Deck 4: Biodiversity and Evolution

Question 1

Extinction is_______________ .

A)the loss of communities from the planet
B)a natural process
C)proceeding more slowly now than at any other time
D)something that occurs only rarely
E)always caused by human disturbance

Answer 1

a natural process

Question 2

Ecotourism_______________ .

A)increases biodiversity by introducing new,rare species
B)decreases biodiversity by the selling of souvenir organisms
C)maintains biodiversity by providing income to areas that might otherwise be destroyed
D)decreases biodiversity by causing increased speciation in environmentally sensitive areas

Answer 2

maintains biodiversity by providing income to areas that might otherwise be destroyed

Question 3

Endemic species_____________ .

A)are invasive species that cause extinction
B)are generalist organisms
C)are found only in one place on the planet
D)cause disease

Answer 3

are found only in one place on the planet

Question 4

Which processes regulate the world's current level of species diversity?

A)Endemism and climate change
B)Extinction and speciation
C)Mutation and humidity
D)Speciation and migration

Question 5

In eukaryotic cells,DNA is located in _____________.

A)structures called eukaryons
B)structures called plasmids
C)the nucleus
D)the nucleoid region

Question 6

Heavy rains and mudslides cause a river to change course,isolating two groups of lizards from one another.If the groups remain isolated from each other for a long period of time,_____________.

A)both groups will probably become invasive species
B)one group will probably become an endemic species
C)the groups will probably diverge genetically,and speciation may occur
D)both groups will probably go extinct

Question 7

_____________have greater species richness than_____________ .

A)Deserts;tropical rainforests
B)Tropical and subtropical grasslands;tropical rainforests
C)Oceans;terrestrial ecosystems
D)Coral reefs;other areas of the oceans

Question 8

The greatest threat to global biodiversity is _____________.

A)habitat destruction
B)chemical pollution
C)the introduction of alien species
D)overconsumption of rice,corn,and wheat

Question 9

Prairie grasses experience grazing herbivores,wildfires,droughts,deep snow,and blazing hot days in the summer.The prairie grasses alive today are descendants of those that have survived these challenges and thus must have _____________for such an environment.

A)speciations
B)predation
C)adaptations
D)endemism

Question 10

Which of the following correctly depicts the pathway of the transfer of genetic information?

A)protein -DNA -RNA
B)DNA -protein -RNA
C)RNA -DNA -protein
D)DNA -RNA -protein

Question 11

In general,biodiversity is_____________ .

A)75% plant species and 25% animal species
B)fairly evenly spread among all of the major groups of animals and plants
C)declining in the United States and around the world
D)accurately quantified for most ecosystems

Question 12

A small flock of birds becomes stranded on an isolated island during a hurricane.The birds successfully breed and spread across the island.Several decades later,another flock of birds of the same species also becomes stranded on the island.The new arrivals are slightly larger than the rest of the birds,but they freely interbreed with the rest of the birds,and they produce fertile offspring.Which one of the following processes is best illustrated in this example?

A)Speciation
B)Genetic drift
C)Natural selection
D)Gene flow

Question 13

A small flock of birds becomes stranded on an isolated island during a hurricane.The birds successfully breed and spread across the island.Several decades later,a hurricane hits the island and randomly kills off most of the birds,including the only birds in the population that had black tails.Which one of the following processes is best illustrated in this example?

A)Gene flow
B)Speciation
C)Natural selection
D)Genetic drift

Question 14

What scientific discipline involves the naming and classifying of species according to their similarities?

A)Taxonomy
B)Agronomy
C)Ecology
D)Environmental science

Question 15

The country of Belize depends on lobster for a major portion of its income,along with fishing and tourism.Over the past 30 years the average size of an individual lobster has dropped,even as increasing numbers of Belizeans buy boats,build lobster traps,and enter the industry.This is an example of___________.

A)habitat alteration
B)the problems with monoculture
C)the results of an invasive species
D)overharvesting

Question 16

A small flock of birds becomes stranded on an isolated island during a hurricane.Their population expands across the island,and over a period of several decades,the average beak size in the population becomes smaller,helping the birds eat the smaller seeds and insects found on the island.Which one of the following processes is best illustrated in this example?

A)Genetic drift
B)Extinction
C)Gene flow
D)Natural selection

Question 17

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment projects the impacts of human activities on________________ .

A)natural selection and speciation rates
B)declining global biodiversity
C)degradation of the ozone layer
D)the prevalence of antibiotic- resistant bacteria

Question 18

Species that are found only in specific environments or have restricted localities are said to be____________ .

A)diverse
B)structurally complex
C)endemic
D)extinct

Question 19

Which of the following would be most vulnerable to extinction?

A)A migratory flock of warblers stopping along its winter route to feed on local resources that are now gone and replaced by a suburb
B)A moth,brought to the United States for silk production,escaping into the wild and becoming established
C)An orchid endemic to a forest where logging is occurring
D)A healthy plant,such as a pine tree,that completely dominates its native environment

Question 20

The ecotourism industry relies upon_______________ .

