Deck 54: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Question 1

Relatively small geographic areas with high concentrations of endemic species and a large number of endangered and threatened species are known as ________.

A) endemic sinks
B) critical communities
C) biodiversity hot spots
D) endemic metapopulations
E) bottlenecks

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What are the criteria Conservation International has established to determine if an area is a conservation hot spot?

A) The area contains at least 1500 endemic vascular plant species and has more than at least 50 percent of its traditional or primary vegetation.
B) The area contains at least 500 endemic vascular plant species and has lost at least 20 percent of its traditional or primary vegetation.
C) The area contains at least 500 endemic vascular plant species and has more than at least 50 percent of its traditional or primary vegetation.
D) The area contains at least 1500 endemic vascular plant species and has lost at least 70 percent of its traditional or primary vegetation.
E) The area contains at least 1500 endemic vascular plant species and has more than at least 70 percent of its traditional or primary vegetation.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is a TRUE statement regarding species diversity and taxonomic diversity?

A) Species diversity measures the relative frequency of all alleles present in a species.
B) In taxonomic diversity, the number of species in a lineage is important.
C) In species diversity, the number of animals in a particular lineage is important.
D) The variety of species in a given area represents taxonomic diversity.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A land developer and several ecologists are discussing how a parcel of private land should be developed while saving 20 hectares as natural habitat. The land developer suggests that the 20 hectares be divided into twenty separate 1-hectare areas. The ecologists suggest that it would be better to have one intact parcel of 20 hectares. What is the significance of these different arrangements of the 20 hectares?

A) There really is no difference; they should both work equally well.
B) The isolated hectare plots increase the ability of individuals to disperse from one habitat to another.
C) The isolated plots are more vulnerable to edge effects.
D) The large plot will create more inbreeding in many species.

Question 5

Erwin and Scott used an insecticidal fog to knock down insects from the top of a L. seemannii tree. The researchers identified over 900 species of beetles among the individuals that fell. Erwin also projected that this entire tree is host to about 600 arthropod species unique to this tree species. There are approximately 50,000 species of tropical trees. Although it could not be entirely accurate, what would be the best way to estimate the total number of arthropod species?

A) Estimate the species density and then multiply by 50,000.
B) Multiply 900 by 50,000.
C) Multiply 600 by 50,000.
D) Divide 900 by 600 and then multiply by 50,000.

Question 6

With regard to the destruction of tropical forests, the focus is often on biodiversity and the impact on these ecosystems. What is a direct benefit to humans that helps explain why these forests need to be preserved?

A) This diversity could contain undocumented insect species.
B) Natural and undisturbed areas are important wildlife habitats.
C) The diversity could contain novel drugs for consumers.
D) The plant diversity provides shade, which reduces the impact of global warming.

Question 7

Which of the following criteria have to be met for a species to qualify as invasive?

A) endemic to the area, spreads rapidly, and displaces foreign species
B) introduced to a new area, spreads rapidly, and displaces native species
C) introduced to a new area, spreads rapidly, and displaces other invasive species
D) endemic to the area, spreads slowly, and displaces native species

Question 8

During the inventory of bacterial genes present in the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a research team concluded that at least 1800 bacterial species were discovered. Based on what you know about this area, what would you expect to see in coral reef waters?

A) slightly greater genetic diversity
B) slightly smaller genetic diversity
C) equal genetic diversity
D) markedly greater genetic diversity
E) markedly smaller genetic diversity

Question 9

If all individuals in the last remaining population of a particular bird species were all highly related, which type of diversity would be of greatest concern when planning to keep the species from going extinct?
I) genetic diversity
II) species diversity
III) ecosystem diversity

A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

Question 10

Which one of the following is LEAST likely to be a hot spot for birds?

A) Amazon River basin
B) East Africa
C) Southwest China
D) Greenland

Question 11

Based on the accompanying figure, what snake antivenom would you administer to a person bitten by a king brown snake if king brown snake antivenom were not available?

A) taipan
B) common brown snake
C) red-bellied black snake
D) death adder
E) tiger snake

Question 12

Which of the following terms includes all of the others?

A) species diversity
B) biodiversity
C) genetic diversity
D) ecosystem diversity
E) species richness

Question 13

What is the biological significance of genetic diversity between populations?

