B)4
C)8
D)20
E)32

Question 28

Which of the following is not a method of grassland restoration?

A)protection of riparian areas from overgrazing
B)rotation of water holes and salt blocks
C)suppression of growth of unwanted invader plants by herbicide spraying
D)use of portable fencing to confine cattle to ungrazed areas
E)removal of native grasses to reduce growth

Question 29

Efforts to sustain the key remaining grasslands and habitats in the Southwestern US includes all of the following except

A)conservation easements
B)pressure local governments to allow large-scale development in fragile areas
C)ranchers reducing the impact of their herds
D)using far less fertilizer and pesticides
E)prevent large-scale development in fragile areas

Question 30

Forests cover about ____% of the U.S.land area.

A)0
B)3
C)10
D)30
E)50

Question 31

The major causes of destruction and degradation of tropical forests includes all of the following except

A)not valuing ecological services
B)crop and timber exports
C)illnesses of trees and other plants
D)population growth
E)poverty

Question 32

The temporary or permanent removal of large expanses of forest for agriculture, or other uses, is called

A)reforestation
B)deforestation
C)selective cutting
D)strip cutting
E)sustainable harvesting

Question 33

One of the reasons for cutting trees is to provide pulp for making paper.However, paper can be made from all of the following except

A)rice straw
B)animal fats
C)hemp
D)agricultural residues
E)kenaf

Question 34

Which of the following can be used to reduce tropical deforestation?

A)educate settlers about sustainable forestry/agriculture.
B)certify sustainably grown timber
C)reduce poverty
D)protect the most diverse and endangered areas
E)All of these.

Question 35

According to the World Resources Institute, if the current rates continue, how much of the world's remaining forests will be lost in the next two decades?

A)10%
B)20%
C)30%
D)40%
E)50%

Question 36

Unfenced grasslands in tropical and temperate climates that supply forage for grazing animals are called

A)pastures
B)rangeland
C)savannah
D)steppes
E)veldt

Question 37

Burning tropical forests accounts for how much of the human-created greenhouse gas emissions?

A)6%
B)11%
C)17%
D)23%
E)27%

Question 38

Over the past 8,000 years, human activities have reduced the earth's original forest cover by about _____ %, with most of that coming in the last 60 years.

A)46
B)32
C)64
D)76
E)58

Question 39

Four of the following are ways to grow and harvest trees more sustainably; one is not.Choose the one that is not.

A)No clear-cutting on steep slopes.
B)No logging of old-growth forests.
C)Identify and protect forest areas high in biodiversity.
D)Leave most standing dead trees.
E)Increase road building into uncut areas.

Question 40

Hemp and which other source of pulp require fewer pesticides and yield more pulp per hectare?

A)rice straw
B)animal fats
C)wood
D)agricultural residues
E)kenaf

Question 41

Someday, tree plantations may supply most of the world's demand for industrial wood.

Question 42

Which of the following is one of the biggest problems for U.S.national parks today?

A)popularity
B)too many concessions
C)invasion of alien species
D)rock collectors
E)soil erosion

Question 43

Illegal, uncontrolled, and unsustainable logging is taking place in at least 70 countries, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Question 44

Which of the following is not a major problem for U.S.public parks?

A)introduction of nonnative species
B)killing of native species
C)polluted air
D)agricultural runoff
E)deferred repairs of infrastructure

Question 45

The world's largest system of private natural areas and wildlife sanctuaries has been created by

A)European Union
B)U.S.government
C)United Nations
D)Sierra Club
E)Nature Conservancy

Question 46

Large areas of undeveloped land that has not been seriously disturbed by humans is called

A)national parks
B)reserves
C)national forests
D)biospheres
E)wilderness

Question 47

What can you do to help sustain terrestrial biodiversity? All of the following are things each of us can do, except

A)Plant trees and take care of them.
B)Recycle paper and use recycled products.
C)Buy sustainable wood and wood products.
D)Help restore nearby degraded forests or grasslands.
E)Do not plant your yard with local plants.

Question 48

A 1997 report estimated the value of the ecological services provided to humans by forests to be at least $4.7 trillion.