A)an interest in discovering plants to create new crops and agricultural products
B)the harvesting and sale of natural products
C)a widespread public interest in exploring and maintaining natural environments
D)the human desire to collect wildlife and wildlife products from throughout the world

Question 21

Compared to the long- term historical average rate of extinction,extinction rates today are________________ .

A)higher
B)about the same
C)lower
D)changing from higher to lower rates in the past century

Question 22

A population of birds is found on a remote island.Which of the following information is most important in deciding if the birds all belong to a single species?

A)Whether the matings produce viable eggs or offspring of some matings are sterile
B)Whether they mate with one another
C)Whether they share many physical characteristics
D)Whether the males all sing similar songs

Question 23

Propose a reason why a species would benefit by having genetic diversity.

Question 24

Which of the following are prokaryotes?

A)Yeast cells
B)Sunflowers
C)Soil bacteria
D)The president and first lady

Question 25

In North America,many kinds of birds have closely related eastern and western counterparts species or subspecies)that sometimes produce hybrid offspring where their ranges overlap.For example,Baltimore and Bullock's orioles have been known to produce hybrid offspring in Nebraska,as do yellow- shafted and
red- shafted flickers.Formulate a hypothesis to explain this widespread pattern of closely related eastern and western birds.

Question 26

The five major factors contributing to extinction today are_____________ .

A)hunting,fishing,habitat destruction,crop production,and the draining of wetlands
B)habitat loss,invasive species,pollution,overexploitation,and climate change
C)air pollution,water pollution,toxic waste,ozone depletion,and agriculture
D)catastrophic storms,invasive species,earthquakes and associated tsunamis,pollution,and agriculture

Question 27

In North America,many kinds of birds have closely related eastern and western counterparts species or subspecies that sometimes produce hybrid offspring where their ranges overlap.For example,Baltimore and Bullock's orioles have been known to produce hybrid offspring in Nebraska,as do yellow- shafted and
red- shafted flickers.Describe how you would determine whether the counterparts are two separate species or are just two subspecies within a single species.

Question 28

Plant productivity is greatest in natural ecosystems when_____________ .

A)the ecosystems are converted into cropland
B)endemic species are present
C)an invasive plant grows unchecked
D)more species are present

Question 29

In North America,many kinds of birds have closely related eastern and western counterparts species or subspecies)that sometimes produce hybrid offspring where their ranges overlap.Eastern and western meadowlarks are virtually indistinguishable from each other in appearance,and yet,despite the fact that their ranges overlap throughout much of the Midwest,there are few documented cases of the meadowlark counterparts mating with each other and producing hybrid offspring.Propose mechanisms that would prevent cross- breeding between eastern and western meadowlarks,thus maintaining the counterparts as separate species.

Question 30

New genetic traits upon which natural selection can act usually arise from __________.

A)increases in cell size and shape
B)mutations
C)the demands of the environment
D)the need to become adapted to a new environment

Question 31

A small flock of birds becomes stranded on an isolated island during a hurricane.The birds successfully breed and spread across the island.Several decades later,a hurricane hits the island and randomly kills off most of the birds,including the only birds in the population that had black tails.This scenario is an example of the loss of ____________diversity.

A)genetic
B)botanical
C)species
D)ecosystem

Question 32

Species richness is affected by many variables.As one travels toward higher latitudes,one would expect ________________.

A)species richness to increase
B)population viability to increase
C)species richness to decrease
D)species richness to be fairly constant

Question 33

Antibiotic resistance can occur when____________ .

A)bacteria populations are repeatedly exposed to the same antibiotics
B)patients use antibiotics that are expired
C)antibiotics are artificially produced in a research facility
D)patients with bacterial infections are denied access to antibiotics

Question 34

Biodiversity enhances human food security because______________ .

A)drugs can be developed from compounds found in plants
B)the loss of crop diversity makes our food supply vulnerable to pests
C)nearly 20% of our food crops require pollinators such as insects
D)protecting biodiversity provides greater opportunities for ecotourism

Question 35

Endemic species are_____________ .

A)well established and show the least risk of extinction
B)limited to just one location,such as an island
C)usually the dominant species within an ecosystem
D)widely distributed,found especially on large continents

Question 36

Biologists define a region as a biodiversity hotspot if______________ .

A)there is an endemic species protected by a captive breeding program
B)volcanic eruptions threaten species living in the area
C)there is an exceptionally high level of species diversity and endemism
D)there is at least one umbrella species to be protected

Question 37

The causes of the sixth mass extinction include all of the following except_______________ .

A)habitat alteration and destruction
B)volcanic eruptions and meteorites
C)invasive species
D)global climate change

Question 38

Explain why today's estimate of the number of species present on Earth is so uncertain.

Question 39

Genes are located on molecules called____________________ .

A)nuclei
B)deoxyribonucleic acid
C)proteins
D)ribonucleic acids