Deck 11: Geology, Minerals, and Mining

Question 1

Removal of which of the following species will result in the greatest changes in an ecological system?

A) a competitive species
B) a producer species
C) a keystone species
D) a carnivore species
E) a decomposer species

Answer 1

C

Question 2

European rabbits were introduced into Australia and quickly spread, reproduced, and became a terrible pest. They eat up to $600 million worth of food and pasture crops annually, and have damaged the populations of many native plants and the populations of animals that eat the plants. Twice in the past 50 years, rabbit diseases have been introduced to try to control the population, with some success. This is a case where .

A) climate change has decreased the genetic diversity of indigenous species
B) an invasive species has caused overharvesting
C) habitat alteration resulted in decreased biodiversity
D) an extirpation has occurred
E) an invasive species has reduced the genetic diversity of indigenous species

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The Convention on Biological Diversity has goals that .

A) are designed to reduce biodiversity
B) spell out future management plans for all biomes
C) ensure the distribution of biodiversity's benefits to wealthy countries who can pay for them
D) include using biodiversity in a sustainable manner
E) include a set of international laws

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Biodiversity enhances human food security because it .

A) means that there is genetic uniformity
B) is a potential source of new food items or new genetic varieties of existing foods
C) reduces the number of pollinators available to any one plant species
D) decreases the number of predators
E) increases the number of available pathogens

Question 5

The IUCN's Red List is .

A) an updated list of species facing unusually high risk of extinction
B) a list of unidentified species
C) an identification list of known species
D) a list of ecologically harmful invasive species
E) a scorecard of international failures at conservation

Question 6

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

Question 7

Changes in habitat have tremendous effects on the organisms that depend on them. These effects are .

A) generally neutral; the variations within each species allow them to adapt very quickly
B) generally positive; the changes increase the habitat that is available for species to colonize
C) generally negative; organisms are already adapted to the habitats in which they occur and any change is likely to render the habitat less suitable
D) generally negative; the changes usually cause rapid extinction of most species
E) generally positive; organisms are already adapted to the habitats in which they occur and any change is likely to render the habitat more suitable

Question 8

Which of the following best explains the pattern shown in the figure?

A) Because penguins cannot fly, they are forced to remain in the Arctic, and there are few species of birds that can survive such harsh winters.
B) Because polar bears prey on birds, there are few bird species that can live in the Arctic.
C) Birds prefer to live near oceans, and proximity to the ocean has a great effect on bird diversity.
D) Birds cannot breed where air is thinner because they cannot take in enough oxygen, so fewer species are found at high elevations.
E) Polar and temperate regions are relatively species -poor because glaciation events repeatedly forced organisms toward tropical latitudes.

Question 9

The species that are generally most vulnerable to human impact are .

A) keystone species
B) K -selected species
C) producers
D) decomposers
E) competitive species

Question 10

What is the greatest known cause of global amphibian declines?

A) habitat loss
B) fires
C) parasites and disease
D) pollution
E) displacement by invasive species

Question 11

The loss of a particular population from a given area (but not the entire species globally) is called .

A) extinction
B) extirpation
C) exposition
D) emigration
E) extinguishment

Question 12

Ecotourism _.

A) decreases biodiversity by causing increased speciation in environmentally sensitive areas
B) is a reasonable option only in impoverished countries
C) decreases biodiversity by selling souvenir organisms
D) maintains biodiversity by providing income to areas that might otherwise be destroyed
E) increases biodiversity by introducing new, rare species

Question 13

Both and _
Can change global species diversity.

A) extirpation; extinction
B) emigration; extinction
C) speciation; immigration
D) speciation; extinction
E) immigration; extirpation

Question 14

A species of lizard has gone extinct. All of the following may have contributed to this extinction EXCEPT .

A) habitat destruction by humans
B) increased genetic diversity within the species
C) introduction of a species that competed for food resources
D) climate change
E) inbreeding

Question 15

Animals that are harmed by human modification of the environment tend to have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT _.

A) being a species covering a small geographic range
B) being high on the food chain
C) being a habitat specialist
D) being a dietary generalist
E) being K -selected

Question 16

The field of conservation biology _ .

A) attempts to integrate an understanding of evolution and extinction into their field research
B) developed in response to government intervention
C) tries to conserve every species, everywhere
D) endeavors to increase speciation events in order to increase biodiversity
E) was initially viewed as too measurement oriented, looking at details and not at the big picture

Question 17

The greatest cause of the worldwide loss of species is .

A) decreased soil nutrients
B) air pollution
C) habitat destruction
D) water pollution
E) climate change

Question 18

The greatest species diversity is found in which of the following groups?

A) birds
B) insects
C) flowering plants
D) mammals
E) fish

Question 19

What is the greatest contributing factor in the loss of polar bears in arctic areas?

A) fires in the taiga and tundra
B) decline in sea ice
C) hunting of the polar bear by the Inuit people
D) the tundra shifting northward
E) the decline of lemmings; the primary food of the polar bear

Question 20

Both and
Can change local species diversity but not global species diversity.