Question 49

Michael Rosenzweig suggests we need to learn how to share with other species the spaces we dominate.He calls this new form of conservation biology

A)reconciliation ecology
B)rehabilitation ecology
C)refurbishment biology
D)community building
E)formation building

Question 50

Forest fires are not a major threat to forest ecosystems as part of a natural cycle.

Question 51

Four of the following are measures to restore ecosystems; one is not.Choose the one that is not.

A)rehabilitation
B)secondary succession
C)replacement
D)creating artificial ecosystems
E)restoration

Question 52

In 1995-1996 gray wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park. Since then all of the following have occurred, except

A)remains of elk killed by wolves have become food for grizzly bears
B)beaver dams have disappeared from the streams
C)wary elk no longer trample regrowth of aspen, cottonwoods, and willow trees
D)shade trees growing along streams have encouraged larger trout populations
E)wolves have reduced predatory coyote populations increasing small mammals

Question 53

Sixty percent of the world's forests are old-growth forests.

Question 54

Tree farms are more biologically diverse than second-growth forests.

Question 55

Which of the following is a "superpower of biodiversity" with an estimated 500,000 plant and animal species?

A)Panama
B)Nicaragua
C)Costa Rica
D)Guatemala
E)El Salvador

Question 56

The ecosystem approach to sustaining biodiversity follows four of the following principles.Choose which one is not one of these principles.

A)Map global ecosystems and create an inventory of the species.
B)Locate and protect the most endangered ecosystems.
C)Seek to restore as many degraded ecosystems as possible.
D)Allow the heavily degraded ecosystems to disappear.
E)Make development biodiversity friendly by providing financial incentives.

Question 57

The Green Belt Movement is a women's self-help group in rural Kenya.

Question 58

The United Nations and conservationists around the world are using a design in which an inner core of a reserve is surrounded by two protective areas.This design is known as

A)habitat corridors
B)buffer zone concept
C)wilderness concept
D)transition zones
E)reserve concept

Question 59

Researchers have suggested four principles for carrying out most forms of ecological restoration and rehabilitation.Which one of the following is not one of the principles?

A)Find the cause of the degradation.
B)Stop the abuse by eliminating the causes.
C)Encourage the development of economic zones in the ecosystem.
D)Reintroduce species, especially keystone, foundation, and pioneer species.
E)Protect the area from further degradation.

Question 60

Protected areas linking isolated reserves is a design called

A)habitat corridors
B)buffer zone concept
C)wilderness concept
D)transition zones
E)reserve concept

Question 61

Burning of its forests accounts for 75% of all Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 62

Since 1977, 50,000 members of the Green Belt Movement have planted and protected more than ____________________ trees.

Question 63

Deforestation is proceeding at a rate of 0.3 to 0.8% per year, which is not a pace that is a concern to scientists.

Question 64

Today the forests of the United States cover more area than they did in 1920.

Question 65

If current deforestation rates continue about 40% of all the world's remaining intact forests will have been logged or converted to other uses in 20 years.

Question 66

Up to 60% of the wood consumed in the U.S.is wasted unnecessarily.

Question 67

In the last 8,000 years, humans have reduced the earth's original forest cover by about 23%.

Question 68

Efforts are under way to make charcoal out of fibers left over from processing sugar cane.

Question 69

Less than 5% of U.S.land is protected as wilderness, and most of that is in Alaska.

Question 70

The Smokey Bear educational campaign has decreased the likelihood of destructive crown fires.

Question 71

Most developers and resource extractors oppose protecting the current 12% of land that is nominally being protected worldwide.

Question 72

Grass may have covered one-half of the southwestern part of the United States 200 years ago.Now it covers only about 20%.

Question 73

Forests covering approximately 30% of the U.S.land area supply about two-thirds of the nation's surface water.

Question 74

Only about 1% of national parks in less-developed countries are protected.

Question 75

Tropical forests are being lost at a rate equal to the total area of the state of Mississippi each year.

Question 76

Crown fires are strictly the result of droughts.

Question 77

Even moderate levels of grazing are unhealthy for grasslands.

Question 78

Parks in developing countries possess the least biodiversity of all parks.

Question 79

A majority of the loss of the tropical forests has occurred over the past 200 years.

Question 80

Making ultra-soft toilet paper requires millions of trees to be cut down, more than half from old or second growth forests.