A) Genes for traits conferring an advantage to local conditions make evolution possible.
B) The population that is most fit would survive by competitive exclusion.
C) Genetic diversity allows for species stability by preventing speciation.
D) Isolated populations become more fit.
E) Diseases and parasites are not spread between separated populations.

Question 14

Which of the following statements regarding extinction is (are) correct?
I) Only a small percentage of species is immune from extinction.
II) Extinction occurs whether humans interfere or not.
III) Extinctions can be caused indirectly by humans.

A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

Question 15

Based on the species-area plot in the accompanying figure, if habitable area on an island were reduced from 10,000 km2 (square kilometers) to 1000 km2, roughly what percentage of the species would disappear?

A) 0.3 percent
B) 3 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 60 percent

Question 16

According to the accompanying figure, which of the following explains why the red panda is an important species to preserve?

A) Red pandas are a symbol of conservation efforts.
B) Red pandas live in areas that are critically endangered.
C) Seals are more important to preserve than the red panda because the ocean environment is critically endangered.
D) Phylogenetically distinct species are high-priority species to target for conservation.

Question 17

Which of the following ecological locations has the greatest species diversity?

A) tundra
B) deciduous forests
C) tropical rain forest
D) grasslands
E) islands

Question 18

In looking at the species-area plot in the accompanying figure, what can be concluded?

A) The number of bird species increases linearly with island area.
B) The number of bird species remains the same on these various islands.
C) Diversity is independent from island area.
D) The number of bird species increases exponentially with island area.

Question 19

By knowing the interrelatedness of various snake species, the appropriate antivenom can be chosen. Based on the accompanying figure, which snake antivenom would you administer to a person bitten by an Australian copperhead, if antivenom to the Australian copperhead were not available?

A) taipan
B) common brown snake
C) red-bellied black snake
D) death adder
E) tiger snake

Question 20

Philippe Bouchet and colleagues conducted a massive survey of marine mollusks on the west coast of New Caledonia. Twenty percent of the species found had only a single specimen collected. What does that suggest about the diversity of mollusks in this area?

A) The west coast of New Caledonia is not an appropriate habitat for mollusks.
B) They did not spend enough time sampling in the area.
C) Many of the species from this 20 percent are probably rare.
D) They were not sampling uniformly throughout the area.
E) Many of the species from this 20 percent are most likely just dispersing through the area.

Question 21

Use the accompanying figure to answer this question: What factors have a positive effect on plant biomass, based on the data presented?

A) plot number and species richness
B) No factors have a positive effect on plant biomass.
C) number of functional groups and species richness
D) plot size and type of plants in plot

Question 22

Community resistance refers to ________.

A) the ability of a community to maintain productivity and other aspects of ecosystem function as conditions change over time and to recover to former levels of productivity or species richness after a disturbance
B) the extent to which a community remains unchanged during a disturbance
C) how quickly a community recovers following a disturbance
D) how many species are in the community

Question 23

Looking at the accompanying figure, what can be said about edge effects?

A) Biomass declines along edges of forest fragments.
B) Biomass increases along the edges of forest fragments.
C) Species diversity decreases along the edges of forest fragments.
D) Fragmentation does not affect biomass.

Question 24

Use the accompanying figure to answer this question: What two variables were manipulated?

A) plant biomass and species richness
B) plant biomass and number of functional groups
C) number of functional groups and species richness
D) plot size and plant biomass

Question 25

The most serious consequence to humans of a decrease in global biodiversity would be the ________.

A) increase in global warming and thinning of the ozone layer
B) potential loss of ecosystem services on which people depend
C) increase in the abundance and diversity of edge-adapted species
D) loss of sources of genetic diversity to preserve endangered species
E) loss of species for use as crops

Question 26

Approximately what percentage of bird species are on the IUCN Red List?

A) 0 percent
B) 13 percent
C) 23 percent
D) 33 percent
E) 53 percent

Question 27

Although extinction is a natural process, current extinctions are of concern to environmentalists because ________.

A) more animals than ever before are going extinct
B) most current extinctions are caused by introduced species
C) the rate of extinction is higher than background extinction rates
D) current extinction is primarily affecting plant diversity

Question 28

Which of the following is a regulating service of ecosystems?