A) speciation; immigration
B) extirpation; extinction
C) immigration; extirpation
D) speciation; extinction
E) emigration; extinction

Question 21

The wood thrush makes its nest in woodlands in the northern and eastern United States. As patches of woods become smaller, increasing numbers of wood thrush nests have eggs laid in them by the brown -headed cowbird. Cowbirds live in open fields and are nest parasites; the female cowbird flies up to an unattended nest, quickly lays an egg in it, and leaves the host parents to raise their "adopted" young. Wood thrushes are decreasing in numbers because .

A) climate change is reducing nest site availability
B) habitat fragmentation makes it easier for cowbird parasitism to occur
C) cowbirds are an invasive species that is rapidly increasing
D) pollution of the open fields has caused a change in cowbird behavior
E) overharvesting in the open fields has driven the cowbirds into the woodlands

Question 22

What do researchers hope to accomplish by performing genetic analyses on confiscated ivory?

A) They hope to determine whether the ivory came from elephants or from seals.
B) They hope to determine whether possession of the ivory violated international treaties.
C) They hope to determine how long ago each animal was killed for its ivory.
D) They hope to learn more about the extent of inbreeding of elephants in different areas of Africa.
E) They hope to determine where the elephants were poached.

Question 23

Wildlife in the Serengeti is currently threatened by .

A) plans to build a highway that passes through the park
B) an invasive fish that has been introduced into the major river that flows through the park
C) an overabundance of elephants
D) pollution from a nearby coal power plant
E) plans to legalize hunting of most of the large animal species in the park

Question 24

The butterflies you established in your yard are now thriving, but you notice that some of the caterpillars are falling victim to predators and parasites. After some study and consultation, you wisely decide to .

A) plant more host plants in several different areas but otherwise do nothing
B) give up on the butterfly species you'd encouraged and try to attract new species.
C) spray pesticides on the plants to control the predators
D) catch and kill the predators and parasites by hand
E) resume spraying pesticides on the lawn

Question 25

In his 2005 book, Richard Louv maintains that today's children .

A) should not participate in environmental education programs until high school
B) should not be exposed to the dangers of natural ecosystems
C) develop more balanced emotions in urban compared to natural settings
D) have a better understanding of natural environments than their grandparents
E) suffer psychologically and emotionally from "nature deficit disorder"

Question 26

One of the ongoing problems for wild California condors is .

A) that they readily succumb to sylvatic plague, which can ravage an entire colony of condors in a matter of weeks
B) that there are so few of them that they cannot find mates
C) that the federal government refuses to list the condor as being endangered because doing so would have a negative impact on the oil and gas industry
D) that people continue to hunt condors for sport, despite the bird's being listed as federally endangered and despite the educational campaigns that teach young people the value of having condors in an ecosystem
E) that lead shot is still used for hunting, and the lead can build up in a condor's system because condors eat dead animals that have been shot

Question 27

From your experiences with the lawn and the butterfly garden, you can affirm that .

A) higher biodiversity of plants means a lower biodiversity of animals
B) once natural habitats are altered or destroyed they can never be restored, even in part
C) pesticides need to be used to maintain a diversity of native species
D) native plant landscaping can be done so that no predators or parasites are present
E) native plants are more likely than exotic species to support local herbivores

Question 28

Which of the following activities would violate CITES?

A) Your friend shoots a bald eagle that seems to be eying the calf he has been raising for his 4 -H project.
B) Your friend brings back an ivory chess set that he bought while on safari in Lesotho.
C) Your friend catches a small -mouth bass that is technically not large enough to keep, but he keeps it and cooks it for dinner instead of releasing it.
D) Your friend transports firewood infested with emerald ash borer from Minneapolis to the Black Hills of South Dakota, inadvertently introducing the pest to Rapid City, where it destroys all of the ash trees in the city within a decade.
E) Your friend breaks into a California condor breeding facility and releases all of the condors being raised there because he feels sorry for them.

Question 29

You also decide to greatly reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers you use in your landscape and rely more on mulching and composting. This will benefit your yard "ecosystem" by .

A) increasing the populations of butterflies
B) making habitats for pollinators
C) increasing the biodiversity of soil organisms, including decomposers
D) decreasing the plant biodiversity of the yard
E) decreasing the number of predatory animals and insects

Question 30

Endemic species are .

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

Question 31

The causes of the current (sixth) mass extinction include all of the following EXCEPT .

A) earthquakes, tsunamis, and forest fires
B) habitat alteration and destruction
C) invasive exotic species
D) global climate change
E) pollution from pesticides, eutrophication, and other causes

Question 32

The introduction of onto the island of Guam has resulted in the extinction of most of the endemic forest bird species on the island.

A) kudzu
B) European starlings
C) cane toads
D) Nile perch
E) brown tree snakes

Question 33

Contrary to popular belief, the Endangered Species Act allows .

A) landowners to harm a protected species in one area if they improve habitat for it elsewhere
B) international trade in protected species to aid in times of economic hardship
C) landowners to kill endangered species for food if necessary
D) habitats of protected species to be developed or logged as long as no individuals of the species are killed
E) endangered species to be hunted as long as records are kept of numbers and sex of individuals taken

Question 34

Paleontologists estimate that .

A) 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct
B) more than 99% of all species alive today have been discovered and described
C) extinction is tied exclusively to human activities
D) more species are alive today than ever before
E) biodiversity is evenly spread over the earth's biomes