A) soil formation
B) recreation
C) nutrient cycling
D) providing genetic resources
E) education

Question 29

Which of the following have an impact on decisions about humans mitigating the extinctions and damages to ecosystem services?
I) Moral issues
II) Economic problems
III) Biological problems

A) I and II only
B) II and III only
C) III only
D) I, II, and III

Question 30

Which of the following is a provisioning service of ecosystems?

A) soil formation
B) recreation
C) nutrient cycling
D) providing genetic resources
E) education

Question 31

Community stability refers to ________.

A) the ability of a community to maintain productivity and other aspects of ecosystem function as conditions change over time and to recover to former levels of productivity or species richness after a disturbance
B) the extent to which a community remains unchanged during a disturbance
C) how quickly a community recovers following a disturbance
D) how many species are in the community

Question 32

The main factor that leads to the loss of biodiversity is ________.

A) habitat fragmentation
B) habitat destruction
C) industrialization
D) transportation

Question 33

According to most conservation biologists, the single greatest threat to global biodiversity is ________.

A) chemical pollution of water and air
B) stratospheric ozone depletion
C) overexploitation of certain species
D) alteration or destruction of the physical habitat

Question 34

Which of the following is a cultural service of ecosystems?

A) soil formation
B) climate moderation
C) nutrient cycling
D) providing genetic resources
E) education

Question 35

Copyright © 2003 American Institute of Biological Sciences. (Foster, D. R., F. Swanson, J. Aber, D. Tilman, N. Brokaw, I. Burke, and A. Knapp. 2003. The importance of land-use and its legacies to ecology and environmental management. BioScience 53:77-88.)
Based on the accompanying figure, what can you conclude about the history of land use in the southern Yucatán?

A) Massive soil erosion caused the Mayan population to crash.
B) Reduction in forest cover caused the Mayan population to crash.
C) As Mayan population increased, deforestation increased, probably leading to increased soil erosion.
D) This Mayan population practiced sustainable development.

Question 36

The introduction of the Burmese python by pet owners in Florida has resulted in ________.

A) eradication of nonnative rats and other undesirable/pest species
B) the threatening of many native species
C) a good lesson in biological control
D) a new species of hybrids from crossbreeding with a native snake species
E) its failure to compete with native species and its quick elimination

Question 37

In prairies, the presence of plants in the onion family may discourage herbivores within the prairie. This is an example of ________.

A) facilitation
B) resource use efficiency
C) competition
D) predation

Question 38

Net primary productivity is important because ________.

A) it is the source of chemical energy used by a species throughout a food web
B) It is not important because of the inefficiency of energy flow through food webs.
C) it leads to lower biodiversity within small areas
D) it can lead to the expiration of more CO2 into the atmosphere by plants

Question 39

What type of ecosystem is most harmed by pollution?

A) freshwater
B) ocean
C) tropical rain forest
D) temperate forest
E) savanna

Question 40

Community resilience refers to ________.

A) the ability of a community to maintain productivity and other aspects of ecosystem function as conditions change over time and to recover to former levels of productivity or species richness after a disturbance
B) the extent to which a community remains unchanged during a disturbance
C) how quickly a community recovers following a disturbance
D) how many species are in the community

Question 41

Ex situ conservation refers to ________.

A) managing ecosystems to reduce effects of invasive species
B) introducing new alleles to populations
C) preserving species that are no longer found in the wild in zoos or aquaria
D) keeping seed banks of endangered plants
E) designing policies to prevent introduction of exotic species

Question 42

Success in the restoration of ecosystems is positively correlated with ________.
I) The size of the area restored
II) Increase in biodiversity
III) The intactness of surrounding areas

A) I and II
B) I and III
C) I, II, and III
D) II
E) II and III

Question 43

What is TRUE concerning the high consumption of fossil fuels?

A) It has no effect on biodiversity.
B) It affects biodiversity by directly harming species.
C) It affects biodiversity indirectly via climate change.
D) It affects biodiversity both directly and indirectly via climate change.
E) It affects biodiversity indirectly via decreases in CO2 emissions.